Leon (Luke) Marshall
July 25, 1938 — October 6, 2017
Leon C (Luke) Marshall, 79, passed away peacefully on October 6, 2017, in Garland, Utah. Luke was born July 25, 1938, to Chesley and Maxine Udy Marshall of Plymouth, Utah. He was raised in Plymouth as the oldest of six children, Luke, Twyla, Brent, John, Paul, and Michelle.
Luke graduated from Bear River High School and served from 1961 to 1963 in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of Sergeant. After his military service, he worked the rest of his career at the Defense Depot in Ogden before retiring in 1999. He also worked as a skilled brick mason.
Luke married LaRae Brown in 1965 and they were blessed with two sons, Todd and James. They made their home in Plymouth, Utah but were later divorced.
Luke started his life with his partner in crime and lifelong companion Maleea Abel in 1984 and inherited a daughter, Angie, and three more sons, Matt, Kyle and Brandon. Luke and Maleea retired in 1999 and set off to pursue their dream job of becoming campground hosts in Yellowstone National Park. They spent more than 15 summers in Yellowstone making countless friends and sharing the park they loved with thousands of people. Luke loved to tinker with old trucks and was never happier than driving around Yellowstone in his 1977 Ford Pickup, built with a Cummings engine, loaded up with spotting scopes and binoculars looking for bears. He passed his passion for nature and wildlife on to his children and grandchildren, teaching many of them to “scope” as soon as they could walk.
Luke is survived by his partner and best friend Maleea Abel, children Todd (Leisa) Marshall and James Chesley (Ingrid) Marshall, Angie Abel, Matt (Nick) Abel, Kyle (Catherine) Abel, and Brandon (Amy) Abel, 13 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild, brothers Brent (Ronda), John (Karlene), and Paul (Penny) and sister Michelle (Curtis) Murray. Luke was preceded in death by his parents, Chesley and Maxine and sister Twyla (Merrill) Price.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, October 12, 2017, at 1 pm, with a viewing from 11:30am-12:30 pm. Both services will be held at Rogers and Taylor Funeral Home (111 N. 100 E., Tremonton, UT). Interment will follow the funeral at the Plymouth Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made in Luke’s name to Yellowstone Forever at www.yellowstone.org.