I was privileged to work with Dr. Marsh,  and honored to call him my friend. We miss him greatly and still laugh about his funny stories and wittiness. 

Today is a hard day.  I'll be saying a prayer for friends and family that each year brings more healing and peace.  Miss you, Clay.  The world is slightly less funny without your presence.

I was stationed at NAVHOSPGLAKES with Dr. Marsh in the Family Medicine department. I loved working with him.

So hard to believe that Clay has been gone a year today.  Thoughts and prayers for his family.

I knew Jim since he was a neurosurgery resident, while I was an attending at RUSH radiation oncology. Around 2002 or 2003, he came to me to explore the option of radiation oncology. He was pleasantly surprised to find out that I started my career in general surgery. I spent a few yrs in general surgery before pursing radiation oncology.

We discussed in detail the field of radiation oncology.  I could tell that Jim was very interested in radiation oncology.

I left RUSH in 2005, only to find out later that Jim joined the RUSH radiation oncology residency program around ? 2007.

Overall an outstanding person, kind, honest, very hard-working.

I will miss him...

Jim was my co-resident at Rush. He was the hardest working and most knowledgeable person I knew. He would get up early, study on the train, study at work, complete a long busy clinic day, study all the way home, and then take care of his family.

One of his projects has since become a new and improved standard for treating cancer in the brain.

He changed our field as well as everyone who knew him. He will be so missed.

James & Baran were our next door neighbors & friends in Scottsdale until this year, so it was a terrible shock to find out today that James passed almost 5 months ago. We loved James & Baran & their very special family. Baran was pregnant with Aaron when they moved in, & we saw Aaron grow until he was big enough to come over and ask where the raisins are, so it was difficult to lose them as neighbors. We considered them family, welcome to drop in any time. It is a real gut punch to find out we will not see James again. 

Dr March you will be missed you had a heart of gold .You always made me feel better. Your eyes would always light up when you talked about your baby boy.  You would always get my godson and walk around with him and talk about your baby .

You will be missed Dr. Marsh. My husband and Dr Marsh would compliment each other on their outfits and Dr Marsh would turn red each time my hubby tells him he looks like Payton Manning! Photo taken on my last day of Radiation end of 2019.  

I remember spending the night at Clay’s house, when we were young enough, that that’s what friends did.  Clay had me laughing the whole time. It was so much fun. Miss this guy. 

My senior homecoming escort...my crazy, wild friend who tapped on my window at 3am one night while we were in high school just to see what I was doing...my brilliant, genius, zany friend...sweet guy, may the angels enjoy your wacky fun as much as I did! Saying a Divine Mercy for you...God speed, Sir. Thank you, Clay, for everything that you blessed me with...💖

I met Dr.  Marsh as a stage 4 cancer patient in May 2019. He treated me with 25 days of radiation and told me would keep me in his prayers. My next PET scan revealed the cancer was gone. I believe his prayers and his skills given to him by God are the reasons why I am still with my family. Now I pray for his family and trust God will give them peace. His prayers and my friends and familys prayers have given me strength to get me through this trying time. God bless them all.
Chester Bahn


Go with God, Clay.  I love you very much.  Aunt PIxie

With great sorrow I send my condolences to Mrs. Marsh and her children.  The loss of Dr. Marsh is devastating to me.  He helped me though the last stages of my 19-year struggle with cancer and I hugged him when he told me my fight was over and WE had won!  This was only a couple of months ago.  He was a wonderful doctor and person and surely a family man.  We all will miss him.  Thank you Dr. Marsh for all you did for me and all the other patients I crossed paths at your office.  Everyone was happy to have you as their doctor during terrible times.   Rest in heaven and continue your healing ways up there.  With much affection.  Susan.

I first met James ("Clay", as we knew him) at Mississippi College back in 1991.  Clay was different from anyone else I knew.  Not only was he an incredibly intelligent student and natural-born leader, he had a highly original sense of humor.  Clay rarely turned down an opportunity to play a prank, act out a Monty Python scene, or restructure the rules and consequences of a game (e.g., players must wear lampshades on their heads).  He loved any type of competition--for grades, trivia, anything.  In addition to our on-campus hijinks, I have fond memories of impromptu trips to New Orleans, canoeing, and traveling to the beach for Spring Break.  

Clay was an excellent conversationalist and I trusted his advice on everything from my studies to relationships.  Outwardly protective of others, he had a delicate heart inside.   

Later, when I found him on Facebook, I was glad to see him looking so happy with his lovely wife, Baran.  A year ago, we communicated online about some funny old photos from college.  Had I known that that would be our last conversation, I would have told him that he was one of my most favorite people from college and I would have thanked him for his friendship, protectiveness, and sense of humor during those years.  I'm wrecked over the loss of this truly unique man.  Clay, your friends will never forget you.

I knew the Marsh family from our days at Hickory Ridge Baptist Church in Memphis .  Clay - Peter & my son, Ben went to RA camp in 1985.
Russ - Beverly & family ... I am just so heartbroken for all of you ... I pray God give you that peace that passes all understanding . 
Much love to all of you !

James and I met by chance, our children were playing in the same park in Scottsdale. I was new, so was he and our kids got along well. We had many things in common but enough differences to keep things interesting. He took in my son for the weekend so I could be with my wife when she gave birth to our daughter. Our families shared many holidays together, shared a lot of laughs and a few tears along the way. I remember when he got it a pretty significant car accident   and I took him to the ER. He never let on to the attending physician that he was  doctor and just accepted what was said. It realized quickly it was his respect for the person treating him.  I was a admirer of his intellect and enjoyed our conversations about religion and politics. He always seemed to see things from angles I had never considered that made me better for having conversed.  We saw each other a couple more times during chance meetings in Costco meaning to get together but it never happened. I'm heartbroken he had to leave his wife and children so soon. It is my hope that all he accomplished and love for his family will sustain you during these very difficult days ahead. 


They say college is supposed to be some of the best years of your life. Having Clay as one of my dearest friends during this time certainly made them the best for me and for the many others he touched. Clay had an extremely intelligent wit that if you weren’t careful you’d miss, so if you missed it he’d rephrase it and make sure he at least got a smile or a chuckle. He could quote so many lines from so many movies! how he had room up there for everything he knew mathematically, scientifically and the Monty pythonisms is beyond me. 
Most importantly, Clay was a servant. He was constantly trying to calculate how to make things better. While at MC,Clay was a prominent leader in student government and circle k, an honor I know he was so proud to have. He actually submitted plans for reconstruction of the old soccer fields and gym that were put into play years later to consist of a health facility courtyard and doctors offices. He was so creative and positive he found ways to make where ever he was a better place. His wit could pick you up from whatever doldrums you had in your life and make you feel like you could move forward. Im sure he brought this same kind of joy to his children and patients that he bought to all of us. Though cut short, Clay did what we should do with our lives, live it to fullest with laughter love and joy. So when I continue to think of my friend I will continue to remember and laugh and smile. I will remember jumping off the top of that friendship boat hand n hand and his version of the 12 days of Christmas, songs by The Cure and REM and I will laugh about all the Monty Python lines quoted and acted out over and over on many late night occasions.
So to my dear friend James Clay Marsh I say thank you for your service in my life and keeping me smiling for many years. And lastly I say “I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.” Much love my friend. Cheerio til we laugh together again! 

Dear Baran,  
There are no words I can say to make your pain any more bearable.  As you know, when I met James, he became a client of mine immediately.  His enthusiasm was contagious and we were always in sync with each other.  Katherine, Alexander and your new baby are in my thoughts and prayers.  God Bless you all  Donna

I'll never forget the day I met Clay. As a nervous freshman in college, I somehow stumbled into a school dance of sorts and while I can't recall exactly how it happened, all I remember is that within a few minutes I found myself locked in a circle arm to arm with Clay and a bunch of other strangers (many who are writing on this wall today) singing songs from the late 90s (maybe U2). He made me feel at home. He was someone we all looked up to. A natural born leader. He always had a smile and always willing to jump right in. I remember one summer before the dorms opened up he needed a job and I worked at a local cafe. He walked in and just started cleaning tables. The owner did not know what to do so he hired him on the spot. That summer Clay lived with me and my family for a few weeks before the dorms re-opened.  A natural born leader. The thought of knowing he is not around to make other people smile and feel comforted like he did for so many others is something that is hard to accept. Rest in peace brother ... 

I remember Clay from our Mississippi College days as a kind, smart, and funny person and a good friend. We did not keep in touch much after college but I will always have great memories of us studying for exams at the Waffle House, late into the night.  Clay and I graduated together - I need to find that photo and some others. Rest In Peace, old friend.

I first met Clay when I was 17 and visiting Mississippi College (MC) during the summer before the Fall term of my freshman year.  That summer, I spent a few days visiting my brother, Mike, who had spent the prior term in London and was taking some summer classes at MC at the time.  One afternoon during my visit Mike took me on a tour of the campus which ultimately took us to the Quad, an open green space on campus around which are situated many campus buildings and a chapel, and beyond which sits Hederman Science Building, where I would later learn that Clay spent much of his time in those days.  When we reached the Quad, I heard a voice call out Mike’s name.  As soon as I’d turned in the direction of the voice, Mike and Clay were already walking toward each other with arms outstretched and with big smiles on their faces.  After a warm embrace, they shared a few words about how long it had been since they’d seen each other and how they needed to catch-up as to all they’d been up to over the months they’d been apart.  Mike and Clay had been freshman roommates, and remained close throughout their time at MC.  While I didn’t get a hug and the same effusive greeting that was reserved that day for Clay’s former roommate, I was immediately struck by the brotherly like affection that he expressed for Mike.  In that moment, I realized that my brother had found an amazing friend, and that this new campus home would assuredly give me the opportunity to make similar connections and friendships.  

Over the next two years, Clay and I also grew to be friends (and brothers, as we called each other in those days). There are too many moments to recount here of good times spent over books, food, drink, and much more.  But, for me, the thread that binds all of those memories is the memory of Clay’s warmth and affection (with those bright eyes and that funny grin), and how those qualities showed us what friendship should look like.

James (in college his friends called him "Clay") and I were friends in college. Although our lives took us in different directions and we lost touch over the last 20-plus years, he was a good friend during our college years. As an academically successful senior on his way to medical school, he didn't need to befriend or spend time with a 19-year-old sophomore who was still trying to figure out who he was. Yet he did just that and went out of his way to get to know me over tennis matches, meals, movies in the dorm, and other shared experiences. That is what I'll most remember about him. 

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

James Clay Marsh

28 février 1973 – 18 janvier 2020

Memphis Funeral Home

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