
The Story
The Earhart Family
Our hearts swell with thanksgiving over the beautiful story of how God birthed our family. We are privileged to have an integrated multicultural family. We adopted our baby girl at birth in 1997, a sibling group of 2 brothers, 6 and 4 in 1999, and had the bookends in 1992 and 2001. Each addition to our family has a uniquely crafted story tethering us together as a family. In December 2020, I had our oldest son, Sterling, added to our last family picture taken before Marc's tragic murder. It's a gift for my husband and reminds us of the beauty in the broken, which fuels our faith when it starts to fray.
The Sterling Rose Sanctuary was born out of the Earhart family's loss of Sterling Earhart, the oldest of Marcia and Scott's five children.
On February 13, 2014, life came to a screeching halt as Sterling, at age 21, went home to heaven after a tragic car accident. In the midst of great difficulty, pain, and loss, the Earharts learned there is a seed of new life. Through Sterling's passing, that seed of life has been given through the Sanctuary to bring hope and healing to others who are struggling and grieving a loss. The way he loved all people has left a lasting legacy, which his family carries on as they involve themselves in and empathize with the suffering of others.
The Earharts are passionate about seeing individuals heal in body, soul, and spirit.
Tragically, the Earharts lost a second son, Marc Earhart, 26, who they learned was brutally murdered on October 26, 2019. Marc, a loving father himself, left behind two small children and a host of family and friends. This compound loss has compelled the Earharts to use their grief experience and tools to help others even more passionately.
They are reminded there is a resurrection of life out of death. Through the death of their sons, seeds of life have been planted. By establishing The Sterling Rose Sanctuary, Scott, Marcia, and their team can bring hope and healing to others struggling through a similar loss.
Meet
Marcia Earhart
The Sterling Rose Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, serves those grieving by providing resources for hope and healing to
Breathe again, Move again, and Live again
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I love life and choose to live it out loud—with passion, purpose, practicality, and freedom. I value honesty, authenticity, and deep, meaningful relationships. But let me be clear: I don’t love life because it has always been easy. It hasn’t.
I have walked through valleys that tested everything I thought I knew—chronic illness, strained family relationships, infertility, adoption, parenting children with RAD, ADHD, and ADD, betrayal, church conflict, job loss, and financial struggles. And then came the heartbreaks that shook me to my core. In 2014, we lost our 21-year-old son, Sterling, in a car accident. Five years later, in 2019, our 27-year-old son, Marc, was murdered alongside his girlfriend by her ex-boyfriend.
Those are the kinds of losses that threaten to undo you. Yet even in those dark, crushing places, God has never left. He has proven again and again that abundant life isn’t found in perfect circumstances—it is found in His presence. It is in the valley of the shadow of death that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have revealed parts of themselves I could not have known otherwise—the secret things hidden in the secret place.
In those sacred encounters, He has drawn me into His garden—a place where He invites me to release my pain, to plant my tears, to sow trust, and to receive His pruning, His rest, His restoration, His resurrection, and His redemption. What I’ve discovered is that the treasure in the darkness is not what He gives, but who He is.
God continues to be my strength when I am weary, my hope when despair presses in, my joy even in sorrow. And He gives me the courage to live victoriously when defeat tries to consume me. This is the miracle of grace—life abundant, even in the midst of loss.
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My deepest desire is for every person to encounter the unrelenting love of God—for them to know His power, His presence, and His purpose working in and through all things. I long for others to experience what it means to have the JOY of the LORD as the very source of their existence, even in the midst of pain and hardship.
One of the greatest honors of my life is to sit with others—to truly listen—as they share their stories and, in the gentle presence of the Trinity, begin to release their pain. It is sacred ground to witness the moment they start to breathe again, move again, and step into the fullness of life as God originally designed them to live.
I don’t just want to comfort—I long to see transformation. I want to see people step into healing, walk in wholeness, and begin to live in the fullness of their God-given potential. That is why I serve as a HeartSync Facilitator, Life, Grief, and Trauma Coach, Mental Health First Responder, Mediator, and as the Founder of The Sterling Rose Sanctuary, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to walking with those who grieve by offering resources for hope and healing.
Through it all, I depend completely on the Holy Spirit. It is His discernment and His wisdom that allow me to truly connect with others, to see beyond the surface, and to walk with them into the places where God brings restoration, redemption, and new life.
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I love the life God has given me and the unique ways He’s filled it with beauty and joy. The beach is one of my sacred places, where the rhythm of the waves refreshes my soul. I find delight in dancing, in bringing spaces to life through decorating, and in quiet moments immersed in the Word of God. My heart is fullest when I am connecting deeply with friends, strengthening relationships, and sharing meaningful time with my family—especially with my husband and children, who are some of my greatest treasures.
Traveling fills me with wonder, and coaching allows me to walk alongside others in their journeys. Encouraging hearts to keep going is one of my deepest joys. These are the things that make me who I am, gifts that remind me daily of the goodness of God. I fully embrace the freedom He has given me, and my greatest desire is to see others live in that same freedom—joyfully, authentically, and abundantly.
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I am married to my best friend and lifelong partner in every adventure. I love my husband more today than ever before. He is a man of integrity, strength, and steady love—a father who has poured himself into our children and into the lives of those around him. He has always believed in me, encouraging me to step fully into all God has called me to be, and he continues to be one of my most faithful cheerleaders.
Our home has been beautifully full—overflowing with laughter, tears, late-night talks, and countless memories—because of our five incredible children. We are a multicultural family, a tapestry woven together by God’s hand through adoption and birth. Our daughter, Lumbee Indian and African American, radiates strength and creativity. She is a gifted entrepreneur who can accomplish anything she sets her mind to, and she now runs a successful business with passion and excellence. Two of our sons, a sibling pair of Mexican American heritage, bring resilience, humor, and their own unique gifts into our family. And then God gave us the “bookends” through birth, completing our circle in His perfect way.
Our oldest son lived with a passion that inspired everyone around him. He cared deeply about relationships and carried a bold love for sharing Christ with others. In fact, he prayed each one of his siblings into our family, and his legacy of faith continues to shape us. Our youngest son, often called his “mini me,” carries that same depth of heart. An old soul, he has found both joy and healing in creating and producing music—a gift that has become not only therapeutic for him, but also a ministry that reaches others walking through pain. Each child has blessed our lives beyond measure, shaping us as much as we have shaped them.
Our family story also carries deep sorrow. In 2014, we lost our oldest son in a tragic accident. He was not only our son but also a beloved best friend, and his absence left an ache that words cannot capture. In 2019, we faced another heartbreak when our second-oldest son was murdered alongside his girlfriend. Both of their lives left indelible marks on our hearts, and though we miss them daily, we hold fast to the living hope that one day we will be reunited in our true home, heaven, with our Father.
Through it all, family remains one of my greatest joys—whether we are gathered at the beach, laughing around the table, traveling together, or simply sharing the beauty of ordinary days. They are a constant reminder of God’s goodness, His unshakable faithfulness, and the power of love that transcends both time and loss.
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Education and Certifications
Meredith College, Raleigh, NC - BS in Family Relations and Child Development
Meredith College- Teaching Certification 6th- 12th grades
Light University, Forest, VA - Life, Grief, Trauma, Brain, and Mental Health First Responder Coach
Mediator
HeartSync Minister
Author of Gripping Grace in the Garden of Grief: A Place for the Heart
Speaker
Over 30 years of experience
Member of AACC
Media
Podcasts
Understanding grief, loss, and pain can be difficult. Listen to our variety of podcast features where Certified Life, Grief, Trauma, Mental Health Coach, Mediator, and Heartsync Minister, Marcia Earhart, help us address and understand the complex emotions we experience in life.
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Beyond The Gates Magazine
Read our featured interview with Beyond the Gates Spring/Summer issue.
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Beyond The Gates Magazine
Read our featured interview with Beyond the Gates Fall issue.
News Media
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Fox 4 News
Fox 4 exclusively interviewed Marcia Earhart after their son, Marc’s, tragic death. She said the tragic news of his death came as a shock to their family and they are grieving with hope.
Videos
Marcia Interview with Brilliantly Resilient Community
Hosted by MaryFran Bontempo & Kristin Smedley.
Life hits hard. RESET, RISE, & REVEAL YOUR BRILLIANCE
Testimony of God's faithfulness through
struggle and loss.
Interview with Dennis Sumlin: Core Confidence Life
On this interview Core Confidence Life speaks to Marcia Earhart about all the upheaval in the world today, many people are hurting, but may not have anybody to turn to. Marcia talks about her nonprofit that helps people, how one can move through loss, and how we can make the world a more warm and positive place.
Other

Statement of Faith
We believe in the Holy Trinity: one God who exists eternally in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through His perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in Him for salvation.
We believe the Bible is God's revelation of Himself to man, and is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.
We believe that we are all sinners, dependent on God's mercy and grace. We believe our calling is to reflect that mercy and grace to those around us.
We believe God has carried us through our own grief and equipped us as grief coaches so we would press forward sharing His message of hope and healing to others who have experienced the loss of a family member.
We believe there is a power greater than our own, a divine plan grander than we can imagine, and a God-breathed purpose to all pain, joy, and challenges.
We believe it is our mission to use our experiences to empathize with and minister to all who need hope and healing just as Christ did.
The Sterling Rose Sanctuary, a 501c3 nonprofit, serves those grieving by providing resources for hope and healing.