By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Photo/submitted
Northborough – When Steven Christopher Marshall died on Aug. 8, 2015, at age 29, in a tragic hiking accident in New Hampshire, it was as if a beautiful bright light in the world went out, his parents Steve and Arlene Marshall said.
“Everything that was ever important to Chris was always important to him,” Arlene said. “He was so smart and funny and had such a tender heart.”
His sister Julie described her brother as “the funniest and most intelligent man I’ve ever known, with a heart bigger and warmer than he would ever admit.”
Although nothing can ever take away their pain completely, the family is taking steps to help continue Chris’s legacy, by making donations that honored things that he was passionate about. Recently, the family funded a set of outdoor musical instruments that will be installed at Ellsworth McAfee Park on Rt. 135 in Northborough, ensuring their beloved Chris’s memory will continue to shine, bringing joy to the town’s young children.
The Northborough Board of Selectmen formally accepted the gift from the Marshalls during its May 20 meeting. The board members offered their condolences and noted their gratitude for the donation. The instruments have been delivered and are anticipated to be installed this summer. They will be located near the playground and walking path and will be wheelchair accessible.
In an interview prior to the meeting, Arlene and Steve spoke about their son, who in his short life, had made an impact on so many people.
Arlene noted that Chris had loved growing up in Northborough and had hoped to one day raise his own family there.
“He also loved kids so much,” she said. “When his nephew Isaac was born he was so happy.”
“He also taught karate for a time at T. Rose Karate Dojo for a time, where he had taken lessons. So we thought having something in his memory at the park would be a joyful way to for him to be remembered.”
Chris also loved math and excelled in it in school, the couple said. To honor that part of his life, they donated 30 graphing calculators to students in need in the Worcester Public Schools.
To many of his friends, his parents noted, Chris was affectionately known as “Goober.”
In the program printed for his service, one of his friends, Frank Carino, wrote of the passion and light Chris brought to those around him.
“Goober was the type of person who made everyone around him happy by simply being there. He loved like he lived, completely and without hesitation,” Carino wrote. “If the situation was reversed and he was here mourning the passing of another he would try to bring light to such a truly dark occasion.”
Chris graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2007 with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science. He was a talented game designer, working at Demiurge Studios in Cambridge. He always loved games, his parents said, growing up playing board games and then video games and Magic: The Gathering card game.
For the past few years his friends have organized the annual Steven C. Marshall Memorial, Magic: the Gathering tournament. Proceeds are donated to the Child’s Play Charity which donates toys and games to children in hospitals worldwide. This year’s Memorial Tournament will be held in the Odeum of the WPI Campus Center on Saturday, August 24. All players are welcome.
At the selectmen’s May 20 meeting, in accepting the board’s thanks, Steve Marshall said he was honored to do so on behalf of his son.
“I feel like I am doing this here as his proxy, that’s he’s doing this,” he added. “He loved this town so much. Now he is leaving his mark here with these musical instruments.”
Details on a formal dedication ceremony will be announced soon after the instruments are installed.
(l to r) The parents of Chris Marshall, Steve and Arlene, his sister, Julie and nephew Isaac
Photo/Bonnie Adams
