John D. Marshall

John D. Marshall went to be with his Lord on Wednesday, August 7th, 2024, surrounded by his immediate family and close friends. The powerful words of his favorite hymn, 'Victory in Jesus' filled the air as he passed from Earth to Heaven. John had gone to 'sing up there, the song of victory' face-to-face with his Savior.
John was born in Dupo, Illinois on March 22, 1938 to Loren Robert Marshall and Minnie Josephine Robinson Marshall. He was the youngest of six boys and they all shared a seemingly genetic predisposition for engineering and were very mechanically-inclined, with several working for McDonald Douglas and NASA.
He graduated from Central High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He felt called to the ministry and attended and graduated from Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College (now Hannibal-LaGrange University) in Hannibal, Missouri, followed by Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi. He then went on to Southwestern Seminary, earning his master's degree in Religious Education. Following seminary, he returned to the Clinton area and served at Griffith Memorial Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi. It was during this time that he met Ida Mae Yonkers. He was the leader for her youngest brother's Royal Ambassadors group at Morrison Heights Baptist Church there in Clinton. John and Ida married on November 27, 1964. They were looking forward to celebrating their 60th year of marriage this November. John was very close with Ida's family and always enjoyed sharing March 22nd Birthdays with her father, Rev. Irving Yonkers.
Over the course of his forty-plus years of ministry, John served churches in Mississippi: First Baptist Church Grenada, Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Madison, and First Baptist Church Laurel. While he lived in Mississippi he served as President of the Mississippi Baptist Religious Education Association and was Chairman of the Laurel ACTS Board. In 1989, First Baptist Church Tallahassee, Florida, contacted him about coming to serve as their Administrative Pastor, which he felt led to accept. He wanted to lead according to Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 14:40, "Let all things be done decently and in order." And in 1 Corinthians 14:32, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." He was known for his consistency in providing sound leadership and optimistic enthusiasm and was always eager to help others in any way he could with a cheerful joy. He also had a heart for reconciliation when encountering problems and wanted to work towards solutions.
He always loved the challenge of fixing things and derived a lot of satisfaction from a job well done – he took pride in his work – whatever task was at hand. He took great delight in finding opportunities to repair, research or problem-solve for family or friends. John was the man who didn't let any grass grow under his feet. He was so thankful to be able to move back to Tallahassee a few years ago to be close to his daughter and her family. He was so proud of his grandson, Duke and was overjoyed to be able to attend all his cello concerts with his homeschool string orchestra.
John will be greatly missed by his beloved wife, Ida, their daughter Melanie Anderson and her husband CJ Anderson of Monticello, Florida, and an adored grandson Duke Marshall Anderson. He had five brothers who predeceased him, Virgil and Virginia Marshall of Casper, Wyoming, Lawrence and Leona Marshall of St. Louis, Missouri, Raymond Marshall, Bob and Roberta Marshall of St. Louis, Missouri, and Ron and Lucy Marshall of South Beloit, Illinois, along with many nieces and nephews.
A private family graveside service was held August 14th in Tallahassee. It was a special time where many family members gathered to remember and attest to John's legacy and countless deeds of kindness. In the midst of our grief and sadness, we are comforted to know that he is now at home in Heaven. He has run his race and is now part of the great cloud of witnesses as described in Hebrews 12:1, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." This passage is an admonition to us – encouraging us that we are to be faithful to the Lord in our race as well.
A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church of Tallahassee on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 11:00am.
Breanna Green of Bevis Funeral Home (850-385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com) is assisting the family with their arrangements.