Marshal was my boss early on when I transferred to Martin Lake in 1999. Marshal and I quickly became good friends and co-workers and even though my reporting hierarchy changed shortly after I came to Martin Lake, our groups continued to work together and we remained close friends till he retired and after. I can truly say he always had my back and I his. He will be greatly missed. His candor, sense of humor and winning smile will never be forgotten. You could always count on Marshal to be straight forward and direct. I could always bounce my thoughts and concerns off Marshal, whether business or personal, and I knew that he’d be upfront with me. I always appreciated that and learned a lot from our many conversations. Marshal and I continued to make phone contact after retirement, but his last call was after he’d been diagnosed and we never talked again. I hate that life got so busy that I didn’t pick up the phone and make a call. I thought about it often but just never did. Marshal loved his family and spoke of them often. He loved his dogs and spoke of them often. He loved his friend Dee and spoke of him often. He loved his Harley and spoke of his biker friends and the places they visited often. He loved people in general and spoke well of them often. I could not believe when he told me that he sold his bike and quit riding. He told me that the odds of having an incident increased the longer he rode and basically he sold ‘her’ before the odds run out. My prayer is that God will provide Carol and family the peace that passes all understanding. I wanted so bad to attend one of the services but will not be able to because my wife just had surgery and she is in my care. But know, I thought the world of this man and I truly considered him a special friend.
RIP my friend,
Velmer Heim
