Marshall Timothy Smith, 68, of Pleasant Prairie, passed away on August 29, 2023, surrounded by his wife and children.
Marshall, also known as “Tim”, was born on April 24, 1955, in Saint Louis, MO. He grew up in Deerfield, IL as the only child of Marshall Smith and Doris Friedemann.
In his early twenties, at the University of Iowa, Marshall developed a passion for two things that would follow him throughout his life: wine and poetry. He was a proud student of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop MFA program.
Nothing was more important to Marshall than his wife and children. In 1986, he serendipitously met the love of his life, Kathy, at an airport while waiting for a flight. They raised their two children in Atlanta, GA followed by Deerfield, IL. Whether it was skiing in Whistler, fishing in Ontario, or eating in Italy, Marshall shared his love of travel and adventure with his family. He was the chef of the house with celebrated favorites such as homemade pesto pasta, boeuf bourguignon, and étouffée.
Marshall loved baseball. He held dear many memories of playing baseball on summer nights as a child and cherished the opportunity to coach his son’s little league games. He was forever a St. Louis Cardinals fan and relished few things more than a good pitcher’s duel.
For most of his working life, Marshall was in medical sales, specifically vitreoretinal surgery. It was through this work that he developed life-long friendships. With many of these friends there was nothing he enjoyed more than tasting and discussing the wines of the world. Marshall’s knowledge of wine was vast and his children would often call him upon entering a wine store to seek his expertise.
Marshall was both a lover of poetry and a published poet. One always knew where he had last been sitting by the books he left there. In 2016, as his working life subsided, he joined the Kenosha Writers Guild and was honored to be asked to join the Board. Marshall’s return to poetry was inspiring. He found great joy in teaching several poetry workshops and bonding with his students.
Marshall is survived by his wife of 35 years, Kathy Smith; two children, Tess and Tim; his cousin, Julie Krause; two brothers-in-law, Steve Hobson (Sharon) and Mike Hobson (Teri); nieces Lisa (Kevin), Kimberly (Hugh), nephews Steve (Alanda) and Malcolm (Diana); dogs, Zoe and Leo. He is preceded in death by his parents, Marshall and Doris Smith; his parents-in-law, Stephen and Lee Hobson; and beloved dogs, Clury, Hannah, Lucy, Stormy, Scout, and Jett.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 7 at 3:00 pm, at Creative Space 624 57th St., Kenosha. Visiting with the family prior to the event is welcome, beginning at 2:30 pm.
