Bill J. Marshall

Billy Jon “Bill” Marshall (83) was reunited with his Lord and Savior on the morning of October 31, 2021. A soft-spoken man with a servant’s heart, the primary loves of his life were God, his family, and his sweetheart, Patsy Jean (Sparks), to whom he was married for 61 years, 4 months, and 13 days. Born in Van Zandt County on November 29, 1937 to CG & HB (Boshears) Marshall, Bill spent his youth riding horses through the pastures, working as a farmhand, and generally getting into mischief with his older brothers. In high school, he served the church youth group and lettered in baseball, basketball, golf, and football, earning spots on the All State and All American teams and being inducted into the Terrell Hall of Fame. A rainy cold night in 1958 changed the course of his life when he spotted Patsy walking across a football field with her brother and heard the Lord tell him, “That’s your wife.” He listened to that voice and spent the next 63 years loving her with all of his heart. Together, they raised two boys, Jon Kyle & Stuart Bradley, who were their father’s pride and joy, and to whom he passed on his incredible work ethic and his love of sports. Bill served as coach for their football teams every weekend while working long hours as a truck driver and union rep for TOX. Later in life, he started a new career in financial planning, eventually becoming the regional VP for Primerica and collecting many lifelong friends along the way. After he was blessed with grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he was a standard feature in the bleachers at their games, a quiet listener to their stories, and a handsome dancer at their weddings. As a grandfather, he served as a steady example of unconditional love and a strong advocate of his faith – even occasionally known to offer a dollar or two if they could recite a psalm from memory. A faithful servant to the Lord, he spent decades volunteering at Church on the Rock in Rockwall. From greeting congregants before services to often being the last to leave in the early hours of the morning after revivals, he was committed to supporting his pastor and wanted every member of the community to feel the same joy he felt at the church. Among other things, he loved Westerns, road trips, and sitting on his porch with his coffee and his sweetheart, as the hummingbirds swarmed around their feeders. He loved his friends and his family, and he likely would have loved anyone reading this. He was a good, kind man and he will be dearly missed. Preceded in death by his parents, his three brothers, Gerald, CG, & Terry, and his sister, Wonita. He is survived by his wife Patsy of East Tawakoni; sons: Kyle Marshall and wife Vicky of Emory, Stuart Marshall of Mesquite; grandchildren: Miranda Parker and husband Bradley of Carrollton, Ashley Marshall of Smithville, Lacy Marshall of Royse City, Aaron Marshall and wife Sarah of Emory, Taylor Marshall and wife Elise of Princeton, Melinda Stephan and husband James of Benbrook; great-grandchildren: Asden Marshall Meeks, Josephine Marshall Meeks, Preston Parker, Emersyn Hunter, Dylan Parker, Blakely Marshall, Gracie Marshall, Lane Marshall, and Charlie Stephan; sister-in-laws Mary Marshall Highlander of Pottsboro and Stella Wheeler of Cody, WY; in addition to much loved extended family members. Funeral services will be at 11:00am, Thursday, November 4, 2021, at Max Slayton Funeral Chapel with interment at Able Springs Cemetery. The family will receive friends 6:00pm to 8:00pm, Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations are welcomed to Alzheimer’s Association and American Diabetes Association.

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Bill J. Marshall

November 29, 1937 - October 31, 2021