On Saturday, January 9, 2021, heavenly angels called upon Larry Branson Marshall.

On May 1, 1950, John L. Marshall, Sr. and Margaret Ann welcomed their youngest son into the world.  He was a mischievous child and enjoyed playing pranks on his sister, Linda, and sibling adventures with his brother John "Bug" L. Marshall, Jr.  He shared a special bond with his mother that he cherished throughout his life.

Larry was educated in Charles County and graduated from Pomonkey High School, class of 1969.  After high school, Larry had other jobs before acquiring a long and successful career with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) until his retirement in May 2000 with 30 years of service.  Larry resided in Charles County, Maryland his entire life.  He never wanted to be too far from home.

Larry was musically gifted and was first string tenor saxophone player in the Pomonkey High School marching band.  He also sang tenor in the Metropolitan United Methodist Church choir.  He was an athlete and first-string player on his high school's basketball team.  After high school, he played "shortstop" for the Berry Road and Temple Hills softball teams.  He was a left-hand hitter and known for consistently hitting homeruns, and one such homerun was captured in the local newspaper.

An unassuming friendship blossomed into love, and on June 23, 2003, Larry "jumped the broom" with Emmagene and was married in Corolla, North Carolina.  The wedding was an intimate ceremony with close family and friends, held in a small chapel near the ocean.  Through this union they enjoyed a blended family of two sons (Lamar and Anthony) and a stepdaughter (Jade).

Throughout the years, Larry acquired a great interest in cars and motorcycles. He owned muscle cars, race cars and a motorcycle.  He had many motorcycle adventures riding with special friend, Michael Swann.  His fondest ownership is the race car "Agitator" that he shared with his eldest son, Lamar.  He was so proud of his son and their collaboration with this car.  There was no car comparable to the "Agitator".  Special friends, Jimmy "Breed" Garner, Mike Tompkins and Tony Wright also enjoyed many years of friendship and brotherhood with Larry, sharing their love for cars.  Most recently, Larry and Lamar enjoyed working together to restore a 1978 Chevrolet Malibu Classic.  He looked forward to time spent in the garage catching up with his son as they worked to transform their new project.

Larry also enjoyed bowling and bowled many years with various bowling leagues.  He most recently bowled in the Inez's Golden Kegler's League, and on Tuesdays with his special bowling buddies Bubba Holly and Cecil Barnes.

If the garage doors were up, that was a sign to friends to just drop by.  Larry spent many summer days in the garage with friends, working on cars, and catching up.  This is where he learned the secret recipe from George Savoy for the best smoked chicken and ribs, and how to fry perfectly seasoned fried chicken.  This is where he engineered, with friends Tim Harris and George Savoy, to build and erect a playset for his youngest son.  He had so many friends that he enjoyed spending time with; he loved to reminisce and share stories of his past adventures.

Larry would gather with friends regularly at "Mattawoman", the American Legion, or Ford's to catch-up, get the latest news, or get unsolicited medical, mechanical or legal advice.  He often referred to this time as his "Cheers" because everybody knew your name and it was a way of looking after friends.  Drinking his favorite beer, Coors Light, with buddies and watching football was something fun.  Larry was an avid Dallas Cowboys fan.  He would laugh and tease while watching the Washington team get their "butts kicked" by Dallas.  In this most recent year, he enjoyed time spent catching up with special friend, Jr. Tolson, just sitting outside the garage and "shooting the breeze."  He smiled when he talked about how Jr. would sometimes just sit and wait for him whether the garage doors were up or down.  He missed the frequent visits from friends and cousin Danny Datcher that were now limited due to COVID.

Larry was just as particular about his lawn as he was keeping his cars clean.  He took great pride in keeping his yard meticulously manicured – a passion he inherited from his father.  He would spend many hours cruising on his "zero-turn" mower in the summer and fertilizing in the fall in preparation for the beautiful green grass, that felt like carpet under your feet, in the spring.  After cutting the grass, he would trim the sidewalk edges and power wash them for the final touch.  Nothing aggravated him more than dealing with the pesty moles that caused issues with the backyard grass every year.

Larry enjoyed being home and had become the neighborhood watch from the living room and bedroom windows, monitoring the activities and safety of family, and the comings and goings of patrons and friends at the American Legion.  Home was important to Larry and he was faithful in the care of the family who dwelled within.  Larry enjoyed quiet evenings during the week with his wife, Emmagene, watching recorded sessions of The View and the Flintstones.  On the weekends, they enjoyed sharing early morning breakfasts and watching together from the kitchen window as the birds gathered at their feeders.  On Sunday mornings, you could find him enjoying gospel music from the garage.  He took pride in the accomplishments of his sons.  He took joy in watching his sons become men with his inherited talents.  Like his father, Anthony played saxophone, participated in marching band, was a left-handed hitter in baseball, and fries some good chicken.  He enjoyed conversations with Anthony regarding his collegiate studies at North Carolina A&T State University, career accomplishments and aspirations.  He was so proud to wear his "Aggies" shirt and would boast to anyone that asked that it was his son attending this college.  He missed Anthony being away from home and looked forward to Zoom calls and his phone calls for more money, please.  He was happy, too, to have a stepdaughter; when asked, as a little girl, how she should address him, he affectionately replied, "You can call me L.B.".  He was proud of the little girl he watched grow up, and they developed an incredibly special bond.  He just could never figure out why she never caught on to keeping her car clean.

Larry's kidney transplant in 2020 provided him a second chance at life and he was immensely thankful for the new health he enjoyed as a result of someone's generosity.  He often spoke of his newfound freedom and ability to enjoy life and spend time with his family.  He was so appreciative of all those who rallied in support of his recovery, including Jackie Marshall-Hall and Dwayne Paxton.  January 17, 2021 would have marked the one-year anniversary of his kidney transplant.

Left to cherish Larry's memory are his wife Emmagene; children, Lamar Marshall (June – mother), Anthony Marshall, stepdaughter, Jade Dyson; siblings, Linda Marshall-Paxton (Dwayne); Bridget Richardson (Bobby); special nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sibling John L. Marshall, Jr.

In honor of Larry's life, please consider being an organ donor, or in lieu of flowers, donating to the Medstar Georgetown University Hospital Transplant Institute.

His Viewing will be 10:00 am, until time of Service, 11:00 am, Wednesday, January 20, 2021 in the Chapel of Thornton Funeral Home, P.A., 3439 Livingston Road, Indian Head, Maryland 20640.