Dorothy (née Smith) Marshall was born June 28, 1917, in Huntingdon, Tennessee, and died peacefully at the tender age of 100 years on Wednesday, March 28, 2018, at the Village North Skilled Nursing Facility in St. Louis.
She was one of three children born to Leona (née Randle) Smith, who worked in private service as a domestic until she was 82 years old, and James Garfield Smith Sr., who worked as a butler and chauffeur. The family moved to St. Louis when Dorothy was a young child. Her siblings, James Garfield Smith Jr. (the eldest son) and Allen Smith (the youngest), as well as her parents, preceded her in death.
Educated in St. Louis public schools, Dorothy Smith graduated from Vashon High School in 1936. She was baptized at the First Baptist Church at Cardinal and Bell avenues in St. Louis, where she served as an usher. She was the first African-American woman to work as front desk receptionist and switchboard operator at The Scottish Tower Hotel, from where she retired after 28 years.
An avid reader, jazz enthusiast and crosswords puzzle hobbyist, she married baseball legend Quincy Thomas Trouppe Sr. in 1938, and from that union two sons were born: poet, author, and university professor emeritus, Quincy Thomas Troupe Jr. of New York, and former jazz drummer-turned minister, Pastor Timothy Troupe, of St. Louis, who also preceded her in death.
A brief marriage to China Brown ended in divorce, and Dorothy married Charles Marshall, with whom she raised an eight-year-old daughter, Janet Maria Freeman (née Marshall), now a retired surgical nurse from Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
Dorothy Marshall is survived by her son, Quincy (Margaret) Troupe Jr. of New York; daughter, Janet (Jimmy) Freeman of St. Louis; grandchildren: Karmen Brock (St. Louis), Yamila Troupe (St. Louis), Quincy Brandon (Jessica) Troupe (Montclair, NJ), Porter Troupe (New York & Portland, OR), Alexander Freeman (St Louis); great-grandchildren: Kourtney, Zariah, Crystal, Jonathan, Samuel, Lillian, Andre, Trezhure, Amina, Zora, Ennis, and Jordan; nephews: Charles Quincy Troupe and Alvin (Phyllis) Troupe; nieces Betty and Donna; and a host of great-great-grandchildren, cousins, and other relatives.
A memorial service will be held Monday, April 9 at 11 a.m. at Eddie Randle & Sons Funeral Home, Inc., 4600 Natural Bridge Highway, St. Louis, MO 63115 (314-381-2400). In lieu of flowers, donations in the memory of Dorothy Marshall to the Alzheimer’s Association at 1-(800)-272-3900 or online at www.alz.org would be appreciated. Special thanks for the love and care given to Dorothy Marshall by all the staff at the Village North Skilled Nursing Facility, Bethesda and BJC Hospice.
