William K Marshall

Bill Marshall was born in Geneva, Illinois, the sixth of George Lathrop Marshall and Helen Faitz Marshall's eight children. He grew up in St. Charles, Illinois, and worked with his brothers in his father's corn fields from a young age. At 15, he began delivering his dad's feed corn to farms throughout the Chicago area. During the Korean War he enlisted in the Army as a private and worked his way up to second lieutenant, serving in the Infantry and 101st Airborne Infantry until his discharge in 1951.

He studied as an undergraduate at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, and at the University of Michigan. After his military service, he returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan, as part-owner and assistant manager of his oldest brother Robert Marshall's business, Bob Marshall's Book Store. In addition to his studies and running the business with Bob, he was active in civic work; in 1958 he ran as as a Democratic candidate for the Ann Arbor City Council.

Bill met Phyllis Jean Silverman, a University of Michigan music student, in 1959 on a blind date. They were married on August 13,1961; a marriage which lasted the remaining 53 years of his life. Their daughter, Paula Helen, was born in 1963, and son, Joel Alan, in 1966.

In 1967, Bill joined Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan as director of the OU Book Center. Shortly thereafter, he became director of the Oakland Center (OC). Under his leadership the OC grew as the heart of the University's life for the University's students and faculty, and as the welcoming site between the University and the wider community. He was responsible for the Book Center, food service and conferencing in the OC. He developed the OC as the site for many student organizations and events and conferences for a wide range of groups including Depression Era glass collectors, romance and children's book writers, cheer leading and soccer camps, and the Detroit Lions football team. Bill was an active participant in both University and community life, frequently speaking at national book sellers' conferences, helping found the Association of Administrative Professionals at Oakland University, and serving on the Clinton River Watershed Committee.

Bill's retirement from Oakland University in 1995 gave him more time for his many other interests and loves: exploring northern Michigan state parks and bird watching with Phyllis, returning to his roots by helping with the planting and harvesting at his son Joel and daughter-in-law Linda Leckrone's farm, traveling to London to see his daughter Paula and son-in-law Ben Eastop, attending truck driving school, fulfilling his dream of flying in a B17 (for his 75th birthday), spending time with his many friends, and most important of all, entertaining his three grandsons, Paul Jackson Marshall (born 2004), William George Marshall (born 2006), and Henry Isaac Marshall (born 2011). He was deeply loved by all who knew him for his caring, warmth and kindness, his keen interest in the world, his irreverent wit and humor, and his unquenchable zest for living.

For those who knew Bill it will be no surprise that he wanted a party (not a funeral), which will be Sunday, October 5 from 2:00 - 4:00 pm in the Bill Marshall Fireside Lounge in the Oakland Center, Oakland University, Rochester Hills, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory may be made to Camp Michigania Family Camp, 3006 Camp Sherwood Rd., Boyne City, MI 49712 or Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, 16914 N. Whitefish Point Rd., Paradise, MI 49768.