Earl Edward Marsh

Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Earl Edward Marsh

Earl Edward Marsh, age 86, a former resident of Fort Scott, died Monday, Aug. 12, 2013, at the home of his son, James E. Marsh in Pittsburg, Kan. He was born July 10, 1927, in Fort Scott, Kan., the son of Gilbert Elwood Marsh and Mildred Bernice Rose Marsh. He attended Catt School and graduated from Fort Scott High School before entering military service in the U. S. Army Medical Corps near the end of World War II. While in the army, he served as an EEG technician at the army hospital in El Paso, Texas. There were only two EEG machines in the entire country at that time. One of the mementos preserved from those days is an unpublished manual he wrote for this hi-tech piece of equipment. After leaving the Army, Earl returned to Fort Scott and married Liddia Juanita Davis on March 5, 1950. Earl and Juanita moved into a small cottage he built on part of the old home place a few years after their marriage. Unable to continue the family tradition of farming, he sought and obtained employment at Bruce Marble and Granite Works in Fort Scott where he worked for many years. Later, he worked a time as a letter carrier for the U. S. Postal Service. Earl had an abiding interest in art. He took a correspondence course in commercial art and used those skills in his work and hobby activities. He completed a number of paintings in oil, tempera, and enamel which are treasured by family to this day. He was a gifted craftsman and made by hand a number of muzzle loading rifles and pistols which led to him working as a gunsmith at Feemster's Gun Shop in Fort Scott. He was a lifetime member of the NRA. Earl was an amateur archeologist and spent a lot of time hunting Indian artifacts in the area. He was very methodical and made careful records of his finds. He was a member of both the Missouri and Arizona Archaeological Societies. While still in the Army, Earl spent much of his free time in Juarez, Mexico. He learned Spanish and acquired a lifelong appreciation for Mexican culture and cuisine. In the 1960's he took time to hone his Spanish language skills at Fort Scott Junior College. He later used those skills while helping to construct and Church of God (Holiness) church in Eagle Pass, Texas. Both Earl and Juanita took many of their vacation days helping with the Navajo mission started by the Hanson family of Flagstaff, Ariz. When they had the opportunity to move to Arizona, they jumped on it. Earl and Juanita were caretakers of Rancho Roca Roja, the family retreat of the Charles Ward family. Many friends and family made the ranch their base when they visited Arizona and many fond memories where made there. After retiring, Earl and Juanita moved back to Fort Scott. They were living at 120 McCleverty when Juanita passed away. Shortly after her death, Earl moved in with his son and grandson, James and J. W. Marsh.

Survivors include his sons, James E. Marsh, of Pittsburg, Kan., and Charles Michael Marsh, of Fort Scott, Kan., and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Liddia Juanita Marsh, his daughter, Juanita Marie Lipford, and his sister, Rose Marie Wilkinson.

Rev. David Tucker will conduct funeral services at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16 at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will follow in the Memory Gardens Cemetery where military honors will be provided by the Olson Frary Burkhart Post No. 1165 Veterans of Foreign Wars. The family will receive friends on Friday from 1 p.m. until service time at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Clarksburg Church of God (Holiness) and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.