Colonel Norman Stephen Marshall retired on July 1, 2011.

Col. Norman S. Marshall, divisional commander of The Salvation Army for more than 12 years, is retiring July 1, after 45 years.

“I’ll miss being a big part of community-impacting projects,” he said.

It was only natural for Marshall to work for The Salvation Army — he comes from a long line of Salvation Army commanders.

His parents served as national commanders of The Salvation Army of the United States from 1982 to 1986. His grandparents, both maternal and paternal, worked in the same role from 1957 to 1963.

“The Salvation Army is a Christian organization; we see it as God’s calling on your life,” Marshall said.

The divisional commander is responsible for more than 100 centers of operation and more than 1,000 employees.

The division serves about 9,000 meals a week in Detroit alone.

“I very much like The Salvation Army’s holistic approach to helping people,” Marshall said. “We take care of their temporal needs and we also take care of their spiritual needs and I really buy into that approach.”

Marshall completed his undergraduate studies at Indiana University. He returned to school and received his first master’s degree from George Williams College and a second from Loyola University. He started working for The Salvation Army in 1966 immediately after finishing his college career.

His tenure has been multifaceted.

“It’s been a pretty exciting run with a lot of varied experiences — Cabrini Green in Chicago, Ghana, etc.,” he said.

Some of his earliest ventures included working on inner-city projects in Indianapolis and in Chicago. Later he worked as a youth secretary in Missouri, before he became the assistant head of the division.

When he moved to Michigan, he was appointed general secretary of the eastern division, and when his predecessor retired, he took on the role of divisional commander.

Marshall’s career achievements include his contribution to capital improvements of more than $30 million, new corporate community centers across Michigan, the remodeling and development of centers of operation and increasing funding based on marketing campaigns.

Marshall has been married to his wife Diane since 1974, and they just recently celebrated their 37th anniversary.

They have four children — Ryan, 34, Heidi, 32, Sean, 30 and Todd, 28.

Royal Oak Tribune, July 9, 2011 ====External==== * Commander of Michigan Salvation Army Division Retiring