Marlin "Duke" French died Friday at Harborview Medical Center of injuries he suffered last week after a 21-year-old Everett man, whom police say was street racing, slammed head-on into French’s pickup truck.
For Jessica French, 25, her father’s death was the tragic result of what happens when drivers turn to the streets for a thrill.
"It’s a tragic, tragic thing," she said. "I hope it will help open people’s eyes to know that speed is not the answer."
French, 60, of Everett, a tow-truck driver since 1970 and a familiar face to local medics, police and firefighters, was on his way home from work at about 1:30 a.m. Sept. 26 when a Honda Civic driven by Nolan Donnelly, 21, skidded broadside across the median and hit the Ford Ranger he was driving.
Donnelly, the driver of the Honda, died Monday of his injuries.
French, the father of seven, was airlifted to Harborview in Seattle with internal injuries.
Friday morning, Steve French, 37, called Harborview and learned that his father had died.
"They told me his heart burst," he said. "A blood clot traveled to his lungs."
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies at the accident scene said it appeared that Donnelly was street racing before the crash, which occurred near the intersection of Cathcart Way and Highway 9.
It is unclear how fast Donnelly was driving when he hit French’s pickup.
Deputies are investigating the crash, spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen said.
News of French’s death spread Friday through a network of local towing companies.
French got the nickname "Duke" when he was stationed aboard the USS Enterprise in the 1960s. "He was in charge of the flight deck. They called him ‘The Duke,’" Steve French said.
French served four tours in Vietnam, his son said. When he came home, French joined a league of Snohomish County tow-truck drivers.
"Duke was a lifetime tower," said Alicia Whiteside, who owns Whiteside Towing in Snohomish with her husband, Glen.
"He started out with Ron May Towing in Everett in the early 1970s, and then he worked for Dick’s Towing. He came to work for us last year," said Whiteside, who has known French since 1978.
"Duke was just finishing his shift here and was heading home in his little Ford Ranger."
Whiteside went on to describe French as a man of integrity. "He would never say a bad word about anybody."
Kevin and Carolyn Donnelly, Nolan Donnelly’s parents, said Friday they were horrified by the news.
Their son, Nolan, died Monday after his parents asked doctors to remove him from life support.
"This just doubles our sorrow," Carolyn Donnelly said. "I was shopping for a dress to wear to my son’s funeral when I heard Mr. French had died."
"Nolan was not the kind of young man who would intentionally try to harm anyone, and would have been horrified if he could have foreseen the results of his actions," Carolyn Donnelly said.
"Young people — just get off the accelerator," Kevin Donnelly advised.
"I realize their son was in the wrong," said Jessica French of the Donnellys’ response. "I hold no ill feelings toward them. He (Nolan) wasn’t a minor. He was an adult. He just made the wrong choice."
French’s seven children began gathering at the family home in Everett Friday afternoon. Steve French flew in from Oakland, Calif., and Sharon French, Marlin French’s wife, waited for her youngest daughter, Chandra, 22, to arrive from Wichita, Kan.
A memorial service for Marlin French is planned for 11a.m. Wednesday at Everett’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 9509 19th Ave SE.
Whiteside said local towers plan a 10 am. tow-truck procession to Wednesday’s service from their business at 17728 Highway 9 in Snohomish.
"We heard that one of the medics at the scene told him his face was familiar," Whiteside said. "Duke has been at the scene of accidents all his life."
Local tow-truck drivers have established a memorial fund for the French family at Wells Fargo Bank, Whiteside said.
Reporter Janice Podsada: 425-339-3029 or podsada@heraldnet.com.
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