Marshall Lee Pipkin

Marshall Lee Pipkin, age 63, of Hanford lost his battle with a brief illness on Dec. 13. Born January 8, 1959, in Caruthers, California, the first of eight children, he was an award-winning poet, full of kindness and humility, whose stay on earth was filled with positive impact on his fellow human beings.

Marshall worked as a senior academic advisor for many years for Chapman/Brandman/UMass Global University, compassionately and wisely shepherding students through various undergraduate and graduate programs. Upon his death, Marshall's Facebook page immediately began to fill with tributes and testimonials from those he taught and advised.

Recognized by Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Philip Levine, while attending Fresno State University, Marshall went on to become a prolific poet, and was awarded the Knott Poetry Prize from Boston University and Clarion Magazine in 2019. Most recently, during this final illness, he opened the mail to discover yet another poem published in The Literary Hatchet.

Wise, caring, passionate, kind, a compendium of all things Dylan, The Beatles, The Residents, horror (especially The Walking Dead), and much more, he will truly be missed.

Marshall is survived by his three daughters, Corrie, Kylie (Joel), and Amy; and his two grandsons, Ollie and Harper.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Friends of the Kings County Library, or you can plant a tree in his honor.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, December 30 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Merryman Station, 20898 Avenue 296 (Highway 198), Exeter, CA. Guests will be invited to share brief stories about Marshall.

Well lived, sir, well lived!