United States Army Col. James T. Marston (Retired), of Social Circle, passed away Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, at 76 years of age. Col. Marston proudly served his country, for 37 years before retiring as Colonel in the Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve.
He was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Covington, where he taught Sunday school for many years. An amateur radio enthusiast, Col. Marston served as president of his local amateur radio association and was a troop leader for the Boy Scouts of America. In addition, he was a telecommunications engineer for AT&T, Hewlett-Packard and Agilent Technologies. Among his many career highlights, he played a pivotal part in establishing satellite networks for the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta. He loved spending time with his wife, Diane, traveling to many places such as Scotland, Alaska and Hawaii; and throughout his life, he was privileged to have visited all 50 states. Col. Marston was a proud member of the National Rifle Association and enjoyed target shooting. He cherished the time spent with his children and grandchildren; and his tender-hearted nature was transparent in his love for animals – especially cats. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Mildred Marston.
Survivors include his adoring wife, Diane Marston; daughters and sons-in-law, Melanie and Andrew Wills, Sheryl and Philip Wait, Jamie and Frank Heinz; son and daughter-in-law, Brian and Karolina Marston; grandchildren, Sebastian Marston, Josephine Marston, Edward Wait, Lucy Wait, Bonnie Wait, Caroline Wills, Michael Wills, Natalie Wills, Lauren Hiller, Lindsay Morgan, Andrew Heinz; mother-in-law, Maggie Harrison.
A Funeral Service for Col. Marston, with full military honors, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 30 at the Chapel of Caldwell & Cowan Funeral Home, 1215 Access Road, in Covington, with Dr. Cody McNutt officiating and interment followed in Lawnwood Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Newton County Humane Society, P.O. Box 2536, Covington, GA 30015.
