Riley Marshall Brashier

Riley Marshall Brashier, 79, of Moss Hill, Texas, passed away Sunday, April 3, 2022, at Nexus Specialty Hospital in Shenandoah, Texas, surrounded by family members.

He was born on Saturday, Nov. 28, 1942, in Liberty, Texas, to Owen Riley Brashier and Ollie Irene (Henry) Brashier, both of whom have preceded him in death.

Marshall died holding the hand of the love of his life, his wife of 60 years, Dorothy Jones Brashier, with his daughters and family members singing to him.

As his soul left his body, family members were singing “It Is Well With My Soul.” As they reached the phrase “Let go, my soul, and trust in Him,” his eyes, which had been closed for days, suddenly opened as he saw the face of God. His cousin, who was singing with them, saw his countenance change as his soul departed for Heaven.

Marshall, known as “Bo” by his two sisters, was reared in Liberty and attended Liberty ISD schools. At the age of 12, he began working for LaFour Minimax Grocery Store in Liberty. After school, he would run home, quickly visit with his parents, and then make the one-mile trek back to the grocery store to work his shift.

As a young man, he learned to be a butcher and continued working in that capacity for the Minimax store. He later owned a meat market in Hardin where he was known for serving up the best barbecue sandwiches and hamburgers.

Marshall completed courses at an electronics vocational school at Lee College in Baytown, and owned a television repair and satellite installation business in Moss Hill for a number of years.

In the 1980s, Marshall changed careers and became an instrumentation technician for the oil industry. At the time of his retirement, he was an instrumentation technician for Cameron Controls in Houston.

Marshall met his wife, Dorothy, when they were in their teens. The couple was set up to meet at Walker’s Café in Liberty by Dorothy’s cousin. For him, it was love at first sight. For her, love came a short time later.

Not only was Marshall loved by Dorothy, her parents – Lester and Stella Jones – accepted him as one of their own. Dorothy says she believes her parents loved him as much as their own children.

Dorothy’s brother, Alton Jones, of Moss Hill, was like a brother to him throughout their lives, enjoying Sunday meal leftovers on Mondays and Marshall’s cooking on the other weekdays. The two men argued at times but loved each other fiercely. They would sit across from each other in the living room and play word games on their tablets, competing to see who could win the most games. When they were stumped on their games, they would hand their tablets to Marshall’s daughter Vanesa to fill in the missing words and letters.

The good-natured competition extended to the way they completed tasks around the family compound in Moss Hill, where 28 family members live among the adjoined 40 acres. When there was an outdoor task that involved their tractors, the men would compete to see who could do the best at the task at hand, occasionally horrifying family members who feared they would crash their tractors.

Marshall was known for calling his family members on Saturday mornings to let them know he had breakfast ready, including biscuits and gravy. He loved the notion that his biscuits were better than his daughter Stephanie’s, and they often were.

When the couple’s three daughters were young, the Brashier home became “the place” for church kids and school kids to hang out, a tradition that continues today. Even until he was in his late 40s and 50s, Marshall was frequently challenged to wrestling matches by his daughters’ friends, and he never lost a match. He owned a fireworks stand when his daughters were teens, so bottle rocket fights using PVC pipe as launchers were common.

He had a knack for making all of his daughters feel like they were his favorite, a sentiment shared by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Everyone felt like they were his favorite.

Marshall had a great singing voice and used to sing in a church quartet with his wife, brother-in-law Alton, and sister-in-law Elaine. He was a Sunday School teacher for a number of years.

He and his brother-in-law Alton also shared leadership of a Little League baseball team in the 1970s.

In addition to spending time with his family, Marshall enjoyed fishing and hunting. His greatest enjoyment came from feeding the large groups of people who frequently gathered at his home. For him, the more people, the better.

He is preceded in death by his parents, sisters, Owen Delores Brashier and Ruby Maxine Howard, mother-in-law Stella McCreight Jones, father-in-law Lester Alton Jones, sister-in-law Elaine Jones and brother-in-law, Joseph E. “Woody” Howard.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Dorothy Jones Brashier, daughters Angie Sumrall, Vanesa Brashier and husband John McCulloch, and Stephanie Clenney and husband Daryl Clenney; grandchildren, Ashlee Williams and husband Chris, Matthew Brashier and wife Dana, Jayda Lott and husband David, Sierra Chadwick and husband John, Kaitlyn Clenney, Alexia McCulloch and Zackary Clenney; 12 great grandchildren, Garrett Snyder, David “Trey” Lott, Kaden Brashier, Kyle Lott, Kinley Brashier, Cole Snyder, Ainslee Williams, Tyler Lott, Leah Brightwell, Kolston Brashier, Kaitley Brashier and Everlee Williams; brother-in-law, Alton Eugene Jones, uncle, Marlon Henry, along with numerous other loving family members and treasured friends.

Visitation for Marshall will be Wednesday, April 6, 2022, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Moss Hill United Pentecostal Church. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022, at 11 a.m. at Moss Hill United Pentecostal Church. Interment for Marshall will immediately follow after at Guedry Cemetery in Batson, Texas. He will be buried alongside his parents, in-laws and sister-in-law.