William “Bill” H. Marshall

WESTBROOK – William “Bill” H. Marshall, late of Cape Elizabeth, died peacefully a week before his 91st birthday at Stroudwater Lodge in Westbrook, on Mother’s Day, May 8, 2022, surrounded by his children. Bill was born and grew up on a hardscrabble farm outside Cincinnati, Ohio, where he learned the meaning of hard work and self-reliance.After graduating from Anderson Township High School in 1949 (where, presciently, he played King Lear in the senior class production), Bill’s keen intelligence earned him an undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1953, a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1955, and an Ed.D. from Columbia University in 1960.He spent his career in academia, focused on bettering children’s lives through improved early childhood education, retiring from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1990 after serving there as Associate Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and Director of the School of Family Resources and Consumer Sciences. In retirement, Bill indulged his passion for collecting objects of fine craftsmanship, from silver and cut crystal to quilts, linen, silverware, porcelain, and anything related to chickens and eggs. He was skilled at needlepoint and sewing, tailoring many of his own clothes and complete sets of drapery for several homes; was an avid gardener with a fondness for dahlias; and an excellent cook with a special love for anything containing corn or summer tomatoes. He donated his rare recordings of Joan Sutherland to the National Library of Australia. Bill’s favorite thing to say, which he did until just days before he died, was “so what are we going to do now?” Above all, Bill was devoted to his family. Determined that his children should not suffer the hardships and indignities of his own youth, he lavished attention on them. He spent years compiling a detailed family genealogy back to the early 18th century, traveling extensively throughout the U.S. and England to inspect local records, visit graveyards and meet long-lost relatives. Bill and his beloved wife of 64 years, Nancy, who predeceased him July 22, 2018, used that work and their memories to write a family history, From Whence We Came, so that the lives of those who made their own possible would not be lost to the mists of time. Bill is survived by his four children, Bruce of Richardson, Texas, Gregg of Kirkland, Wash., Lisa of Cape Elizabeth, and Jeanine of Durham, N.C.; and by seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. In keeping with Bill’s wishes, there will be no funeral or service. Donations may be made to the Thomas Memorial Library Foundation (thomasmemorialfoundation.org) of Cape Elizabeth in honorof Nancy H. andWilliam H. Marshall.


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