A precast industry icon who left a lasting mark on NPCA’s Production & Quality School passed away Saturday. The NPCA family mourns the loss of Mel C. Marshall, a mentor and teacher to so many.
Mel had more than 60 years of experience in the concrete pipe and precast industries and served on the committees of standards associations, including ASTM and CSA. He began Mel C. Marshall Industrial Consultants Inc. in 1980 as a consulting company to the concrete industry, sharing his expansive knowledge with customers in Canada and the United States.
Among his many accolades, Mel was the Robert E. Yoakum Award winner in 2007 and was one of the original designers of the Production & Quality School courses. In a 2022 interview for Precast Inc. magazine, Mel discussed his love for teaching and the fun he’d had being involved with PQS I, which he had taught since the mid-1990s.
“I love the connection it gives me with people,” Mel said. “I try to mentor the younger generations in any way that I can. They all know that I am there for them. … We are never too old to learn something new, and that is always fun and encouraging and exciting to me. I don’t pretend to know everything. I just love the challenge of working together with people.”
“We have lost a husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. And one hell of a human being,” Mel’s son Braden shared in a statement from the family. “This is a very difficult time for all of us but, somehow, we will get through it. My Dad wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Celebration of Life
A Celebration of Life is planned for Mel Marshall on Sunday, May 5, at the Tsawwassen Springs Ballroom, 5133 Springs Blvd., Delta, B.C.
Drinks and appetizers will begin at 1 p.m. Pacific, followed by speeches and tributes at 2 p.m. and food and socializing at 3:30 p.m.
Those wishing to attend are asked to RSVP here: https://pp.events/melmarshall
If you cannot attend in person, the event will be held virtually on Zoom.
There is also an option to send the family a note, picture or short video to share at the celebration.
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