Richard Symmes Thomas Marsh

Richard Symmes Thomas Marsh, 96, a lifetime resident of Washington, DC, died peacefully on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at Messiah Lifeways, Mechanicsburg, PA. Son of the late Harold N. and Dorothy (Dennis) Marsh, he was born on May 29, 1922 in Washington, DC.

Richard attended Landon, Phillips Exeter, and Yale University. His college years were interrupted by WW II, when he served with the Marines as a fighter pilot in the Pacific. After the war he graduated from Yale and then enrolled in George Washington University Law School. He was a partner in the law firm of Ross, Marsh, and Foster for more than 60 years, practicing in DC and MD. He was civic minded, involved for many years with Kiwanis, Chevy Chase Village, The Hattie M. Strong Foundation, and Westmoreland Congregational Church, among others. He was known by all for his love of the law, integrity and sense of justice and responsibility.

In private life, he was devoted to his immediate and extended family. He enjoyed an extraordinary marriage to his wife, Joan, for 66 years. They raised four children in Chevy Chase, MD. His children remember him with reverence and love. He raised them with kindness, generosity, and encouragement, as they each forged their own paths in life. He instilled in his children a love of adventure and the outdoors. The family owned a woodland and cabin in the Catoctin Mountains in MD, which he operated as a Tree Farm. There, he exercised his passion for the outdoors by hiking, trailblazing, and cutting and splitting fire wood. His stewardship of natural resources was recognized with the award of Outstanding Tree Farmer of the Year in 2015. He created a conservation easement to protect the property from future development.

Surviving are his children, Sidney Moon of Steamboat Springs, CO, Jane M. Allis (William, Jr.) of Shermans Dale, PA, Jesse B.T. Marsh (Maria Adele Cipolla), Palermo, IT, and Peter F. Marsh (Alicia K. Hardin) of Winston-Salem, NC; grandchildren, Alex Moon, Ned Allis (Melissa), Dashiell Allis (Danielle), Franca Marsh, Emma Marsh and Katie Marsh; step-grandchildren, Mark Sprenkle, Rob Sprenkle, Valentina Spicuzza (Richard Jenkins), and Vittoria Spicuzza; great-grandchildren, Katie, Emma, Nora, Josie, Dashiell Finley, and Oliver; a sister-in-law, Judy Marsh; and nieces and nephews, Harold, Mandana, Frederick, Meredith, Alan, Matthew, Andy, Wendy, Kate, Carter, Buell, and Andrew.

Richard was preceded in death by his wife, Joan S. (Ferguson) Marsh, who passed away in 2012 after 66 years of marriage. He was also predeceased by three brothers, Harold N. Marsh, Jr. (Marion), Samuel D. Marsh, and David Marsh; a sister-in-law, Nan Heminway; a son-in-law, Douglas H. Sprenkle; a grandson, Jeffrey D. Moon; and a nephew, Addison.

Private services will be held at Westmoreland Congregational Church, Bethesda, MD on April 27, 2019.

For more information, or to send messages of condolence, please visit www.parthemore.com.