Marshall Allan Poole, 74, passed away surrounded by family on Sunday, January 21, 2024, in Loveland, Colorado. Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 2024 at Bethany Lutheran Church, located at 903 25 Road, Axtell, Nebraska, with Rev. Marcia Dorn officiating. The service will be streamed to the funeral home's Facebook page. Private family interment will be held prior to services at the Bethany Lutheran Cemetery, west of the church. Visitation and memorial book signing with family present will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at Craig Funeral Home, located at 336 N. Nebraska Avenue in Minden, Nebraska. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Marshall's honor are kindly suggested to Bethany Lutheran Church, 903 25 Road, Axtell, NE 68924 or Canyon Home Care & Hospice, 4850 Hahns Peak Dr., Ste. 100, Loveland, CO 80538.
Marshall was born on May 15, 1949 in Kearney, Nebraska to (Gail) Warren Poole and Helen Maxine (Biber) Poole. He grew up in Kimball, Nebraska and graduated from Kimball County High School in 1967.
Marshall moved from Kimball to Saugus, California upon being accepted into a four-year apprenticeship program with Lockheed Aircraft Company. Following completion of the apprenticeship in 1971, Marshall attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, majoring in Wildlife Biology, and minoring in Zoology and Vocational Agriculture. He graduated from UNL in 1975.
On July 12, 1969, Marshall was united in marriage to Jean Marie Olson at Bethany Lutheran Church in Axtell, Nebraska, where he was a member until his death. To this union, two children were born: Jocelyn Poole and Lauren (Poole) Kolowski. The family made their home in Axtell, Nebraska, living on Jeanie's paternal grandfather's farmstead where Marshall spent many hours remodeling the house and planting trees. It was his favorite place to be.
While working in the engineering departments at Becton-Dickinson and Allmand Brothers in Holdrege, Nebraska, Marshall enjoyed designing tools and machines. Even at home, Marshall never stopped tinkering, fixing the family vehicles and making many custom improvements around the farmstead. Marshall could usually be found in his workshop making his various creations, often from all types of scrap metal and other materials that he couldn't throw away.
Marshall was widely respected as a square dance caller, calling across Nebraska and the surrounding states. His singing voice was strong and smooth, earning him many compliments. One of his special talents was to develop complex yet graceful choreography on the fly. It was always a fun challenge to keep up with Marshall's calls. In quiet moments, he loved to play his guitar and banjo. His musical influence on his daughters and grandchildren is still evident today. Marshall also enjoyed spending time outdoors, fishing, hunting, camping, and four-wheeling. Among his greatest joys was snorkeling with his family in Hawaii.
Marshall was preceded in death by his parents, Warren and Helen Poole, and his in-laws, Carl and Dorinda (Danielson) Olson.
Those left to celebrate his life include his wife, Jeanie Poole, now residing in Loveland, Colorado, his daughters Jocelyn Poole of Fort Collins, CO, and Lauren (Poole) Kolowski of Loveland, CO and her husband David and children Owen and Gwenyth. Marshall is also survived by two brothers, Dennis Poole and his wife Connie of Encampment, WY and Robert Poole and his wife Carole of Sunnyvale, CA, along with one niece, Robin Blubaugh and five nephews, Tom Poole, Matthew Poole, Rob Poole, Aaron Poole and Tim Poole and families.
A special thank you to Craig Funeral Home in Minden, Nebraska for being in charge of the arrangements. Tributes and memories can be shared with the family at
www.craigfunerals.com
.