Blue-eyed, ambitious, loving jokester
Marshall, the outgoing soul with the heart of a competitor, had high taste from even a young age. Both his birth family and chosen family delighted in his fun-loving, caring, adventurous side and were in awe of his ambition, drive, and modest intellect. Generous, dedicated, and sensitive to his core, his legacy is one of selflessness and determination. His mother Jackie, stepfather, Jim Washington, his partner Danielle, her three children Madison, Zoey, and Colton, his half-siblings, Haley, and Mitch, stepsiblings, Philip, and Jack, best friend Tre, and his dog Captain Rogers formed Marshall’s closest circle.
Competitive stirrings began at an early age. Though possessing an art, science, and math-centric brain, he appreciated outdoor sports as well as indoor activities. He won awards for art, participated in taekwondo, played Little League, and took up gymnastics in his adolescence. During family reunions to Lake Buckhanan, he found his love for fishing and always enjoyed taking walks with his grandfather. His freshman year of high school, he lettered in golf, and he continued to play into adulthood. Billiards, poker, and a career in sales showcased his aptitude for strategy and rivalry. A natural mathematician, he often solved problems without showing his work. His brain could calculate the complex, predict the needs of others, and handle crises while maintaining enviable calm.
A natural salesman, Marshall delighted in creating magnificent landscaping as part of the Moon Valley Nursery team. He was so masterful that the company’s sales award bears his name, The Marshall Award, even now. His ambition also led to homeownership in a subdivision with a golf course, much to his delight, and the ownership of a new truck, both of which made his mother proud. A pool table moved in right after he and his partner Danielle did, along with her three children. While supporting Danielle and her kids during her time in real estate school and helping her hone her sales skills, he dreamed of a long future with his newfound family.
Ongoing substance use disorder, originating in his late teens, and sprinkled paranoia into his daily life. His best friend from high school and former roommate, Tre, tried to intervene, but substance use came between them. Relationship issues, missed workdays, and lingering fear of recurring legal problems haunted his existence. Complicating the battle, in December 2022, Captain Rogers fell ill and passed. The sudden departure of Marshall’s rescued dog was devastating. After years of battling the disease, cocaine laced with fentanyl took Marshall’s life and ended the promise of his future.
His mother Jackie’s life will never be the same. Grief lingers on an unfathomable level, and life would be so painfully unattainable without her faith in God. She misses his phone calls, being called “Mom,” his stories and laughter, and how life used to be. For so long, she was unsure she could go on. Now, oriented toward advocacy, she states, “If I can help save just one [of the struggling], it will help me feel better.” Her son’s favorite tree, a live oak, will adorn his headstone, as trees were his career, and Captain’s ashes were buried along with Marshall, so the two may rest in peace together.
Marshall’s mother, Jackie Washington, provided the information for this narrative.
November 24, 1994-March 2, 2023-Age 28
Portrait Artist: Shawn Faust
Narrative Writer: Jill Denton
