Marshall Chester Francis

Marshall Chester Francis, passed away peacefully on May 4, 2025 at Paradigm at the Brazos Nursing and Rehabilitation at the age of 75. He was a beloved Husband, Father, Brother, Uncle, Grandfather, Friend, and Pillar of the Community of Wharton. He will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, adventurous spirit, and passion for the town he called home.

He was born in Emporia, Kansas on September 23, 1949 to Chester and Mattie Mae Francis. He and his family moved to Wharton when he was around 5 years old. As a tenacious young man, he worked at his father’s dinette, where he first cultivated his aptitude for business and began to dream of starting his own enterprise. He was personable, generous, knew how to make people laugh and went on to make many lifelong friends. He graduated from Wharton High School and went on to attend Texas A&I University in Kingsville. He returned to Wharton to work with his father. They were kept busy with various business ventures, including a robotic car wash. He was ahead of many trends in this way, and later went on to establish the first climate-controlled storage facilities in Wharton. He built his self-service carwash in 1971. Wharton would be where he later met his wife at a Halloween costume party. He was married to Carolyn Elizabeth Schubert on March 23, 1991. They spent many wonderful years together, often traveling the country and all corners of our great state. He was a man of faith and an active member of several local service groups and organizations throughout his later years, including his time as President of The Wharton Economic Development Corporation, Board Member of The 100 Club of Wharton County, Maintenance Board of First United Methodist Church of Wharton, and a member of The Wharton Chamber of Commerce. He enjoyed many hobbies including: hunting, fishing, traveling, sport shooting, gardening, listening to country music, and spending time with animals. He was an avid supporter of SPOT and the FFA.

A visitation will be held at Wharton Funeral Home on May 13, 2025 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A celebration of his life will be held at First United Methodist Church of Wharton on May 14, 2025 at 10:30 a.m.

He is preceded in death by his father and mother Chester and Mattie Francis, his aunts Lou Grissom and Olivan Storey, uncles John, Edward, George, and Mack Meadows and his brother-in-law Herbie Dittmar.

He is survived by his wife Carolyn Francis, daughter Heather Francis, and son Shawn Bishop, granddaughter Jamonique Florence, sister Laura Dittmar, and nephews Wesley, Aaron, Steven and his wife Theresa Dittmar, and his great-nephews Dakota, Rylee, and Thomas, and many special life-long friends.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in his honor to SPOT, the First United Methodist Church of Wharton, or The 100 Club of Wharton County would be greatly appreciated.

Funeral services are under the direct supervision of Wharton Funeral Home. Condolences may be left at whartonfuneralhome.com