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| Katherine Emily Cannell, fourth child of Robert S. Cannell and Gertrude Cannell, was born on April 15, 1910, in Bishop, California. Katherine moved with her family to Inglewood, CA, and then to Simi, CA where she graduated from Simi Valley High School in 1927. (PHOTO 1) |
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| Katherine married John Creston Marshall on August 12, 1936 in Forest Grove, Oregon. (2, 3) Early in their marriage they lived in Carlton, OR for a short time before settling in a modest home constructed on two acres gifted to them by Katherine’s father from the Cannell family property on Curtis Ave., Forest Grove, OR. |
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Katherine and Creston lived in Forest Grove until 1948 when they moved to Vancouver, Washington where Creston was employed by the Clark County Public Utility District. The move to Vancouver remained memorable in the minds of the family members, not only because of the break from the Forest Grove orientation, but also because 1948 was the year of the great Columbia River flood. This flood destroyed the community of Vanport on the Oregon side, and the flood waters extended northward on the Washington side to encircle the PUD building on 5th St. where Creston worked.  Encountering a tight housing market in Vancouver, Katherine and Creston rented a house on Cameron Ave south of the current Minnehaha Grade School. The next year they purchased a small home located at 4723 Beveridge Ave. The address of the home was later changed to 4913 NE 18th Ave. (6)
The home was located on a large lot on the crest of Beveridge Ave. The size of the property provided space on the north for a ball field for the boys, and ample space for a highly productive vegetable garden which Katherine tended religiously. Katherine also planted flowers and shrubs around the house. Among which sweet peas were her favorite because of their bright color and delicate fragrance.On the southern slope of the lot Katherine planted a major rose garden which was a source of pride and joy, and an expression of her sense of beauty. The rose garden provided bouquets for home, church, family members, and friends, as well as for a number of nursing homes to which she delivered on a regular basis. It is ironic that late in her life she would suffer a heat stroke while working in the rose garden on a hot summer day leading to a move from her home to foster care. Although the Beveridge Ave. home was small in square footage, the size of the lot, the southern exposure with it 180 degree vista, the flowering trees and shrubs provided a hospitable environment for family members and visitors.
Inside the Beveridge Ave. home was a home of warmth, a home of good food, a home of music, and a home of love. This special place remains a tribute to its occupants, an expression of their commitment to family, to their respect for nature, and to their belief in living an active and joyous life. The essence of the home will always remain in the minds of the children and grandchildren.
Katherine was never happier than preparing for and hosting family gatherings. Such gatherings, sometimes involving 17 or more in number, stretched the capacity of the home to the fullest. (7) Nevertheless, all were seated at the table to partake of a delicious meal many hours in the making from the small kitchen.
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The site is also remembered fondly by the grandchildren for the annual Easter egg hunt lovingly prepared for by grandma and is remembered by the boys as a meeting place for vigorous athletic activity including long-lasting football, baseball and basketball games. Among the notable competitions was the Thanksgiving day football game (better described as mud-ball game) involving John, Richard, cousin Jim Cannell, and neighborhood friends. The game was also joined by Uncle Ed (Edwin Schoolcraft) who much to the chagrin of his wife Zoe, would end up about as dirty as the rest. In response Katherine would only shake her head and manage a wry smile.
Katherine and Creston participated as a couple in most activities and projects they undertook in the community. They are fondly remembered by Vancouver residents for the integrity with which they lived their lives, for their service to others, and for their efforts at community betterment. They viewed themselves as blessed, with a corresponding responsibility to aid others and help build the community in which they lived. They were active members of the First Methodist Church where they maintained a program of tithing and support for a wide range of church programs. Both sang in the church choir; Katherine taught Sunday school; Creston helped wire the church and was the on-call electrician for both the church and parsonage; and together they participated in visits to ailing members of the congregation and to nursing homes. 
Katherine and Creston were also involved with a number of community projects which they supported generously with their time and energy. This participation was fueled by interest and commitment and they were initiators or co-generative sponsors of a number of projects including the development of a bell choir at the church; the formation of the Westwinds Community Band which performed on a regular basis and for special occasions; the planting of trees on the Clark College campus; and the construction of a telescope now located in an observatory in Goldendale, WA. They also spent many days as volunteers working on the development of Camp McGruder, a Methodist Church camp, located near Barview on the Oregon coast.
After Creston’s death on March 9, 1984 Katherine continued to live in the Beveridge Ave. home until, sadly, failing health required her to be relocated in foster care and subsequently to a nursing home where she died on April 7, 1997. At the time of her death Katherine’s sons John and Richard Marshall were both living. She had seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Grandchildren:
(John): Kaisa Suzanne 1/4/60, John Steven 4/18/62, Robert James 11/3/64, and Steven James 8/1/70 (Richard): Catherine Elaine 7/3/63, Erika Louise 1/12/66, Richard Creston 1/8/67
Great-Grandchildren:
(John Steven): Kaisa Kristine 5/1/93, Kara Miller 10/8/94
(Richard Creston): Josey Lynn 3/6/92, Carly Jane 10/11/95
(Catherine Elaine Blackwell): Mariah Ann 6/26/92
Katherine’s life was a life well lived. She lived as she thought she should and her focus on others stamped an imprint on the lives of her children and grandchildren.
The following tribute to his mother was written by her son John on the occasion of a memorial service held in her honor on April 12, 1997 at the First United Methodist Church, 401 E 33rd St. Vancouver, WA. |
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KATHERINE MARSHALL
1910-1997
A Woman of Grace and Beauty
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Characterization
Average physical strength tending toward fair and delicate
Razor sharp mind with a tremendous memory
Excelled at rules of grammar in English and Spanish
Able to recite poems, prayers, verses, psalms, hymns, parables
Remembered birthdays, anniversaries and important dates
Precise in record keeping and accounting
Possessed of a quality of grace and unsophisticated elegance
A marvelous countenance with a wonderful smile
A radiance expressive of inner unity and faith
A remarkable woman of steadfast determination and strength of will
Belief
A loving woman who believed –
We are children of God
We should strive to live accordingly (Golden Rule)
Love surmounts all
Love is the manifestation of faith and belief
Family is central to living
We should all take time for others A giving woman who believed –
Contributing to the well-being of others is important
Bringing people together is important
Caring for others is important
Giving is important
Sharing is important
A committed woman who believed –
We are on earth for a purpose
Actions speak louder than words
Work is dignified
You will reap what you sow
A disciplined woman who believed –
Time should not be wasted
Wasting is sinful
Saving is important
Thrift is a virtue
A proud person who believed –
Character and behavior are important
Keeping your word is important
Being reliable and on time is important
Speaking well is important
Manners are important
Accomplishment and becoming accomplished is important
Possessions, wealth and notoriety are of lesser importance
Arrogance is a sin
A Gift of Life
Katherine Marshall blessed the world with love and caring which testified to her belief that we are children of God and should honor his world with our lives. The radiance of her smile, the depth of her caring, and the essence of her being will remain in all those enveloped by the strength of her unconditional love. She was a woman of grace and beauty.
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