Donald Wood Marshall

Lt. Colonel Donald Wood Marshall of Edmond, Oklahoma, passed away at the age of 101 on Friday, June 20, 2025. Don was born on March 16, 1924 in Galveston, TX, and grew up in San Antonio, TX.
He served as a pilot in the 63rd fighter squadron of the 56th Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces in WWII. He flew his first combat mission at the age of 20. He was a dive bomber on D-Day, targeting dams behind German forces to halt their retreat. Lt. Colonel Marshall had the privilege of flying wing for ace fighter pilot, Colonel Hub Zemke, then Commander of the 56th Fighter Group in Zemke's Wolf Pack. Lt. Colonel Marshall flew a total of 324 combat hours during WWII.
After WWII, Lt. Colonel Marshall flew P-51s in the Air National Guard, then was activated for the Korean War. He served as a briefing officer for the Far East Air Force Headquarters and received a bronze star for his services as a briefing officer.
Following Korea, Lt. Colonel Marshall served in civil defense offices around the United States. He then received orders to fly C-130 military transport missions during the Vietnam War. He was stationed at Clark Air Force Base and flew over 2000 hours, once setting a record for the number of C-130 sorties flown in one day.
Following his air force career, Lt. Colonel Marshall settled with his beloved wife Margie in Edmond, Oklahoma. Don frequently said he was privileged to spend 53 years with the love of his life. He was a devoted husband to her.
Don is preceded in death by his wife Marjorie Ann Marshall, parents George Kasuth Marshall and Elisca Laura Hervey, and son Donald Wood Marshall, Jr. There will be no memorial service, though Don will be greatly missed by all who knew him.