Charles E. Marsh, Jr., lifelong horseman
Charlie Marsh Jr., 75, passed from this life to glory Monday, Jan. 29, 2024, following a long battle with cancer. Charlie was a Beebe Baby and 1966 graduate of Rehoboth High School, where he was No. 34 on the football team. Like all the boys at that small school, he played every sport. One of nine children born to Charles and Virginia (nee Dickerson) Marsh, Charlie grew up in a home on Rehoboth Avenue Extended, across the street from his grandparents, Peter and Hettie Jane (nee Paynter) Marsh. Sadly, those folks and their homes are gone, but they are lovingly remembered.
Charlie and his brothers and sisters are descendants of the golden cross of Sussex County ancestry; that is, the blending of the Marsh and Paynter families. In the mid-1600s, Paul Marsh and Richard Paynter traveled from England to eastern Sussex County, where they became the progenitors of these two powerhouse families, who have remained in the Lewes/Rehoboth area for more than 350 years, including the 26th governor of Delaware Samuel Paynter.
Charlie had a passion for horses and spent his life driving and training harness horses. He started driving for his father's stable while still in his teens, in Delaware and as far away as New York State and New England. He attended Brandywine College and served as a detective on the Rehoboth Beach Police force. Later, he was a trainer for Jay Prettyman's Sea Star Stables, earning track records and numerous stakes races in Delaware and Maryland. Then, Charlie established his own stable, working out of the family farm located adjacent to Jungle Jim's off Rt. 1, racing in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. His career reached its pinnacle between 1986 and 1991, during which time he trained several of the top racehorses in the country, including Happy Affair, who won a heat of The Little Brown Jug and successfully raced on the Grand Circuit.
In 1992, Charlie leased Angler's Restaurant on Lewes Canal, which he renovated and operated successfully, and then sold to Irish Eyes. He also managed Shawnee Country Club's food service, and worked for purveyors, Holt Paper Co. and Wagner Food Service. Throughout this period, he continued to raise, train and race his stable of racehorses. Charlie served several terms on the board of directors of the Delaware Standardbred Owners Association and was a member of the United States Trotting Association and Sons of the American Legion Post 17 at Lewes Beach.
Additionally, the Marsh family has been operating Charley's Christmas Trees for more than 40 years, first at the Rehoboth Avenue Extended property, then at the Kmart Garden Center, and currently at Jungle Jim’s. Customers have long enjoyed dealing with Charlie Sr. and Jr., and now with the younger generations.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Bill; and sister, Jeanne. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Leslie; brothers, Bo, Steve and Jeff; sisters, Bonnie Cunningham, Barbara Huber and Wendy Marsh; and half-sister, Charlene. He loved and will be missed by 18 nieces and nephews, and 20 grand-nieces and -nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, Feb. 9, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Rehoboth Beach, followed by interment at the Marsh Family Cemetery, Kings Creek Country Club, Rehoboth.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at shortfuneralservicesandcremation.com.
Arrangements in the care of Short Funeral Services, Milton.
