Donald William Marsh, age 84, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, finished the race and went to join his wife, Barbara, on her birthday,January23, 2021. He was born February3, 1936, in Fulton, Kansas, the son of Orin P. Marsh and Leona Fay Ballou Marsh. He married Barbara J. Bay singer on February24, 1961, in Miami, Oklahoma. In earlier years, Donnie had worked as a heavy equipment operator for Charlie Large forsixteen years.
He later worked as a mechanic for Montgomery Ward and then for Baxter Tire. He retired in 2001. Following retirement, Donnie continued to do mechanic work out of his home. Donnie was a devoted husband, dad and grandpa. He loved spending quality time with his family especially his grandchildren. He enjoyed fishing and hunting as well as racing. In the early1960’s,Donnie and some others started the Family Tradition Racing Team which competed in races throughout the area. He was also an avid fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals as well as the KU Jayhawks.
Survivors include his five children, Mike Simmons(Marsha), of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Jerry Simmons (Lavetta), of Ft. Scott, Kansas, Donnie Marsh (Sandy), of Deerfield, Missouri, Ronnie Marsh (Mary), of Ft. Scott and Tammy Miller(Doug), also of Ft. Scott; thirteen grandchildren, seventeen great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren. Also surviving is a brother, Buckie Ballou, of Kansas City and a racing buddy, Larry Ballou. Donnie’s wife, Barbara, preceded him in death on December 22, 2020. He was also preceded in death by his daughter, Joyce Farmer, a sister, Barbara Moll and racing buddy, Bob Turner and a good friend, Ronnie Button.
Graveside services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Friday,January29th at the Evergreen Cemetery. The family will receive friends Thursday evening from5 to 7 P.M. at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to Care to Share and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
