Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Donald Murle Marshall was born to Lillian and Howard Marshall in Portland, Oregon, in 1934. He was raised with two sisters, Sue Anne and Penny, and one brother, Bill. His father was a merchant marine and traveled a lot, and his mother worked in the shipyards during the war. They were very supportive parents. As a child, Don took an interest in coin collecting and he embraced a strong work ethic. In school, he was a good student who excelled in sports by playing on the soccer and baseball teams. The family moved to Artesia, California, and in 1952, Don graduated from Excelsior High School.

After high school, Don volunteered to join the United States Army, serving from 1953 to 1955 as a Private First Class Paratrooper. In fact, Don jumped out of hundreds of planes while serving at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. He was so proud of his service, he joined other paratroopers in getting a special tattoo on his forearm. With a great love of country, he continued his service in the reserves until 1960. Back home, Don's father was one of the first to receive heart bypass surgery in the United States. Unexpectedly, his father died at the young age of 48 in 1959. It was a very difficult time, but the family supported each other. Don married and had two children: Donald Jr. and Michael. With an interest in teaching, Don graduated from Portland State University with a degree in Education. After graduation, he moved to Southern California to look for a job. He started in the Garden Grove School District first as a teacher and worked his way up to Elementary School Principal. He loved the little kids. As an administrator, the teachers liked him because he always followed the contract and was devoted to the job. He worked for a total of 41 years and 37 of those years were spent working at the Garden Grove School District. In 1965, Don earned his Masters Degree in Education at California State University, Fullerton.

In the late 60s, he met a wonderful lady through the Sunday Softball Team, as co-ed business teams played other businesses. The couple hit it off as he teased her a lot. He was a confirmed bachelor and she believed in marriage for life. Many years later, when they were both single again, Don asked Holly on a date. They enjoyed their time spent together as they had so much in common. Even though he vowed to never marry again, Don said he really wanted more of a commitment with Holly. They made a wonderful couple and planned their future together. The couple was married by a Lutheran minister at Holly's parents' home, as they exchanged traditional vows along with their own wedding vows. They honeymooned for a weekend at a cabin in the mountains. When Don returned to work the next week, his secretary noticed a wedding ring as he and Holly had matching wedding bands. Don shared the news of their wedding proudly.

Over the years, Holly and Don truly built a strong partnership, as they were companions and best friends. She worked in the U.S. Customs Service on Terminal Island as he continued work as a school administrator. Together, they made a plan to see the world. The couple traveled with good friends, Jean and Bill for the next 30 years. Jean was a seasoned traveler and helped to make the travel arrangements easy by organizing details on those early trips. With Don's school schedule, they'd have one month to travel each summer. They traveled to China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Europe, and Tahiti. They even enjoyed river cruises on the Danube River. Every few years they took a trip to Hawaii, visiting Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island. With an adventurous spirit, when they went on a trip to Whistler, Don was the first one in the group to take a ride on the famous Zipline, flying high across the valley and forest. Holly remembers every trip with a smile as they saw amazing things they never dreamt they'd see in their lives. Don also enjoyed buying Holly many Lladros porcelain figurines all over the world. There are wonderful memories from every trip.

For more than 30 years, Don was a member of The Garden Grove Elks, Lodge 1952. He was involved in the Elks scholarship program long before becoming an official member, as he always believed in the importance of helping the next generation and community service. He was also a member of the American Legion and Moose Club.

A sports enthusiast, his favorite teams were college teams such as USC. He loved watching baseball, basketball and football games on TV. To make it fun, he'd root for the players against the team his nephews were cheering for. Don was athletic throughout his life. He bowled in the Garden Grove School District League. When Holly and Don played in billiard tournaments, competitors watched Don closely, but it was Holly who surprised them and won. Don loved it saying, "They should be watching out for Holly." Enjoying life together, Holly and Don also played golf. After he retired in 1996, he'd play two or three times a week. He loved playing with a group every Tuesday and sometimes on Thursday. He also played golf in Mesquite, Nevada, and Pahrump, Nevada. He especially enjoyed playing in tournaments at Rockwell and at the Newport Area Golfers Organization for Firefighters (N.A.G.O.F.F.). He even won many of the tournaments. He loved to play golf with his nephews. Ten family members got together to play golf at their timeshare at The Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido. When they went out to parties or gatherings, Holly remembers that women always surrounded Don. In fact, when he became the treasurer of the California Association of Retired Teachers for two years, Holly asked how many women it took to get him to agree to the job. He said with a laugh, "It took four of them." People really liked and respected Don. He was fun to be around and he was always smiling.

Christmas was always a favorite holiday. Don supported Holly's love of the Dickens Villages, helping her collect 100 big pieces and accessories. Every Christmas holiday they set up large displays of the villages in the home. Recently, Don talked about expanding their collection of the Dickens Villages into the home office, because he liked them so much.

He owned a large CD collection, as he loved listening to every kind of music from country to classical. His favorite songs included "Remember When" by Alan Jackson, "When I Get Where I Am Going" by Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton, and "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion. He also enjoyed music by Dinah Shore, Yanni, and Andrea Bocelli. Both he and Holly read quite a bit. Don was reading the Bible more. His sister sent him a Modern Day Bible and he read portions of the Bible every day. He also owned a huge National Geographic collection of World War II volumes. When it came to their beautiful backyard, he loved their Double Delight rose bushes that were both red and white. He also enjoyed their koi pond and bridge. With a love of animals, Don loved buying 25 to 50 pound bags of bird seed to fill several bird feeders in his backyard. The finches, doves and wrens loved feeding in yard. He liked watching the birds. Indoors, Don took an interest in putting together large jigsaw puzzles. The most recent jigsaw puzzle he was working on was "Andy's Barber Shop." After Don's coin collection was stolen, that didn't stop him from starting a smaller collection. Most recently, he was building his collection of quarters as all of the new quarters were released for different states. He loved seafood and his favorite restaurant was The Riviera in Garden Grove. His favorite beverage was Budweiser beer, coffee and tea. The couple enjoyed going out to dinner for special occasions, anniversaries, and New Year's Eve.

Dealing with the death of friends and family was always hard for Don. He lost his father young and he lost many friends to cancer. It was hard for him to visit, but Holly encouraged him to talk to them and be present for them. From then on, he made an effort to call, talk and visit with friends and family who were facing illnesses. He reached out to Connie's family and her kids after her husband died. He was there for Holly's brother, Michael, even sitting with him the night before he died in 2007. And, every time he helped another person and was there for them, afterwards he was thankful that he made the effort.

Last summer, Don decided on one last trip as he talked about taking an Alaskan cruise. At the end of July into early August of 2008, Don's plan was fulfilled as he and Holly enjoyed a gorgeous cruise to Alaska. They had a great time during the seven-day cruise and Don visited with his sister up north. It seemed as though he knew it would be the last time he would see her and so he wanted to make that trip.

The day before Don died, he told Holly, "Don't leave me again," and she didn't. She stayed overnight by his side in the hospital and gave him a kiss, as they both said, "I love you." She and her brother-in-law, Scott, were by his side as he passed. There are many memories now. Every part of their home shares a story and a welcome smile of memories. A huge, beautiful green fern that the couple received as a gift for their wedding still grows in the backyard. Don always told Holly, "I love you." Holly and Don would have been married for 35 years in October 2009. As Don believed in God and Heaven, Holly feels he is at peace and one day they will be reunited again. Holly is so grateful for Don coming into her life. She was very shy when they met and she blossomed with him. She wonders how different the last 35 years would have been without him. She pushed herself in her job to succeed and he helped her a lot to make her a better person. They talked a lot, shared great conversations, and he was her best friend. As a couple, they were compatible and really complimented each other. Throughout the years, he was so good to her family. She will love him forever. His advice to the kids would be: Don't give up.

Don will be remembered as adventurous, willing to try anything and a man who truly enjoyed everything life had to offer. His friends remember Don as a man's man. You always knew where you stood with him, as he was honest. Don Marshall had many purposes in life. He helped children through his career in education. He believed in living life to the fullest and encouraged others to do the same. He was a terrific friend. And, he was a wonderful husband, caretaker and supporter of Holly's interests. After a church service, an Elks ceremony, and military honors at graveside, Don will be laid to rest near Holly's mother, father, and brother.

Don was preceded in death by his parents Lillian and Howard; mother and father-in-law Ruth and Ken; brother-in-law Arne; brother-in-law Michael; and sister-in-law Kay. He is remembered and loved by his wife Holly; sister Sue Anne; brother Bill; sister Penny and her husband Pat; nephew Tim; sister-in-law Connie and her husband Scott; niece Michelle; nephews Ryan, Kevin, Chad, and Scotty; nephew Jeff; niece Julie; nephews Chris and Craig; and many friends.

Memorial donations are welcome in Don's name to The ALS Association Orange County Chapter (http://weboc.alsa.org).