Lawrence William "Larry" Marshall
Marriages
Fern Smith
Gladys I Rumbo - October 24, 1952
Obituaries
Steamboat Today - February 18, 2012
Lawrence William Marshall Jr., known by family as “Bill” and by his many friends as “Larry,” was the first-born son of Lawrence “Doc” and Eva E. (Evans) Marshall. He died Feb. 12, 2012, at the Walbridge Memorial Wing in Meeker.
Bill was born May 24, 1922, at Red Cross Hospital in Oak Creek. His parents were cattle ranchers and ran the 21 Ranch near Burns.
Bill was raised on the 21 Ranch until his parents bought the Gibbs ranch three miles south of Yampa. It’s now known as Finger Rock Ranch. In 1928, the family was in the process of moving into their newly remodeled ranch home when Eva became sick and passed away, leaving Bill to be raised with his three siblings by their dad.
Bill grew up in the Greatest Generation. He attended the Yampa School, riding horseback to and from class. He was introduced to electronics through radio and by listening to his favorite weekly shows. He loved dairy cows and tried to start a herd of his own, but his real passion as a young man was in the new world of electronics.
So leaving the ranch and its way of life, he moved to Golden and taught himself all he could about repairing radios, TVs and appliances. He opened Larry’s Radio and TV Sales and Service in Lakewood. He owned the business from 1950 to 1972.
He married Fern Smith in Denver, and they had two daughters, Judith and Janet. Bill and Fern later were divorced.
He married Gladys I. Rumbo on Oct. 24, 1952, in Raton, N.M. Gladys was a teacher in Golden. They both retired in 1972.
Bill and Gladys became active in the Civil Air Patrol, with Bill becoming a lieutenant colonel and given the Meritorious Service Award in 1972. He served with the Civil Air Patrol from 1950 to 1986 in Colorado and New Mexico.
After retirement, the couple moved to Albuquerque. Bill was the handyman in the retirement communities they lived in until 2005. He served for several years on the Rio Rancho City Council. He also served as the state assistant director of New Mexico AARP.
Lawrence and Gladys spent their retirement traveling and enjoying various timeshares throughout Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, along with owning their own homes in Albuquerque and Quartzite, Ariz.
Due to their health, they returned to Colorado to be near their niece, Linda (Dusty) Long and family, and his sister Marguerite. They lived for a short time in Craig, and then moved into The Haven Assisted Living Center in Hayden. Since September 2009 he lived at the Walbridge Memorial Wing in Meeker.
Lawrence’s passion was his love for music, and he taught himself how to play the guitar, organ and harmonica. He had a collection of records, tapes and CDs. He also loved photography and had a collection of cameras.
He was preceded in death by his parents; Gladys, his wife of 58 years; his stepmother, Lucy Marshall; sister Marian Sage; daughter Judith Marshall; nephews Leonard and Douglas Glaze; and niece Patricia Sage.
He is survived by a daughter, Janet (Ronald) Darling, and grandchildren Christy and Brian Darling, all of Silverthorne; a sister, Marguerite Anderson, of Oak Creek; a brother, Virgil “Bummy” (Clarice) Marshall, of Clifton; nieces Linda (Dusty) Long, Sharon Glaze, Sherry (Kenneth) Slape, Becky (Tom) Marshall, and Shelia (Charles) Ford; nephews Ronald (Cathy) Marshall and Wesley (Nancy) Sage; and many great-nieces and great-nephews.
A funeral service was held Feb. 16, 2012, at Yampa Bible Church, with Matthew Froah officiating. Interment followed in the Yampa Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Yampa Bible Church or the Walbridge Memorial Wing in care of Grant Mortuary.
