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Marshall D. Henshaw

1929 - 2017

Marshall D. Henshaw obituary, 1929-2017, Prescott, Az

BORN

1929

DIED

2017

Marshall Henshaw Obituary

Marshall D. ‘Marsh' Henshaw April 15, 1929 - April 19, 2017 Prescott, AZ - Marshall D. Henshaw, Jr., 88, longtime resident of Cardiff/Encinitas, passed away April 19, 2017 in Prescott, Arizona. Born in Erie, PA, he attended Purdue University on a Navy ROTC scholarship, graduating with a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1951. He married Magee Carpenter in 1955 and worked for Douglas Aircraft. He and Magee and their two young daughters moved to Cardiff when he took a job at Solar Aircraft (now Solar Turbines). Marsh and his family were longtime members of Oceanside Yacht Club. Marsh was invaluable to OYC: revitalizing and sustaining the junior sailing program and serving as commodore in 1975. He is survived by his two daughters, Jean (Anthony Esposito) and Martha; granddaughter Svetlana; and sister-in-law Jean F. Henshaw. He was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Marjorie "Magee" C. Henshaw and his brother, Robert Warren Henshaw. For more information on donations in his name and a planned celebration of life at OYC on June 3, contact Jean at 610-698-7225.

Published by San Diego Union-Tribune on Apr. 28, 2017.
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Memories and Condolences
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Thank God for fabulous parents, willing to spend their days leading a whole bunch of knuckle head youth; chasing after capsized Sabots, but always enjoying the end of the day with their friends and sailing compatriots.

Sandy Kos

Friend

June 3, 2017

Condolences from a Solar Test Engineer who worked for him many years ago. Marsh was always highly respected for his skill, intelligence, and professional approach to all he did. -Doug Martin

May 18, 2017

Maratha Gresham

April 30, 2017

Marsh and Magee Henshaw put time and energy into the youth at OYC. I'm forever grateful for the investment in us. I have many wonderful memories of sabot racing and Luff-ins around Southern California. Loading the trailer the night before a race and riding in the big orange Suburban to get to where the races were held was especially fun! Wonderful people!

Kelly Casebeer

April 29, 2017

Marsh was such a great guy, with a wonderful sense of humor. He loved sailing and being with friends. The tug boat he built was the cutest thing ever! He loved his family and loved kitties too. I feel blessed to have had the time we had with him when we lived in San Diego.

Patty Hoenigman

April 28, 2017

I'm sorry to hear of Marsh's passing. I measured a number of sabots at OYC with him.

jack pinhero

April 28, 2017

What an amazing man - thank you for sharing so much about him. I'm so very sorry for your loss, Jean, and am thinking of you, Tony and Sveta <3

Diana Mitchell

April 27, 2017

Marshall Darling Henshaw, Jr., 88, long-time resident of Cardiff/Encinitas, passed away April 19, 2017 in Prescott, Arizona.

He was born in Erie, PA, where he learned how to sail on the shores of Lake Erie's Presque Isle Bay. He attended Purdue University on a Navy ROTC scholarship, graduating with a degree in aeronautical engineering in 1951.

Marsh left Erie for good when he went to Purdue. After graduating college, he served four years with the U.S. Navy, stationed in the Pacific. Discharged on Feb. 1, 1955, he married Magee Carpenter just four days later. (They had met at an officer's tea in Beverly Hills. Marsh at first was attracted to her friend, but raven-haired Magee's personality and terrific figure soon blinded me to the blonde.)

After honeymooning in Mexico City, the newlyweds settled in Manhattan Beach. Marsh worked for Douglas Aircraft as an aeronautical engineer. Their daughters Jean and Marti came along soon enough.

Wanting to enjoy life in an uncrowded beach town, the young family moved to Birmingham Drive in Cardiff-by-the-Sea in 1961 when Marsh received a job offer from what was then called Solar Aircraft (now Solar Turbines).

The family soon started sailing regularly with friends at Oceanside Yacht Club (OYC) and they began to call the harbor their second home, as they spent countless weekends over the years sailing and racing small boats.

The whole family was active in OYC's junior sailing program, with Marsh and Magee happily working for years to keep it active, serving as race chairs, holding learn-to-sail programs for Oceanside residents, organizing potlucks, building the aforementioned Sabot trailer, constantly chauffeuring young sailors to other yacht clubs for weekend regattas, and on and on.

Marsh also served as OYC's commodore in 1975.

There wasn't much Marsh couldn't build or fix. From helping design the Saturn V rockets that took the Apollo astronauts to the moon when he worked at Solar; to building homework desks for Jean and Marti, as well as living room bookshelves and garage workshop counters; to extending the stern hulls of his beloved trimaran Update; to building a small, working tugboat as a raffle prize for OYC's junior sailing program; to designing and building a Sabot trailer for that sailing program, Marsh was the consummate engineer, tinkerer, fixer, and putter-er.

Marsh took early retirement from Solar in the mid-1980s. He and Magee moved to Encinitas then and enjoyed sailing to Catalina Island on their sloop Iron Whim and (later) Update, as well as traveling to and sailing around the British Virgin Islands. They became active members of Coronado Yacht Club in the 1990s after purchasing Update.

Marsh moved to Prescott in 2012 to be closer to Marti after Magee died in October 2011.

Marsh was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2004. His grace and stoicism in his later years was legendary as was his sly and gentle sense of humor throughout his time living with the disease.

He is survived by his two daughters, Jean Spalding Henshaw of Womelsdorf, PA and Martha Londay Henshaw of Prescott, AZ; son-in-law Anthony E. Esposito (Jean); granddaughter, Svetlana Henshaw Esposito; and sister-in-law Jean F. Henshaw of Shelburne, VT.

He was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Marjorie Magee C. Henshaw, as well as by his parents, Marshall, D., Sr. and Elizabeth Betty Henshaw, and his brother, Robert Warren Henshaw.

Marsh never made headlines, but he was a great man nonetheless, having a positive impact on many others in quiet but life-changing ways.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Marsh's name to: Junior Sailing Program, Oceanside Yacht Club, 1950 Harbor Drive North, Oceanside, CA 92054.

Jean and Marti will be holding a celebration of their father's life at OYC the afternoon of June 3 (exact time to be determined). For more information, contact Jean at 610-698-7225.

Jean Henshaw

April 27, 2017

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contact Jean at 610-698-7225, CA

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