Obituaries

• Publication year: 2024
• Citation: Vol. 93 No. 4 Pg. 64
• Pages: 64

Obituaries93 J. Kan. Bar Assn 4, 64 (2024)Kansas Bar JournalAugust 2024

July 2024

Marshall Lee Crowther (9/2/1937 - 6/1/2024)

Marshall Lee Crowther died Saturday, June 1, 2024, in Lawrence. He was born on Sept. 2, 1937, to Howard and Vesta Crowther and grew up on a shorthorn cattle farm in Salina, helping with the daily chores, playing in the baseball and basketball leagues, and was very active over many years in his local 4-H club. His family hosted and housed both American soldiers preparing to leave for World War II as well as German POWs.

During this time Marshall honed his skills of negotiating, debating, putting in the time to do things right, and the ability to gracefully compromise while still holding onto one's beliefs. In high school, he was active in Boys State and debate and was able to reach national recognition in these endeavors.

Marshall started undergraduate studies at Kansas University and was proud to be a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He later graduated from Kansas Wesleyan University and earned his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law. It was during law school that he met the love of his life, Sandee Garvey, in the university Student Senate.

Marshall also served in the U.S. Army Reserves and was honorably discharged in 1964.

Marshall worked for the state of Kansas for more than 44 years in several capacities starting in 1966 as an attorney with the Kansas Highway Commission. In 1967, he became the general counsel for the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System and was named its executive secretary in 1981. Marshall joined the Kansas Insurance Department in 1992 as a hearing officer and attorney and later joined the judicial branch in 1995 where he served as administrative services officer for the Office of Judicial Administration until his retirement in 2010. In addition, he served as a special assistant attorney general for four Kansas attorneys general from 1969 to 1991. Marshall enjoyed all his jobs and was able to travel both out of state and to all 105 counties in Kansas, joking that his last job was merely driving around to visit and dine with old colleagues.

Marshall believed in public service and was driven to contribute to his community. He was a founding board member and past director for the Lawrence Boys Club. He participated in the Kansas Jaycees and served as its legal counsel. Marshall was a life member of the Elks Lodge and went on to serve as Exalted...