David Lewis Marsh

November 10, 1938 - June 15, 2022

David Lewis Marsh of Winter Park, Florida, died Wednesday at Tampa General Hospital after a fall in Boca Grande on a trip with 25 members of his extended family. David was born to Virginia Lewis Marsh and George Carlton Marsh of Fort Meade, Florida, into a pioneer Florida family, as a sixth generation Floridian, growing up in the historic house his grandfather built, the W.H. Lewis House. He spent his childhood and teenage years exploring old Florida, riding his horse Ruby on all day trips through the pastures and woods surrounding the Peace River. He matriculated at Emory University, graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts in History, where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. During his life, David worked across several fields, most notably as a stock broker for Merrill Lynch and for Dixie Textile, where he traveled the state representing the company. He also served in the National Guard Reserve, Fort Sill, OK. In 1969, David met his partner of 53 years, Kenneth J. Hanson. They established their life together in 1970 in Winter Park, and in the years that followed, built a meaningful portfolio of real estate holdings in the area. In 2008, David was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, a diagnosis that did little to slow down his love of travel and spending time with family and friends. Even as the disease progressed, David traveled the world, visiting virtually every continent, often making additional stops to see good friends met throughout his lifetime of travel. His signature phrase when asked how he was doing was “I’m still kicking.” David was faithfully cared for until his last day by his partner, Kenneth, and notably his nephew, Michael Marsh, who became his full-time caregiver, travel companion and manager of the family’s real estate portfolio. David’s final few days were spent on vacation with his extended family in Boca Grande, enjoying nightly family dinners and fellowship, as a proud uncle and granduncle. David is survived by his partner, Kenneth J. Hanson; his brother, Jim Carlton Marsh (Annette) of Fort Meade; sister, Susan Marsh Willis (Waite) of Lakeland; brother-in-law, Ralph Victor Hanson, Jr., (Sharon) of Fishkill, NY; nephews and nieces, Michael James Marsh of Winter Park, Sarah Marsh Berth (Larry) of Sparta, NC, Susannah Willis Mathews (Russell) of Tampa, Warren Waite Willis, III, (Karly) of Windermere, Patrick Carlton Willis (Florrie) of Tampa, and Ralph William Hanson (Beth Ann) of Fishkill, NY; and thirteen grand-nieces and grand-nephews. He is further survived by his second cousin, Edith “Evon” Streetman of Gainesville, with whom he shared a lifelong friendship. Services will be held on Saturday, July 2, 2022, at 11:00am at DeGusipe Funeral Home, Maitland Chapel, with a reception to follow at noon. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in David's honor to the Parkinson's Association of Central Florida at http://www.parkinsoncf.org. The family of David Lewis Marsh invites you to leave a message of condolence on the Tribute Wall created in his loving memory.