Scott David Marshall, 67, passed away on August 8, 2026, leaving behind a lifetime of memories, laughter, stories, and a family that was the greatest thing he ever built.
Born in Rochester, New York, on January 6, 1959, Scott spent part of his early life in California, where he met his beloved wife, Renita Fay Marshall. The two eventually moved to Shelbyville, Tennessee, Renita’s hometown, where they later married and built their family together. Scott spent years in Shelbyville raising his children before moving to Tampa, Florida, in the early 2000s. Tampa became home for the remainder of his life.
Scott was a man who believed strongly in doing what you loved. He often told his children, “If you love what you do, you’ll really never work a day in your life.” He lived that philosophy himself. After working at the Empire/Sanford Pencil Company in the Shelbyville area, Scott eventually changed careers and built his own business, Marshall Total Maintenance, which he operated for over 20 years. He traded the desk for hard work, tools, and the freedom to build something of his own—and he genuinely loved what he did.
But Scott’s greatest work was never his business. It was his family.
He was an incredibly involved father who encouraged his children to try things, play sports, work hard, follow their passions, and always do their best. He coached Little League baseball and basketball and spent countless hours supporting his children in whatever they loved. His door—and often his advice—was open to far more than just his own children. Scott had a way of making people feel like family, whether they were related to him or not.
And then came his grandchildren, who quickly became his greatest joy. Being a grandfather was one of the greatest joys of his life, and he took enormous pride in watching his family grow. With Scott Marshall, it was always come one, come all—anyone could call him Grandpa.
Scott loved a good time, and he had plenty of passions to keep him busy. Golf was near the top of the list. He played whenever he could, encouraged everyone around him to play, and somehow always managed to make golf important enough that someone else occasionally had to sacrifice a little time, money, or sanity for it. He enjoyed annual golf trips and tournaments with his brothers, friends, and sons-in-law, creating traditions and memories that will continue long after the clubs are put away.
He loved sports in general, especially when he could be involved rather than simply watching from the sidelines. He loved fishing, cooking, music, and spending time outdoors. His garden was a project all its own. Scott grew strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, flowers, and an impressive collection of herbs—including mint, chocolate mint, rosemary, thyme, and Thai basil. He even built his own irrigation system. If he wasn’t in the garden, there was a pretty good chance he was thinking about something he could grow, fix, build, collect, or improve.
Scott had a fascination for history, antiques, collectibles, and things with a story behind them. From watching Antiques Roadshow and Forged in Fire to his collection of novelty lighters, shot glasses, and other unusual objects, he always hoped that these items might someday turn out to be worth a fortune.
Scott was also known for his classic golf polos, his love of a good drink—especially Tennessee Jack Daniel’s and later 1800 Silver—and his ability to turn every gathering into a good time.
He was loving, funny, supportive, sometimes impatient, and, as the years went by, increasingly soft-hearted. He had a free spirit and a generous nature. He made friends easily and had a gift for making people feel welcome. He could give advice, tell a joke, coach you through something, feed you, tease you, and somehow make you feel like you’d known him forever.
Scott experienced more loss throughout his life than most people should have to carry. Yet he continued to love deeply, build relationships, raise his family, make memories, and find reasons to enjoy life.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Renita Fay Marshall; his son, Skyler David Marshall; his mother, Sylvia Diane Marshall; his father, John Paul Marshall Sr.; his stepfather, Litho Gibson; and his brothers, Joel Marshall and Jeff Marshall Sr.
He is survived by his son, Eric Ryan Hill Sr.; his daughter, Dwaina McIntosh, and her husband, Jabari McIntosh; his daughter, DeAnna Marshall, and her fiancé, Brian Smith; his brother, John Paul Marshall Jr., and his wife, Gail Marshall; his sister, Starleen Farley, and her husband, Johnny Farley; his 14 grandchildren—Alliyah Brown, Ariana Hill, Eric Ryan Hill Jr., LaSonya Hill, Elaina Houston, Imani McIntosh, Steven David Marshall, Destiny McIntosh, Ke’Andre Smith, Mila Hill, Phoenix Hill, Aria Smith, Stella Daye Marshall, and Autumn Smith—along with additional bonus grandchildren; and his six great-grandchildren.
Scott would not want his life remembered only with sadness. He would want the stories told, the jokes repeated, the golf trips continued, the gardens planted, the family gathered around a table, and the good times celebrated.
He built a life full of people, passions, hard work, laughter, and love. And while he may no longer be here to tell everyone what they should be doing, there is little doubt that somewhere, somehow, Scott will still be reminding us every day, in different ways, how much he loved us and inspiring us to do our best to keep his memory alive.
