Marlin F. Gillespie

Marlin Gillespie passed away on Tuesday morning, July 21, 2015, at his home in Holbrook. A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 o'clock on Friday, July 24 at Owens Livingston Mortuary in Holbrook. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, at the Holbrook Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Burial will follow in the Holbrook Cemetery. He was born July 8, 1934, to Ellis Lane and Edna Gillespie, the 11th of their 12 children. Marlin married Joni Essig on Feb. 6, 1959, and they had four children, Bill, Sissy, Shelley and Bobby. He was a U.S. Navy veteran, serving during the Korean War, and was a 59-year member of the American Legion. Marlin worked for the Navajo County Sheriff's Office for 28½ years, beginning as a deputy sheriff in 1957 and retiring in 1985 after 12 years as sheriff. He also served a term on the Holbrook City Council and was a member of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors for 11 years. He was a charter member of the Holbrook Painted Desert Kiwanis Club and Holbrook Elks Lodge No. 2450, a lifetime member of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Navajo County Sheriff's Hashknife Posse, a founder and secretary of the Holbrook Emergency Food Bank for 35 years, a founder of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Navajo County, co-founder of the Holbrook Interfaith Council with Father Lawrence O'Keefe, a member and past president of the Navajo County Historical Society, and a member of the Holbrook Senior Center Board of Directors, the Navajo County Juvenile Detention Chaplaincy Program, the Navajo County Jail Committee, Salvation Army of Holbrook, Holbrook Festival of Trees Committee, the Arizona Court of Appeals Commission, the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission and the Little Colorado Medical Center Board of Directors. He was honored as Holbrook's Man of the Year in 1989 and 1999, and received the Joy Nevin Lifetime Service Award in 2006 and The Tribune-News Lifetime of Service Award on July 11, 2015. Marlin truly had a servant's heart, and is missed by all who knew him. He loved spending time with his family, camping, fishing, hunting, motorcycling the country with his wife Joni and giving service to his community. Survivors include his beloved wife, Joni Gillespie of Holbrook; his son, Bill Gillespie and his wife, Karen of Heber City, Utah; his daughter, Shelley Moore and her husband, Ken of Overgaard; his sister, Martha Rose Baca of White Mountain Lake; 10 grandchildren, Brian (TyAnn) Dowdy, Brandon (Stacy) Gillespie, Chad (Kim) Gillespie, Kyle (Erin) Dowdy, Megan (Randon) Matthews, Katrina (Bill) Cotten, Delaina (Braden) Price, Shelley (Brian) Reis, Shannon McQueen and Christopher (Trista) Moore; 22 great-grandchildren; and many extended family members. He was preceded in death by his son, Robert "Bobby" Gillespie; his daughter, Elaine "Sissy" Gillespie McQueen; his parents; and 10 siblings. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Marlin's name to First Step Workshop, 210 Third Ave., Holbrook, Ariz. 86025; Painted Desert Kiwanis Club, P.O. Box 253, Holbrook; or Holbrook Emergency Food Bank, P.O. Box 580, Holbrook. Services handled by Owens Livingston Mortuary ~ Holbrook.