With heavy hearts, we share the passing of Robert "Bob" Marshall of Canton, OH.
Some stories deserve to be told slowly. This is one of them.
What is taught through a parent's example outlasts what is taught through their words.
Robert Allen Marshall, age 85, of Canton, Ohio, and formerly of Uhrichsville, Ohio, passed away Monday, April 27, 2026, one day prior to his 86th birthday, following a lengthy illness.Born in the family home in Uhrichsville, on April 28, 1940, Bob was a son of the late Charles D. Marshall and Gertrude E. Worstell Dodds.He was a graduate of the former Uhrichsville High School and a proud Tiger! He later joined the U.S. Army Reserves, where he was assigned to the Railroad Battalion. Professionally, Bob was a meat cutter who worked locally for many years at Kroger before relocating to Canton and retiring from Giant Eagle. In his work, he showed the same friendly and cheerful nature as in his personal life. He was the butcher who knew your name and lit up with conversation before you even arrived at the counter.He brought his family up in the Catholic faith as a member of Immaculate Conception Church in Dennison, Ohio, and later joined St. Joan of Arc Parish in Perry Township. Faith was an important part of his life, and he shared numerous conversations with his family about his beliefs. His journey was one of grace and humility.In his younger years, Bob enjoyed traveling and took his family on camping adventures, which included cross-country trips to the Colorado Rocky Mountains. He loved being in nature, watching birds, and had a special affection for all animals and their conservation, especially wolves. Later in life he joined a bicycle club, Folks on Spokes, and traveled throughout the United States into his seventies with the group. Bob never met a stranger, loved music and travel, was fully present in every moment he spent with you, and cherished the time he spent talking and laughing with loved ones. He was known for his kind and gentle demeanor, goofy sense of humor, and genuine sense of curiosity and wonder about the world and people around him. He had a quiet sophistication about him, always understanding and patient. Until his health would no longer allow, Bob enjoyed volunteering at the Akron-Canton Food Bank as a driver and also helped with a Canton area Soup Kitchen.He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Peggy Marshall; his children, Lora (Dan) McMillen of Uhrichsville, Kimberly (Frank McLean) Marshall McLean of Takoma Park, Maryland, Leslie (Steve) Haton of East Bend, North Carolina, and Eric Marshall of Dennison, Ohio; step-children, Donald DeChiara of Canton, Christina Lerario of Louisville, John (Terry) DeChiara of San Antonio, Texas, and Gina Vaught of Washington, Pennsylvania; former wife and mother of his children, Betty Patterson (Marshall) of Dennison, Ohio, with whom he maintained an amicable relationship; grandchildren, James Tharp Jr, Gretta McMillen, Brook McMillen, Danelle McMillen, Catherine McLean, Emma McLean, Samuel (Teresa) Haton, Emily Haton, and Torie Haton; numerous step-grandchildren; great-grandchildren, James Tharp III, Jaxon Tharp, Bailey Tharp, Bella Tharp, and Xavier Haton, as well as his nieces and nephews.In addition to his parents, Bob was preceded in death by two sisters, Janet McCauley and Carol Graham.A memorial mass will be led by Father Jeff Coning on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 11 AM in the Immaculate Conception Church at Dennison. Inurnment will follow in the Massillon Calvary Cemetery. Those who wish to visit with the family are invited to a luncheon in the Hospitality Room of the Geib Funeral Center at Dover on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM.In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider contributing in his memory to Defenders of Wildlife or the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
