Gordon A. Marsh

Gordon Arthur Julius Marsh, 86, of Hatch Hill Road, East Mead Twp., passed away at Meadville Medical Center on Thursday, July 30, 2015.  His spirit left his body at 5:10 p.m. and his body ceased functioning around 6 p.m.

Gordon was born July 4, 1929 in Portland, OR a son of Gordon E. and Lea Thibault Marsh.  He completed high school in Portland and San Diego, CA, briefly attended Cal. State San Diego and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Entomology from the University of California at Berkley.

A life-long interest in insects led to a career as an entomologist.  Drafted by the military during the Korean Conflict, he served as a research entomologist studying potential vectors of diseases striking combatents in the field.  He worked for the US Army at the Smithsonian Institute, the U.S. National Museum and the Walter Reed Medical Center, all in Washington, D.C.

Leaving the army after 2 years, he returned to Berkley and worked as an insect pathologist for Dr. Ed Steinhouse.  When the Univeristy of California at Irvine campus opened in Orange County, Dr. Steinhouse transferred to that institution and took Gordon with him.  He asked Gordon what he would like to do there and he replied that after volunteering at the San Diego Natural History Museum, he had always wanted to develop his own small museum.  UC Irvine and Dr. Steinhouse set him up as Curator of their Museum of Systematic Biology.  Gordon’s museum featured an outstanding collection of insects, a plant herbarium and bird (ducks, stuffed and hanging from the ceiling), reptile and mammal collections.

In Orange County, Gordon met and married his second wife, Karlin (Happe) Grunau.  They spent many enjoyable days together, collecting plants for the Herbarium and discovering species new to Orange County, and in one case, new to the United States, a species of Crownbeard previously known only in Baja California, found in Laguna Beach.

They also enjoyed bird watching and traveling to new places.  Their most recent “trip of a lifetime” was to Belize (British Hondurus) in Central America.

When Gordon retired in 1992, he and Karlin wanted to leave Southern California, which was getting to built up for their taste.  Karlin wanted to go to the Oregon Cascades, but Gordon said it rained all the time.  So they returned to Karlin’s childhood home, 114 acres of beautiful woods crossing Hatch Hill Road.  Part of that forest, Porky Hollow, is now protected by the French Creek Valley Conservancy.

Gordon and Karlin worked to improve the infrastructure of the old farmhouse and outbuildings.  Gordon spent many enjoyable hours looking at insects in the meadow and woods.  Thanks to a satellite dish, he also enjoyed watching boxing on tv.  They both also liked cooking shows with breakfast and “Murder She Wrote” and “Bluebloods” after dinner.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife Martha Marsh Brattstrom and his son, Robert (Robbie) Marsh.

He is survived by his second wife, Karlin of 39 years; two step-children, Laura Busby and her husband Robert and George Grunau and his wife Lori and five step grandchildren, Grace and Matt Busby and Ben, Will and Sarah Kate Grunau.

Calling hours will be Friday, August 7th from 5-7 p.m. at the Robert W. Waid Funeral Home, Inc., 581 Chestnut Street, Meadville.

The memorial service will be Saturday, August 8th at 1 p.m. at the funeral home.

Interment will be in Greendale Cemetery.

Memories and condolences may be shared at www.waidfuneralhome.net

In closing, Gordon wanted to tell the folks of Meadville and its citizens how much he loved the town.  His love also extends to Lewis Bentley, Jr. his kind and gentle caregiver.