Glenn Marsh led by example, which was often a challenge for the soldiers who followed him. The three-star Army general was known to get involved with whatever activity was going on at the time.
“If there was 6 inches of snow on the ground, he would still sleep in a tent out there with the guys during training exercises,” said son John Marsh of Cumming.
“He felt like it was his job to help train soldiers, not sit in an office,” added his daughter, Regina Androski of San Francisco. “When they would do (physical training) runs, he didn’t sit in his office and watch the run, he would lead the run. Some of them would later tell me it was a blessing and a curse. It was great that he would get out there and run, but the curse part was that he ran fast.”
Marsh, who retired from the Army in 1996, recently had retired from his second career as a defense contractor, his children said. He’d been working for private firms that helped train soldiers.
“Individual readiness and unit readiness was important to him,” said son Jeff Marsh of Lacey, Wash. “He really was a passionate trainer and mentor, and people appreciated that.”
Caryl Glenn Marsh of Cumming died Aug. 23. The 73-year-old Kentucky native was found unresponsive at his home and could not be revived.
A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Johns Creek. Burial, with full military honors, will follow at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton. McDonald and Son Funeral Home, Cumming, is in charge of arrangements.
Marsh, who grew up on a farm, spent the past year and a half restoring a 1952 Ford tractor, which he drove July 4 in a Cumming parade.
“It was pretty neat,” John Marsh said. “We put a trailer behind it and my son and some neighborhood kids all got on and rode in the parade.”
Though his military career was demanding, Glenn Marsh carved out time to spend with his family. While stationed in Korea, he flew back to the U.S. for the baptism of one of his granddaughters, his daughter said. He was making arrangements for the same granddaughter to accompany him on his annual pheasant hunting trip later this year.
Marsh’s children marveled at the tender care he provided their mother during an extended illness. Marsh married the former Claire Boudrias in 1961, the year before he graduated from the University of Kentucky.
While in college he was in the ROTC program, and when he graduated he was commissioned a second lieutenant. His career in the Army lasted 34 years.
His dream was to become a veterinarian, his daughter said. “But the Vietnam War was on … and he ended up having a full career in the Army, where he retired as a three-star general. Though he had a detour from his dream, he found a new passion in the process.”
In addition to his three children and his wife, survivors include a sister, Mary Ann Robertson of Rochester, N.Y.; 12 grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
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