In Memoriam
John Marshall
On February 10th we lost one of our longest active members, John Marshall.
John has been a fixture in the Drifters for almost twenty years. Aside from always
supporting our club he also served as Drifter president and helped plan many of
our most successful rides and activities.
John was a phenomenal inspiration for our members as he was still enjoying
being a Drifter and riding his sled when he turned age 89 on his birthday this
January 23rd.
John was well known for his ability to wrench on the bikes he owned and
generously devoted his time helping other club members keep their machines
on the road or decked out with cool accessories they wanted to add.
John’s famous garage parties were always looked forward to with donuts and
coffee and several Drifters helping with the bike work while the rest of the crew
tried to learn from John how it was supposed to be done.
We all thought that John seemed immortal and that he would still be carving up
the asphalt when the rest of us were pushing up daisies.
To our surprise, John proved mortal, and a leaky heart valve and an attack of
pneumonia combined to lay him low. He died at St. George Regional Hospital.
Special thanks go out to his daughter, Cindy Truby of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and our
own Margret Ramos for standing by John every day in his final brave fight for life.
John was alert up to the end and expressed his gratitude for a full life well lived.
At this time service arrangements for john haven’t been announced. The family
will be sure to let us know soon.
EDITOR MIKE
PS John wasn’t what many people would envision as an avid skilled motorcyclist.
Someone that also could work on his motorcycles and keep them running.
Someone who would endure the hardships of motorcycle travel as well as the
joy of the road. Rain, sleet, wind, cold, extreme heat, and danger had to be
dealt with and John did all these things. Was it because of his chosen profession
in life that people were surprised he was also a real deal motorcyclist?
He spent his working years as a tenured college professor having earned
a PHD in chemistry. He taught post graduate students who were working
on earning their own degrees. He also worked in private industry using his
chemistry background on many projects important to science and our country.
He was a pretty smart man!
John was an athlete too and kept his interest in sports his whole life.
He ran marathons until his knees gave out and then walked several miles
a day to stay in shape. He rode his e bike for miles all around the area.
He was quite a guy.
I was glad to be his friend and I will really miss him.
Karran (K) Wright will forever be a Drifter! Here are some great photos of K doing what he loved to do most. Thanks Margrete for sending us these sweet memories!
by webmistressdawn