On Thursday, July 21, 2022, surrounded by his children and with the voices of his grandchildren echoing from the next room, James Stephen Marsh (Jim) went to rest in the comfort of God. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 27, 1936, the firstborn of Harry and Elizabeth (Chapay) Marsh's nine children. He grew up in the Ohio Valley, graduated from Warren Consolidated High School, and earned his bachelor's degree in physics at Marietta College. He went on to earn a PhD at the Johns Hopkins University and also studied at Oxford. He then moved to Pensacola, Florida, to accept a job teaching physics at the then-fledgling University of West Florida. He remained a physics professor for 38 some-odd years until his retirement, and he was named Professor Emeritus in 2008. His physics work involved holograms, lasers, optics, and quantum mechanics. He molded many minds in the classroom and was an iconic figure on campus and around Pensacola at large. He was known for his beard, Greek sailor's cap, boots, leather jacket, motorcycle, and cigar--and his brilliant mind.
James was a man who wore many hats, both literally and figuratively. In college, he was a radio DJ and claimed to be the first person to play Elvis on his college radio station in the 1950s. He played with the Wheeling symphony. He rode a motorcycle, often as his daily driver, but also on cross-country motorcycle trips, which he documented in a memoir he titled Twenty Thousand Miles in the Saddle. He formed the Pensacola International Folk Dancers group. He could be seen dancing at the Pensacola Greek Festival nearly every year and at various festivals along the Gulf Coast. He played guitar with the Dogwood Dulcimer Association and the ukulele group at Blues Angel Music. He carried a book to read with him everywhere he went and leaves behind a massive library of titles on physics (of course), religion, war, art, sailing, baking, and probably anything else you can think of. He was talented at drawing, photography, cooking, and baking. He loved being a Daddy and went to all the recitals, ball games, school plays, and competitions. Then he loved being a Pawpaw, and he went to all those things again.
His unique influence touched more lives than we can ever know, and he will be missed fiercely. But his legend and legacy of sayings, stories, and quirks will live on for many years to come.
James Marsh is preceded in death by his son Nicholas, his wife Judith (Hafford), his brothers Stephan and Michael, and his parents. He is survived by his sisters, Susan (Pelliciotti), Christine (Worrell), Sarah (Yoho), and Eva (West); his brothers, Jonathan and Harry; many nieces and nephews; his children, Jessica, Rebecca, Samantha, and Jacob; and his grandchildren, Penelope and Atticus Emerson, Donovan and Oliver Berube, and Oscar and Phoebe Turner.
The family cordially invites friends to attend a visitation on Sunday, August 7, 2022 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel, 3351 Scenic Highway, Pensacola, Florida, immediately followed by a memorial service at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.BayviewFisher-PouChapel.com for the Marsh family.
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