Marshall Henry York, Sr

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” 

Psalm 37:3

Marshall Henry York, Sr. was born on February 24, 1932, in Brazoria, Texas, as the fifth of seven children to Dave Brock York and Susie Elizabeth Foster York.

At an early age, he professed his faith in Jesus Christ and was baptized at the First Baptist Church in Brazoria, Texas.

Marshall graduated from Charlie Brown High School in West Columbia, Texas in 1951. He then attended Texas Southern University, where he majored in Music Education with an emphasis on piano. Following his graduation from TSU, he pursued further studies at Sonoma State College in Santa Rosa, California. His academic journey also took him to Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, where he attended Instituto Cultural College.

On June 22, 1957, Marshall married Eliza

Ruth Goode, and together they were blessed with three children.

During his military service, he became 85 to 90 percent fluent in Spanish while stationed at Fort Clayton in the Panama Canal Zone, further refining his language skills.

After completing his military service, Marshall dedicated 39 years to teaching Spanish in the Houston Independent School District (HISD), primarily at the elementary level. Some of the schools where he taught included Grimes, Lockhart, Poe, and 8th Avenue. When he retired, he was teaching at Robert E. Lee High School.

In 1981, he earned a Master of Mid-Management degree with a minor in Spanish from Texas Southern University.

Marshall served as a church musician at Bethel Institutional Missionary Baptist Church for 30 years and was a trustee for 40 years, demonstrating his deep commitment to his faith and community.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dave and Susie York; his brothers, Dave Brock York, Jr., Oscar Jasper York, and Lessie York; and his sisters, Bessie Mae York, Erdist Lee York, and Jessie York.

Left to cherish his precious memories are, his beloved wife, Eliza Ruth Goode York; daughters, Gwendolyn Marie Lenzy and Stephanie York Blue (Lee); son, Marshall Henry York, Jr. (Mayumi); and grandchildren, Ayka Tanimori York and Zenji Marshall York; siblings, Will York and Erma Higgins (Travis).

Evermore missed by a long loving generation of nieces and nephews, cousins, extended family and ‘friends-as-family’ far too numerous to list, but equally admired and cherished in mutual remembrance.