Marshall Faith

1929 - 2025

The Faith family is deeply saddened to share with the Omaha community, friends and loved ones that on October 20, 2025 Marshall E. Faith transitioned from this earthly life into eternity. In years, he was 96 - but in spirit, he was truly ageless.

Marshall's life unfolded in many rich chapters - stories of joy, success, sorrow, resilience, and enduring optimism. Those chapters were bound together by three abiding themes: his deep Christian faith, his love for family, and his lifelong commitment to build a company that provides generously to its customers, its employees, the communities where they live and work, and brings food to a hungry world.

Born in Salina, Kansas on February 5, 1929, Marshall was the only child of Roy and Verva (Freeman) Faith. Growing up in Salina, Marshall graduated from Salina High School where he met his high school sweetheart, Mona Dishman, who would become his lifelong partner, confidant and the love of his life.

After graduating High School, Marshall served in the Navy before attending Kansas State University (on the GI Bill, he was always proud to mention) where, in 1950 he earned a degree in milling administration. He and Mona married in 1949, beginning a marriage of remarkable devotion and shared purpose. They were blessed with five beloved children: Lynda (Martin Schwemmer), Louise (Stephen Van Court), Leslie, Laura (Michael Alley), and David (Jill Bergen).

Their life together was filled with abundant joy but also profound sorrow, particularly with the loss of their two-year-old daughter, Leslie, to cancer. That heartbreak deepened their faith and inspired a lifelong commitment to charitable giving and support for families facing childhood illness and loss.

Their growing family eventually included ten grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren, each one a treasured part of Marshall's and Mona's legacy:

They are Kurt Schwemmer, his wife Meridith, and their children Rowan and Ashton; Kelly [Schwemmer] and her children Kalynn and Jarrett; Phillip Van Court, his wife Kristin, and their children Caroline, William, Thomas, and Benjamin; Erin [Van Court], her husband Christopher Ovrebo, and their son Maverick; Emily [Van Court], her husband Griffin Happel, and their daughters Eloise and Ruth; Merrill Alley, her husband Timothy Clancy, and their daughter Clark; Meg Alley, her husband Adam Hootnick, and their daughters Ada, Evie, and Rosa; Ryan Faith and his wife Catherine; Christopher Faith; and Elisha [Shahwan], her husband Jeffrey O'Brien, and their children Adrian and Amira.

Beyond his family, Marshall will be remembered as both a visionary leader and a pillar of the Omaha community. His career began at the Pillsbury Company in 1951, followed by a move to Bartlett Grain - a step that brought him to Omaha. In 1967, at just 38, he made the pivotal decision to purchase a majority interest in the Scoular Grain Company, later serving as Scoular's CEO for 23 years and Chairman for 25 years. At the time of his passing, he held the title of Chairman Emeritus.

Marshall's influence on the agricultural industry is vast. He guided Scoular's transformation into the global enterprise it is today - one of America's 50 largest private companies, according to Forbes. He was inducted into the Omaha Business Hall of Fame, and through the Scoular and Faith Family Foundations, helped direct tens of millions of dollars toward charitable causes benefiting Omaha and rural communities across the nation.

In his later years, Marshall faced life's inevitable transitions with the same grace and faith that had always defined him. After losing his beloved Mona in 2018, he approached his own aging with peace and conviction, drawing comfort from Philippians 1:21: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain'. He was unafraid of death, confident in his reunion with Mona and Leslie, and filled with gratitude for a life well-lived in faith and purpose.

As we grieve Marshall's passing - a man of unwavering optimism, quiet strength, and generous heart - the Faith family offers a reflection in his spirit. Marshall believed that every day was an opportunity to give your best to your work, your loved ones, and your faith. And though he would urge us to seize the day, he would also remind us that the story does not end here - that life continues, opening toward something far greater. In his honor, his family invites you to carry forward his example - to build a life of faith, family, service, and generosity.

The Faith family extends heartfelt thanks to Marshall's amazing team of caregivers, Patricia Ditzen, Suzanne Hopp, Rita Wesely (retired), Mark Ucman, Joan Davelis, Joanne Risicato, Sonia Risicato, Zach Morgan, Liz Yocham, Alisa Elliott and Claire Tarries for their loving care and companionship, which allowed Marshall to remain in his home. You were his dear friends and you meant the world to him and to us.

A private family burial will be held. In honor of his legacy, the Faith family asks that you love one another and give generously.