Tributes have been paid to a loving couple who passed away just six days apart. Anne and Bryan Frank Marshall died just a few days apart in January after over 65 "wonderful" years of marriage.
Loving parents to Dean and Sally, and cherished grandparents and great-grandparents, Bryan and Anne passed away at the ages of 87 and 86 respectively. They had known each other since they were school mates, but love blossomed as they reconnected as adults. They were delighted to celebrate their 65th anniversary last year, receiving a letter from Queen Elizabeth II.
Anne and Bryan grew up in Fairwater, Cardiff, and went to Herbert Thompson School, where they were taught in the same class. Speaking to the South Wales Echo as they celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2007, Anne remembered Bryan as "rather shy". After parting ways when they finished school, a chance encounter at a bus stop on Cowbridge Road East when they were 18 brought them together again.
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“He was at the bus stop,” she said. “He persuaded me to go to the cinema with him and I promised to go the next evening. From then on, we were never apart," Anne told the South Wales Echo. Two years later, the couple were engaged and married at Fairwater Presbyterian Church on June 1, 1957.
The pair moved from Canton to Belle Vue Crescent, Llandaff, for 20 years. They later lived in Heol Don, Whitchurch, for nearly 20 years before moving to Rockwood Road, Taff’s Well. They spent their final years together in Culverhouse Cross.
"A lot of their lives in Llandaff North, they played a big part [in the community]," their daughter, Sally, said. "Church was a big part of their lives. Dad was the group Scout leader for the Second Llandaff Scout Groups and mum was the badge secretary."
Anne belonged to what was previously known as the Young Wives in Llandaff North, and later became the Friday Club. "They had a big social life in Llandaff North and that continued when they moved to Whitchurch," Sally said. Bryan ran his own business for 40 years – South Wales Mobile Cine Services – while Anne worked as an usher in Cardiff Magistrates’ Court.
"They spent lots of time doing things for other people," Sally said of her parents. "A lot of that is reflected in the cards we've received. Everybody has said what lovely people they were, always doing things for others." The couple initially went to Christ Church in Llandaff North, which is no longer there, and then became members at the Llandaff North Methodist Church on Copleston Road.
"We've got loads of happy memories - family holidays, family outings. We've just got really lovely, happy family memories," Sally said. Anne and Bryan spent holidays with their children at the family caravan in Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire, eventually buying a holiday lodge there.
As Sally and Dean grew up, Anne and Bryan accompanied them on cruise holidays with their grandchildren, including one to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. The couple have received two letters from the Queen, one to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2007 and another celebrating their 65th anniversary in June last year.
Anne and Bryan idolised their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Sally said. "They were the best parents we could have ever wished for. We wouldn't change anything about them," she said. Bryan passed away on January 19 this year, with Anne following just six days later on January 25.
The couple's funeral service will be on Wednesday, February 15 at 10am at Coplestone Road Methodist Church, Llandaff North, followed by cremation at Wenallt Chapel, Thornhill. Family flowers only please. Donations if desired can be made to support Cancer Research Wales. Enquiries to Green Willow Funerals 02920 524200.
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