26 December 2020
B.J. Marsh, who led {thousands of|countless} Springfieldians on bus {tours|trips} {across|throughout} the {country|nation} {and then|and after that} represented them in the Missouri {House|Home} with
{maverick|radical} {flair|style}, {died|passed away} Thursday {morning|early morning} from {complications|problems|issues} of COVID-19. He was 80 {years old|years of ages}. Born in {tiny|small} Pennsboro in Dade County, he {graduated|finished} from Greenfield High School and {came to|concerned|pertained to} the Queen City in 1958.
“I had a 1956 Chevy, a World War II {haircut|hairstyle} and a gray flannel {suit|fit|match},” he {later|later on} {said|stated}.
It {was enough|sufficed} to get him in the door at Barth’s, {a clothing|a clothes} {store|shop} on the square, where he {sold|offered} shoes {before|prior to} going to {work at|operate at} the {Insurance|Insurance coverage} {Services|Solutions|Providers} {Office|Workplace} of Missouri.
{During|Throughout} his 13 years there, he {started|began} driving {tour|trip} buses part-time, took {a liking|a preference|a taste} to {the business|business} and {decided|chose} to {start|begin} his own.
Marsh ran his {namesake|name} {firm|company} for more than {four|4} {decades|years}, {starting|beginning} with junkets to ballgames in St. Louis and Kansas City and {eventually|ultimately} {expanding|broadening} coast-to-coast, from fall {tours|trips} of New England to 23-day journeys through Alaska.
In {between|in between}, he {booked|reserved|scheduled} {trips|journeys} to {catch|capture} {everything|whatever} from Pope John Paul II to Elvis Presley, whose Graceland {mansion|estate} {inspired|influenced|motivated} the {dazzling|stunning|spectacular|amazing} wall-to-wall mirrors that cover the {inside of|within} Marsh’s turn-of-the-century {home|house} at National {Avenue|Opportunity} and {Sunshine|Sunlight} Street.
When ticket sellers in Kansas City {tried|attempted} to stop him from {booking|reserving|scheduling} seats to see the King with a 10-per-buyer {limit|limitation}
, he {hired|employed|worked with} 10 {taxi drivers|cab driver|cabby} to {buy|purchase} more for him.
He {hired|employed|worked with} {Boy|Young boy|Kid} Scouts to do the {same|exact same|very same} in Tulsa. He {worked hard|strove} to {sell|offer} every ticket, too. One time when he was driving through Austin, Texas, taking {people|individuals} to see Southwest Missouri State play in March {Madness|Insanity}, he {noticed|discovered|observed|saw} {people|individuals} at {a stoplight|a traffic light} {looking for|searching for|trying to find} seats.
{Answer|Response} {Man|Guy|Male}: Why does ex-state {rep|associate|representative} have {so much|a lot} security at his house/business on National? He stopped the bus, hopped out, {sold|offered} the tickets and was back at the wheel when the light turned green. Marty Marsh, the {oldest|earliest} of {two|2} {sons|children|kids|boys}, {said|stated} his {dad|father|daddy|papa}’s {favorite|preferred} {destinations|locations} {included|consisted of} cities like New York, Philadelphia
and Washington D.C. with {sites|websites} that {appealed to|attracted|interested} his patriotic {appreciation|gratitude} for the {country|nation}’s early history. {{But|However} his {wife|spouse|partner|other half|better half}, Joni Marsh, {said|stated} he {loved|liked|enjoyed} them all.|His {wife|spouse|partner|other half|better half}, Joni Marsh, {said|stated} he {loved|liked|enjoyed} them all.}”He {just liked|much like|similar to} to be on the {road|roadway},”she {said|stated}. In a 1978 profile in the Springfield Leader and Press, Marsh, then 38, {told|informed} {a reporter|a press reporter} he {distinguished|differentiated|identified} himself by {making sure|ensuring|making certain} every {guest|visitor} left his bus {happy|pleased|delighted}.”It{‘s important| is essential| is very important| is necessary} to me to please {the people|individuals}, “he {said|stated}.”Without them, there {wouldn’t|would not} be Marsh Travel.”{Friends|Buddies|Pals}, {family|household} and {former|previous} {colleagues|associates|coworkers} {said|stated} he was a natural.”He had {a huge|a big|a substantial} {personality|character}, as {big|huge} as they get,”{said|stated} Tom Fowler, {a longtime|a long time} {friend|buddy|pal|good friend} who {got to know|learnt more about|was familiar with} Marsh {during|throughout} his time in the Missouri legislature.” He was {funny|amusing}, {witty|amusing}, {smart|wise|clever}– he {could|might} {talk to|speak with|speak to|talk with} {anybody|anyone|any person}.
“Marsh’s thing for {people|individuals} {went beyond|exceeded|surpassed} {business|company|service|organization}, {family members|relative|member of the family} {said|stated}. Marty Marsh {said|stated} his {dad|father|daddy|papa} {also|likewise} dressed up as Jaybird,
the mascot for St. John’s Regional {Health Center|University hospital}, in the 1980s
to bring {joy|delight|happiness|pleasure} to ailing {children|kids}.” He {just|simply} {loved|liked|enjoyed} seeing {people|individuals} {happy|pleased|delighted},” he {said|stated}.” That was what he lived for. ” B.J. Marsh {also|likewise} served {people|individuals} through politics.
In 1988, he ran for a seat in the Missouri {House|Home} {left open|exposed} when Democratic Rep. Bob Holden ran for state treasurer.
In his {announcement|statement} to the News-Leader, Marsh {said|stated} he was running {because|since|due to the fact that} of his “natural interest in {people|individuals} and their {welfare|well-being}.”
Thirty-one years {later|later on}, he {told|informed} the News-Leader’s Steve Pokin he {just|simply} {wanted|desired} {government|federal government} {health insurance|medical insurance}. {Either way|In either case|In any case}, he ran {a serious|a major|a severe} {campaign|project} {focused on|concentrated on} returning {a recent|a current} tax windfall to taxpayers, {{flipped|turned} the district and headed|headed and {flipped|turned} the district} to Jefferson City.
Marsh’s Republican {party|celebration} was deep in the minority at the time, so passing {major|significant} legislation was {generally|typically|normally|usually} out of the {question|concern}. Still, he {found|discovered} {ways|methods} to {help|assist} his constituents with whatever they {needed|required}. Freshmen {representatives|agents}:{Meet|Satisfy|Fulfill} the {new|brand-new} {people|individuals} representing GreeneCounty in the Missouri {House|Home} COVID-19 vaccine in Missouri: {Health care|Healthcare} {workers|employees} are being {vaccinated|immunized}. What’s next? In a 1992 interview , he {touted|promoted} {bills|expenses|costs} that {helped|assisted} a Southwest Missouri State fraternity {house|home} with a land swap and stopped the Missouri Water Patrol from ticketing sailboarders.”He {cared about|appreciated} his {people|individuals}, and he kept things in {perspective|point of view|viewpoint},” {former|previous} Rep. Craig Hosmer, a Democrat, {recalled|remembered} Thursday. “He {never|never ever} {thought|believed} he was {bigger|larger} or {better|much better} than them or their {issues|problems|concerns} {just because|even if} he got {elected|chosen}.”Chuck Wooten, a fellow {Republican|Republican politician} who {came into|entered|entered into} {the House|your home|your house} with Marsh in 1988, {said|stated} his {friend|buddy|pal|good friend} {also|likewise} wasn’t {afraid|scared} to put {principle|concept} over {party|celebration} politics.” {Sometimes|In some cases|Often} every Republican on the {floor|flooring} would vote one {way|method} and he ‘d vote the other,”he {said|stated}.”{But|However} he ‘d {make up|comprise} his own mind, {and that|which}’s the {way|method} it would be.” That wasn’t enough to win {a third|a 3rd} {consecutive|successive} term in 1992, when Democrat Mike Schilling beat him by 59 votes. {{But|However} even in defeat, Marsh {found|discovered} {a way|a method} to do his constituents {a solid|a strong}.|Even in defeat, Marsh {found|discovered} {a way|a method} to do his constituents {a solid|a strong}.} When {some of|a few of} his {friends|buddies|pals|good friends} {urged|advised|prompted} him to {demand|require} a recount on the tight margin, he rebuffed them, {telling|informing}
the News-Leader,”that would cost taxpayers {money|cash}. “”It’s {a tough|a difficult|a hard} seat to hold,” he {added|included}.”(Schilling )won it {{fair|reasonable} and square|square and {fair|reasonable}}
.”{Eight|8} years {later|later on}, Marsh took it back and {never|never ever} lost {again|once again}, serving {four|4} {consecutive|successive} terms from 2001-2009. And with his {party|celebration} in the {majority|bulk}, he {eventually|ultimately} got the {chance|possibility|opportunity} to do something {really|truly|actually} {big|huge} for his constituents: pass the {bill|expense|costs} that dropped the “Southwest” from Southwest Missouri State.
After Norma {Champion|Champ} got the name {change|modification} through the Senate, Marsh worked {across|throughout} the aisle to {corral|confine} 120 votes in {the House|your home|your house} to put an exclamation point on a decades-long effort.
He {also|likewise} {maintained|preserved|kept} that independent streak.
When his {party|celebration} passed a sweeping anti-abortion {bill|expense|costs}, he objected {because|since|due to the fact that} it made it {harder|more difficult} to {offer|provide|use} sexual education {aimed at|targeted at|focused on} {reducing|decreasing|minimizing|lowering} {unplanned|unexpected|unintended} pregnancies. He was the only {Republican|Republican politician} in the {region|area} to do so.
“We {better|much better} be more {worried|concerned|anxious} about {people|individuals} having more {money|cash} in their pockets than whether {people|individuals} are having abortions,” he {said|stated}.
He even {told|informed} the News-Leader he {might|may} run for state Senate as an independent as he neared term {limits|limitations} in 2008. He {ultimately|eventually} retired {instead|rather}.
He {kept in touch|communicated|stayed connected|corresponded}, {though|however}– having {a house|a home} at such {a busy|a hectic} {intersection|crossway} made it {easy|simple} in election years.
“{Best|Finest} political {sign|indication} {location|place|area} {in town|in the area},” {said|stated} Congressman Billy Long, another {friend|buddy|pal|good friend}. “{Very|Extremely|Really} {guarded|protected|safeguarded|secured} on who he ‘d let {put up|set up|install} {a sign|an indication}. I {usually|typically|normally|generally} {had to|needed to} {con|fool|trick} him into it.”
Wooten, his {former|previous} {House|Home} {colleague|associate|coworker}, {said|stated} Marsh {paid attention to|took note of|focused on|took notice of} {local|regional} politics, too.
“He ‘d call and {be mad|seethe} at {city council|city board} or county commission {and then|and after that} {say|state} I {should|ought to|must|need to} run for {office|workplace} {again|once again},” Wooten {said|stated}. “And I ‘d {say|state}, ‘Well, why {don’t|do not} you go run for it?'”
Marsh {also|likewise} cared deeply about his {family|household}.
He was {a loving|a caring} {father|dad|daddy}, Marty Marsh {said|stated}, and he {never|never ever} {shied away from|avoided} challenging his {sons|children|kids|boys} to be {better|much better} {people|individuals}.
He {passed on|handed down} that independent streak, too.
“He taught me about ‘being yourself,’ {standing up for|defending} yourself, and {sometimes|in some cases|often} {being stubborn|persisting},” {younger|more youthful} {son|child|kid|boy} Monte Marsh {wrote|composed} in a post on his Instagram.
Marty Marsh {said|stated} his {dad|father|daddy|papa} {also|likewise} {came to|concerned|pertained to} every {game|video game} for his grandchildren and was {always|constantly} {helping out|assisting} with {large|big} purchases.
“He {helped|assisted} us {buy|purchase} every {car|vehicle|automobile|cars and truck}, every {house|home},”Marty Marsh {said|stated}.” He called {a few|a couple of} days {ago|back|earlier} and {said|stated} he was going to bring us some pie.”
“He {just|simply} {loved|liked|enjoyed} to do things for {other people|other individuals}.”
Marsh is {survived|made it through|endured} by his {wife|spouse|partner|other half|better half}, Joni; {a brother|a sibling|a bro}, Frankie; {two|2} {sons|children|kids|boys}, Marty and Monte; {a daughter|a child}, {Destiny|Fate}; and {eight|8} grandchildren.
No {memorial services|funeral} {had|had actually} yet been {planned|prepared} by the News-Leader’s {deadline|due date}.
News-Leader {reporter|press reporter} Steve Pokin {contributed to|added to} this report. Austin Huguelet is the News-Leader’s politics {reporter|press reporter}. Got something he should {know|understand}? Have {a question|a concern}? Call him at 417-403-8096 or email him at ahuguelet@news-leader.com.Source: news-leader. com