Dr. William Robert Marsh

1948 - 2021

Dr. William Robert Marsh, 72, of Grand Island died on March 12, 2021, at Country House in Grand Island.
Bill was born in Grand Island on April 24, 1948, to William Warren and Virginia Marsh. He grew up on a farm outside of Archer. He graduated from Central City High School in 1966, attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. During medical school Bill met Annabelle Brodbeck of North Platte, who was a nursing student at Clarkson Hospital. They married July 8, 1972, and together they had two children, William Alexander and Sarahbelle.
Dr. Marsh began his practice as a radiologist in Scottsbluff when X-rays and CT scans came printed on actual film prior to the MRI. In 1986, Dr. Marsh joined what is now Grand Island Radiology Associates. He retired in June 2015. In 2014 he was named a fellow to the American College of Radiology.
As a medical doctor, Bill's career was very much that of a community physician, with a lifelong focus on bringing the best medical care and newest technology to the rural area that produced him. Besides his family and career, his greatest passion was for genealogy. His family often joked that he liked his dead relatives better than his living ones. He tirelessly pursued his study of family histories, finding endless adventures in libraries, cemeteries and public record departments in the U.S. and Europe. As a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Bill advanced his study and research of family history and helped countless families rediscover their own histories. He served on the board of directors for Edith Abbott Memorial Library and was a member of Prairie Pioneer Genealogy Society.
Survivors include his wife, Annabelle; children, William Alexander (Jennifer Abbot) and Sarahbelle Marsh Frost (Daniel Frost); and four grandsons, William (Liam) and Lars Marsh and Clark and Brooks Frost. He will forever be remembered as the smartest and funniest man in the room. He always said that he didn't want a funeral, and he would not come if there was one.
A celebration of his life will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, in their home in Grand Island, 2204 South Blaine St. Memorials are suggested to the Merrick County Historical Museum. Private graveside service will be at the Central City Cemetery. All Faiths Funeral Home is entrusted with the arrangements.