"Dunnville's greatest achiever"
Posted By CATHY PELLETIER , CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Posted 2 months ago
After decades of serving his hometown of Dunnville and communities around the world, David Marshall died suddenly at his home last Friday, leaving a legion of mourners behind to grieve his loss. The Supreme Court Justice, Cayuga Court Judge, long-time doctor, devoted husband and father of five was recovering from prostate surgery.
Marshall was recently named Colonel Commandant of the Canadian Forces, a prestigious appointment to the highest honorary position in the Canadian Forces Medical Service (CFMS). He was officially sworn in on Sept. 17 in Halifax as liaison between the Royal family and the Armed Forces, reporting to the Colonel-in-Chief, Princess Ann.
But in spite of his countless accomplishments, he always had time for his family and friends.
"I'll miss the annual fishing trip," said former M. P. and lifelong friend, Bud Bradley, "where we went and sat out on the pier and told lies."
"I'm 70 and happy to still be active," Marshall told the Chronicle in a recent interview.
Asked how he managed two such demanding careers as medicine and law, he was quick to credit Jill, his wife of 48 years.
"If I had married anybody else, I couldn't have done it," he said. "I've had a wonderful career. I've been a judge for 27 years and I could have retired nine years ago but I've kept active because I enjoy the work."
Marshall was the father of Jill Morison, Julie, Albert, Tom, and David, and grandfather of Ora, Brian, Brittany, Haydon, Rankin, Alexandra, Matthew, Justin, Jocasta and Calista. "Another grandchild, Thomas David Jr., is expected in March," said Tom Marshall, on behalf of his siblings. "All five children became doctors, lawyers, or writers, like our dad. He loved reading, writing, painting, riding horses, flying, boating and farming. He was much loved, deeply admired and widely respected by many. He will be remembered forever."
Born in Wainfleet, Marshall and his sister Judith were raised by their father, Dr. Albert Marshall in Dunnville, after the death of their mother. Both siblings became doctors.
Bradley said he talked to Marshall the day before he died. "We did everything together since age three or four. He's the brother I never had and he never had a brother, either. When I was little, I probably spent more time in his house than in mine, and when they lived on Broad Street, we used to ride his pony in the back alley. He loved his animals."
Marshall inherited the family trait of compassion from his father, said Bradley. "He took time off every year to go to Central America to practice medicine" in remote areas. "That was one of the things he felt he must give back. Like his father, he never charged what he was supposed to charge, and many times, he never charged anything. And no matter where in the world he was, his family meant everything to him. He's totally dedicated to Jill and the kids."
"I don't know how anyone could be such a hardworking person as David was. He achieved more in his 70 years than most people could achieve in 150. He's probably Dunnville's greatest achiever. He's probably one of Canada's top achievers, when you think of the places he's spoken and the books he's written. He didn't want recognition. He was extremely involved in stem cell research," for example, he noted. "But everything he did was for the betterment of the community, including his involvement with the coroner's office and the judiciary and the military -always to make things better. "
The two attended public school and Dunnville Secondary School together. "I was his campaign manager when he ran for sports rep," said Bradley. "I used to throw stones at his window for him to come out but he would study all night."
As a young doctor, Marshall often sat in the back seat and studied law during drives to and from Osgoode Hall, "and still made the top of his class."
Besides practicing medicine, law, and performing the duties of a provincial coroner, Marshall also taught law at the universities of Toronto, Ottawa and Windsor, and did postgraduate study in law at Oxford University in England.
But his talents extended to the physical realm, too, according to Bradley. "David was a tremendous athlete. We'd run for hours up and down the streets of Dunnville because neither of us wanted to quit. He played hockey, football, baseball and as a teen, he could play par golf. He was almost a perfectionist in everything he did. He was a coroner on a case in which someone jumped out of an airplane and died, and in order to understand the case better, he went up in an airplane and jumped out."
Bradley recalls being an officer in the army at Camp Borden. "David had his (medical) practice and he convinced me to come to Cayuga and do dentistry in his back office. He was always looking after his town."
Jennie Deagle will never forget the instrumental role he played as Director of the Haldimand Association for the Mentally Handicapped, now called Haldimand Community Living.
"He was always there to help," Deagle said. "He was very interested in the handicapped and was involved with anything he could do to help us. He was so concerned and ready to go to speak anywhere" on the organization's behalf. "He was also presented with a lifetime membership. He was the greatest guy because I didn't have anybody but myself when I started and he was president for a couple of years and backed me up with anything I had to do for the association."
When former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau asked him to run for the Liberals in 1972, Marshall convinced Bradley to set up his election campaign, "and all the time I carried a P. C. membership card in my pocket," Bradley said. "In my estimation, he could have been Prime Minister. He had the ability, the knowledge; the compassion. Not only could he have been, he should have been."
In 1982, Marshall was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories and Yukon, and Judge of the Court of Appeal Northwest Territories and Yukon. During this time, he and Jill and their youngest son, David, lived in Yellowknife. When he returned to Cayuga, he was appointed Honorary Colonel of the 23rd Field Ambulance in 1994, a position he held until this year.
After serving the community of Six Nations for many years, he was named an Honorary Chief in 1982. From 1987 to 1992, he was a Special Advisor to the Surgeon General, and from 1964 until its closure, he was the jail doctor for Haldimand County.
Among his many other achievements -far too numerous to list -Marshall was the Chair of Human Research Ethics Committee, Medical Research Council of Canada for 14 years, Commanding Officer and later Honorary Colonel of the 23rd Hamilton Medical Field Corps, of which he was a member for more than 30 years, missionary doctor in Ecuador, past director of the Royal Hamilton Flying Club, founding president of the Canadian College of Legal Medicine, founding director of the National Judicial Institute, and past chairman of the Conference of Law Reform Commissions of Canada.
He spoke passionately about law and medicine around the world and authored four books on those topics in addition to 'Dr. Marshall's History of Haldimand County.'
"The Moodie family and the Marshalls have deep roots in Dunnville, and have been friends for years," said Fred Moodie. "For a man who had basically travelled the world, Dave was such a relaxed, down-to-earth guy like the rest of us. He was a sincere, caring person who took a genuine interest in people's wellbeing. In my real estate dealings and business relationship with him, he was an extremely intelligent and highly-respected individual, but always presented himself as a casual, unassuming person who enjoyed rolling up his sleeves. One thing I really admired was his inseparable relationship and business partnership with his wife, Jill. They did everything together."
Moodie called Marshall "a true Haldimand area ambassador. He was proud of his roots, and though his work took him all over the world, they kept coming back and made Haldimand their home. It's a real loss to our community," he said, adding that just one example of Marshall's generosity was a donation of 80 acres of forested parkland near Bird Road to Haldimand County.
Bradley has been asked to deliver a four-minute speech at Marshall's funeral service this Friday. "To me, it will mean more speaking those four minutes than anything I've ever said, and I've given presentations at the U. S. Senate, spent time with Ted Kennedy and had lunch with Henry Kissinger."
Visitation takes place at the Ballard-Minor Funeral Home, 315 Broad St. E. in Dunnville, from noon to 2 p. m. and 6 to 9 p. m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Funeral services will be held at 1 p. m. Friday in St. Paul's Anglican Church, 233 Lock St. West.
