One man you would not want to challenge on his knowledge of football trivia was John Edward Marshall of Sandy Springs. Marshall played semi-professional football and was a football aficionado.
“He could rattle off football statistics all the way back to the sport’s early years,” said his wife, Beverly Dreger. Dreger recalled the origins of Marshall’s football fanaticism, saying that he was always a leader among his friends when they would play football growing up.
Marshall died Monday at Northside Hospital of heart failure. He was 84. A burial service with full military honors will be held at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton. H.M. Patterson and Son, Arlington Chapel is in charge of arrangements and will announce the funeral date.
With his long-time best friend, Thomas Jones of Dunwoody, Marshall would follow the successes and travails of the Atlanta Falcons, the New York Giants and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. “We had season tickets to the Falcons, and we would go to all of the games together,” said Jones. The pair only disagreed in one case: “He loved Georgia, and I loved Georgia Tech,” Jones said.
Jones and Marshall met through their work. Both became executives at Wells Fargo Armored Services Corps, where Marshall retired as Executive Vice-President of Operations. After retirement, he was employed by Kroger and acted as a union representative. Jones recalled meeting Marshall and knowing right away that he was an “intelligent and aggressive” man.
“He was very loyal and had a fine career. Everyone that knew him was proud of him,” Jones said. His wife described Marshall as a true leader, saying that “people always gravitated towards him” and that he had a“sharp and quick personality.”
“In a social atmosphere, John was very funny. With his great sense of humor, people really took to him and enjoyed being around him,” said Jones. “He was my best friend, and the kind of guy who you wanted to live next door to.”
Football may have been Marshall’s foremost passion in the world of sports, but he was no stranger to athleticism in all its forms. Marshall played tennis and racquetball, would regularly swim and learned to snow ski in his 50’s.
At age 15 Marshall used his brother’s birth certificate to join the U.S. Marine Corps, Dreger said. He served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, where he was involved in the invasion of Iwo Jima.
“A real man’s man,” is how his wife described him, adding that “John was also an avid reader who would do the New York Times crossword puzzle every day.” Marshall was a painter; he graduated from art school in New York. Marshall also loved to cook – especially Italian dishes.
In addition to his wife, Marshall is survived by his step-daughters, Darby Dreger Tracey of Buckhead and Brooke Dreger-Jones of Lake Lanier; step-son Flip Dreger of Woodvine; sister, Evelyn Fisher of Sanford, Fla. and two grandchildren.
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