I found out this morning from Chris Guenzler (chrisg) that Harold Marshall passed away last month in La Plata, MO.
For those not familiar, Harold was the father of Tom Marshall who is the owner and designer of the Depot Inn and Suites in La Plata. The Depot Inn and the new Rail Resort, Chris Guenzler Million Mile Lookout, and surrounding land are now jointly owned by Tom (and his wife Kelly) Marshall and the folks at TrainWeb (which includes this forum).
I'm saddened to learn of his death because he was one of the nicest people I've ever met. He was the type of guy where you could spend 5 minutes talking to him, and feel like you've known him all your life. He was a master craftsman, and his works are on display all over the the Depot Inn, including the train that he built which runs around the property in the summer (trackless). He built the new store for the TrainParty at the Depot Inn, and was also involved in building the lookout point and installing the railroad scanner and solar setup to power it.
On my first trip to La Plata, Harold brought me to the Amtrak station to wait for #3 to take me back home to California. It was freezing outside (literally), and we just sat in the van and chit-chatted for about a half hour. His knowledge was amazing.
I just wanted to post this and say that he was a great guy, and will be missed by so many people back in La Plata.
Posted by chrisg (Member # 2488) on :
I will miss Harold on ever trip I make to La Plata and the Depot Inn & Suites. He was a kind man and always willing to do what it took to make a visit here special!