LAKE STEVENS — A memorial service is planned Saturday for Robert Marshall, the longtime Lake Stevens fire marshal who died March 2 from heart problems.
The 62-year-old was known affectionately as “Marshal Marshall,” because his name happened to match his job.
He grew up in Canada and the north Seattle area, graduating from Shorecrest High School in Shoreline in 1970.
He and his wife, Mary, married in 1975 and had six children. Marshall always put his family first, and stayed active in church life, playing his guitar for services, Mary Marshall said.
Her husband was an outgoing and responsible man who always ended up in leadership roles, even when he was a painter, she said.
He coached youth soccer and was on the team of folks who started the Risk Watch safety classes in schools.
“Marshal Marshall” immediately was recognized and greeted by students on Lake Stevens campuses, superintendent Amy Beth Cook said.
“The staff and students enjoyed working with him and will remember him fondly,” she said.
One of Robert Marshall’s favorite times was when former Risk Watch students, now grown, would come up to him in public and say they’d remembered his lessons on fire prevention, Mary Marshall said.
“We couldn’t go anywhere without somebody recognizing him and saying, ‘Hi,’” she said.
Even when times were tough, the Marshalls liked to make a good Christmas for their kids.
Once Marshall’s wife joined him on a work trip that involved a stop by Disney World, just in time for their 25th anniversary.
“I just remember laughing with him,” she said. “I loved to try to make him smile and be silly.”
Everyone has offered so much support, including Marshall’s co-workers helping with funeral costs, that the family finds “blessings in our sorrow,” she said.
The Marshalls had moved to Lake Stevens in 1982. It was there that Marshall saw a sign asking for volunteer firefighters. Before that, he’d worked in construction and the insurance business.
In more than 20 years with the district, he worked as a firefighter, in fire prevention and as the fire marshal. Marshall was an advocate for CPR training and also taught fire science at Everett Community College.
“The community lost a terrific resource,” Lake Stevens Fire Chief Dave Lingenfelter said Thursday.
Marshall was extremely dedicated, and he loved the education side of his job, the chief said.
“He seemed to get a kick out of everyday activities,” Lingenfelter said. “He had a serious side but he also liked to have fun.”
Marshall was a role model for how public safety agencies can provide outreach to their communities, Everett Fire Marshal Rick Robinson said. The son of a family friend of the Robinsons went through one of Marshall’s classes, came home and taught his parents how to call 911.
“They really viewed him as part of the fabric of the Lake Stevens community and a real positive influence,” Robinson said.
Travis Hots, chief of the Getchell and Arlington Rural fire districts, described Marshall as an “exceptional public servant” who saved lives with his safety messages.
“I can’t think of a better legacy to leave his community,” Hots said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
Saturday’s service starts at 1 p.m. at the Lake Stevens High School Performing Arts Center, 2908 113th Ave. NE. Cards also can be dropped off at or mailed to the fire district, Attn: Marshall Family, 1825 South Lake Stevens Road, Lake Stevens.
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