OBITUARY: Leonard Marshall

[The following obituary is courtesy of .]

Leonard Marshall, 87, a retired Peabody firefighter, died Saturday evening at the Peabody Glenn Nursing Center after a long illness. He was the loving husband of 64 years to Francelina (Cunha)Marshall.

Lenny was born in Peabody on Jan. 28, 1925, the son of the late Jesse and Margaret (Silveria) Marshall and was a graduate of Peabody High School in 1942.

He was a distinguished veteran, entering  the U.S. Army in 1943, serving with the  the 82nd  Airborne Division. He was in the Invasion of Normandy, France as a glider, was the recipient of the Purple Heart and later received the French Legion Medal of Honor from the government of France.

Upon his discharge, he was first employed at the Trimont Leather Co., Peabody before entering the Peabody Fire Department. He served with the department for over 30 years until his retirement in 1988. Lenny was a cook there and all the firemen enjoyed his famous fish chowder and his chili. He was very active in the formation of Our Lady of Fatima Church and served on various committees and also helped cook at the different events. He had been a member and past commander of the Portuguese-American War Veterans Post 1 of Peabody, the Holy Ghost Society, the VFW Post 1011 and the Leo Council Knights of Columbus all of Peabody.

He is survived by his wife, Francelina, a son and daughter-in-law Leonard and Cynthia Marshall, a daughter and son-in-law, Patricia and Jose Silva, all of Danvers, a sister and brother-in-law, Dolores and Joe Silva of Peabody, a sister-in-law Judy Marshall of Salem, his four grandchildren: Kristen and her husband Joe DeBernardo, Jonathan and Amanda Silva, all of Danvers, and Bethany Marshall of Watertown, three great-grandchildren: Joseph, Thomas and Juliana DeBernardo of Danvers, and several nieces and nephews. He was the brother of the late Joseph Marshall.

The Marshall family would like to thank the third floor staff of the Peabody Glen Nursing Center for all the kindness and excellent care they extended to Lenny and his family.

A visitation will be held on  Wednesday from 4-8 p.m. from the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home at the 82 Lynn St., Peabody facility. His funeral will be held on Thursday at 9 a.m. from the funeral home followed by a funeral Mass in Our Lady of Fatima Church, Walsh Ave., Peabody at 10 a.m. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472 in his memory.