Michael Leo Marshall, 78, Andover, passed away suddenly on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, after complications from an emergency surgery.
Michael was born on June 19, 1943, to Charles and Edith Marshall in Newton, where he was raised. As a young man, he spent his time building and tinkering, teaching himself how to fix and build cars and motors. His love for motorcycles and hot rods started early in life, and at one point he was on the pit crew of an award-winning top fuel dragster.
He left his hometown after graduating from Newton High School to serve his country in the Vietnam War as an Army helicopter pilot. Many times, he flew over hostile enemy territory under fire to evacuate wounded American soldiers to hospitals for emergency care. He saved many lives at great risk to his own and earned several medals and awards, some of which include the Air Medal for Heroism, the Army Commendation Medal and the Bronze Star.
After being honorably discharged, Michael went on to study engineering at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. This led to a decades-long career at Beechcraft/Raytheon Aircraft where he established himself as a valued employee and problem solver. Test Engineer of Flight Operations, Group Manager of Hawker Flight Operations, Technical Specialist of Manufacturing Test Engineer, and Principal Systems Engineer are some of the titles he held during his time at Beechcraft/Raytheon.
In 1982, Michael married July Cheney. They welcomed stepdaughter Jessica and later daughter Ashley. Michael and Julie bought a home in Andover, where they raised their family. They later divorced.
He is survived by two sisters, Marilyn Marshall and Melinda Marshall.
