David L. Marshall

David Loren Marshall, age 74 (2 days shy of his 75th birthday), of Fort Pierce, FL, passed away on Monday, January 29, 2024, surrounded by his family following a struggle with Myelodysplasia (blood cancer), that he was diagnosed with in March 2021. Dave was born on January 31, 1949, in Richland Center, WI, the son of the late Loren and Donna (Button) Marshall. He was married to the love of his life, Shirley (Chitwood) Marshall, also of Richland Center, WI, for 56 years. A love story of the ages – married at the age of 18 and 16 years old in 1967. He was a graduate of Richland Center High School where he was known to be quite a football, basketball, and track star.

Dave raised his 3 children – Tammy, Timothy, and Rebecca – in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. They did a lot of traveling together with friends and their families, whether it was camping, fishing, water sports, or downhill skiing. He took pride in the two motorhomes he had and took the family on many trips around the country. Dave also purchased a third motorhome a few years back and he and Shirley enjoyed a year of traveling together then as well.

After raising their family, Dave and Shirley purchased a villa in the Gator Trace Golf and Country Club. They have lived in the Gator Trace Golf Community for 35 years. They initially visited for a few months a year and then moved to Ft. Pierce full-time. They built their current home off the 11th tee box in Gator Trace, where they still reside today. Dave was a great friend to so many all over the US, especially WI, MN, and FL . He loved to golf with his buddies, almost every day, until his disease didn’t allow him to do that any longer. He and Shirley were both involved in several couple’s golf groups also. He loved it in FL!

David also began a career in Fire Protection right out of high school and rose through the ranks to Fire Protection Designer with several companies and then went into business for himself. He was one of the hardest working men we all knew! He was admired and well respected in his field. He continued to draw his designs by hand – while everyone else had turned to the CAD computer program many years earlier. He made a great living doing this until his retirement at 71 years old. He didn’t want to give up then, but he knew it was time. He even taught his son, grandson, and two brothers-in-law how to do Fire Protection Design and they all went out on their own to make good livings themselves. Dave was also quite the handy man at home and could fix almost anything with his engineering brain. He remodeled bathrooms, his office, his golf cart, and so many other things. Even the neighbors would call him to wrangle armadillos or gators they would find in their garage. He was a greatly respected Son, Brother, Husband, Father, Grandpa, and Great Grandpa (Papa)!

David loved his entire family and his friends – keeping in touch with almost everyone on a frequent basis. He had a unique sense of humor, which we could see and feel right up to his last day. He was a Hero to his kids and grandkids – teaching them all important things that they would need to know. There are so many stories we have shared and laughed about in the last few weeks. Dave was also quite the fisherman, both up North (in MN & WI) and here in Ft. Pierce, FL at his “Little Jim” spot under the bridge. He would usually give his catch to the families fishing around him when he was done. Dave was a giving man and had the biggest heart! David was also an avid follower of his grandkids activities whenever he was in MN - football, basketball, dance, hockey, gymnastics, baseball, etc.

Survivors include: his wife Shirley (Chitwood) Marshall; his children: Tammy Marshall, Tim Marshall (Tasha), and Rebecca Conlee (Jim). His siblings include Karen (Jim) Cooper, Janet Chellevold, Dennis (Kristy) Marshall, Susan (Eugene) Bullis, Dick (Wendy) Marshall, Diane (Larry) Treadway, Julie (Todd) Dosch, and Heidi (Craig) Tolmie. His in-laws include Terry (Dorothy) Chitwood, Sharon Grapengieser, and Pamela Chitwood. His treasured Grandchildren include Tammy’s son Jordan (Bri) Marshall; Tim’s children Parker, Saylem, and Grayson; and Rebecca and Jim’s children Reid, Brooke (Tanner) Vescio, Tessa, and Bryce. He was Great Grandpa (Papa) to Jordan and Bri’s children Stella and Hayes. David was also an Uncle to many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. They all meant so much to him.

David was preceded in death by his parents Loren and Donna Marshall and his brothers-in-law, Roger Chellevold, Eddie Chitwood, and Tim Grapengieser. He will be cremated, and his family will be hosting a Celebration of Life for Dave in Florida at the Gator Trace Country Club on March 24th from 3:00-7:00 p.m. There will also be a Celebration of Life for all of his friends and family in Minnesota, being held at his sister Julie’s home, at 51070 Rush Lake Way, Rush City, MN on Friday, July 5th, with an Open House from 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Let’s reminisce together, all the great memories we have shared with this special man!

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to Myelodysplastic-Syndrome Research & Treatment at (https://everloved.com/life-of/david-marshall/) created with love by Jordan Marshall (David's grandson). The goal of David's Memorial Fund will be to provide a donation in his honor to research, diagnosis, and/or treatment facilities specializing in Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS).