Joan Marshall

Joan Goodyear Ellingston Marshall, universally known as "Johnny," died Wednesday, June 14 at her home in Northampton County on Virginia's Eastern Shore. She was 87 years old.

She was born July 4, 1929 in Washington, D.C. to John "Rocky" Ellingston and Mary Johnston. She spent her formative years in Centerville, Maryland, where she attended the Gunston School and acquired a lifelong passion for the Eastern Shore.

In June, 1951, she married William Marshall Jr., a prominent Norfolk architect who died in 1997. In 1970, she and her husband bought property on the Occohannock Creek near Wardtown. They eventually built a house and moved to the Shore permanently in 1991.

Johnny Marshall loved books and horses, history and politics, antique furniture and lively conversation. She was fierce competitor on the tennis court and at the bridge table. She was a tough-minded, honest and high-spirited woman who cultivated lasting friendships with people from all walks of life.

She is survived by her five children -- Will Marshall of Arlington, Va., Jenefer Marshall of Malcolm Island, British Columbia, Charles Marshall of Arlington, Va.; Elizabeth English of Gaithersburg, Md. and Christopher Marshall of East Potomac, Md. - and seven grandchildren.

Marshall is also survived by her sisters, Mary Anne Burke of Baltimore, Md. and Jenefer Ellingston of Washington, D.C.

Her family is planning a wake to celebrate her remarkable life. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to donate to Riverside Shore Hospice, P. O. Box 615, Onley, VA 23418.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.doughtyfuneralhome.com

Arrangements were made by Doughty Funeral Home in Exmore, Virginia.