Ellen Marshall, Utah's "Honorable Kentucky Colonel" and longtime lunchroom manager at the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune, died Sunday, March 12, 2000, 10 days shy of her 94th birthday.
Mrs. Marshall, born in Hopkinsville, Ky., on March 22, 1906, was a downtown legend. She quietly broke several racial barriers during her 50 years in Salt Lake City, where she was hired by ZCMI in the days when the store had a policy of not hiring blacks.Mrs. Marshall and her husband, Theodore, moved to Salt Lake as newlyweds in 1950. He worked as head waiter at the Hotel Utah until his death in 1983. Mrs. Marshall also worked at the Hotel Utah and Makoff's.
In 1985, Mrs. Marshall was honored as an "Honorable Kentucky Colonel" by the governor of Kentucky for her record of perfect attendance at the Kentucky Derby. She traveled from Utah to Louisville each year for 49 years to attend the race. For years before that she also traveled to the Derby from her home in French Lick, Ind. In French Lick she worked at the town's resort, where she became friends with boxer Joe Louis, who later became world heavyweight champion.
Mrs. Marshall was a member of the United Methodist Church, where she served as an usher. She was also a life member of the NAACP, the Optimist Club and the Order of the Eastern Star Chapter No. 2, a past Grand Worthy Matron of the Colorado Jurisdiction.
Services will be held at noon Friday, March 17, at the United Methodist Church, 203 S. 200 East. Friends may call Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Evans and Early Mortuary, 574 E. 100 South, and Friday one hour prior to services at the church. Burial will be at Mount Olivet Cemetery.