Thomas P. Marsh, 82, of Southern Pines, N.C., passed away Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021, at FirstHealth Hospice House in Pinehurst.
Tom was born in Fayetteville to the late William Hill Marsh Sr. and Mary Jane Cousar Marsh. He graduated from Fayetteville High School and was on the football team which tied for the State IV-A Championship with Wilmington. After high school, Tom attended and graduated from The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was part of the embargo during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Through his training at The Citadel and as a life member of the Corps of Cadets, Tom unfailingly stood for the principles of peace, honor, God and country.
For over 40 years, Tom was a member of Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church where he served as an elder, Sunday School teacher, choir member and confirmation mentor. Committed to the youth of the church, Tom provided financial assistance both to those seeking a higher education as well as those attending the Montreat Youth Conference. Tom could often be found reading to the Head Start class at Aberdeen Elementary School. He was a lover of classical music and classical Christian music. Tom was active in the Kiwanis Club in Southern Pines as well as in Kinston, where he served as president.
Tom’s professional career was spent in mortgage lending and in the Moore County Planning Department and Aberdeen Planning Department. For many years, he taught real estate at Sandhills Community College.
In addition to his parents, Tom was preceded in death by his brother, William Hill Marsh Jr.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Elizabeth “Libby” Wallace Marsh, whom he married on June 20, 1965. Theirs was a marriage of enduring friendship and deep, abiding love. Tom’s pride and joy were his girls, daughters Molli Marsh Beeson and Katherine Marsh, and his beloved granddaughter, Wallace Beeson. He is also survived by his son-in-law, James Wallace Beeson; honorary granddaughter, Sondra Beeson; sister, Kelduyn Marsh Garland; sister-in-law, Jeanne Wallace Potter; nephews, Nathan Garland, William Hill Marsh III and Christopher Potter; grandnieces, Shelby Marsh, Hannah Marsh and Bridget Marsh; and grandnephew, Grant Marsh and his fiancee, Alissa.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wallace Beeson Foundation, a nonprofit foundation established in honor of his granddaughter and dedicated to improving lives affected by rare neuro-gastrointestinal and motility diseases. You may visit www.wallacebeesonfoundation.com/donate or send to P.O. Box 1331, Southern Pines, NC 28388. Donations may also be sent to the Citadel Foundation, 171 Moultrie St., Charleston, SC, 29409-6230.
A graveside service is planned at Cross Creek Cemetery in Fayetteville. Details will be provided later.
Care of the family is entrusted to Crumpler Funeral Home-Aberdeen.
Posted in: The Pilot
Posted on: 2021-09-02
Link to original obituary: https://www.thepilot.com/obituaries/thomas-p-marsh/article_9dd36f66-0be2-11ec-831d-a3fc086462bc.html