Marshall Van Winkle III passed peacefully Feb. 3, 2022. He was born in 1931 in Englewood and attended Rumson Country Day School, to which he was a lifelong donor.
Marshall loved being on the water and as a young man he raced Jersey Speed Skiffs throughout New Jersey and the eastern U.S. From 1951 to 1954, Marshall served the country in the United States Coast Guard.
In 1952 he married Sheila (Ennis) Van Winkle and they raised five children together. Mark (deceased), John (deceased), Peter Van Winkle of Stuart, Florida, Wendy (Flint) of Corpus Christi Texas, and Marsha (Warner) of Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
Marshall was married to Helen (Lindemann) in 1977 and after her passing was married to Brenda (Barnette) in 1999 until her passing in 2021.
He was an entrepreneur who owned five businesses in his lifetime including Van Winkle Marine in Eatontown. Marshall moved to New Bern, North Carolina in 1980.
To say that Marshall was an avid antique car enthusiast and collector of just about everything would be an understatement. In 1951, Marshall purchased his pride and joy, the 1924 Tudor Sedan Model T Ford. His Model T is the most awarded car of any car class in the history of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA), having won an unprecedented 165 Preservation Awards. It also received a 1st Grand National Award, a total of nine Senior Grand Nationals, and a National Award as the top car in its class in the country. This was his lifelong passion, not just for the cars, but for the friends that he cherished who are too numerous to mention.
Marshall was a member of the AACA, the Holland Society of NY, the North Shore Antique Club in New Jersey, and the NC Region of AACA. In 1992, he was a founding member of the First Capital Antique Auto Club in New Bern. The Marshall Van Winkle Automotive Systems Technology Scholarship was established in his name at Craven County Community College.
Marshall was past Commodore of the Long Branch Iceboat & Yacht Club and was a life member.
Marshall will be missed by his brother Bill Van Winkle of Little Silver, his children, stepchildren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren as well as a multitude of friends who enjoyed his stories, jokes and friendship.
His memorial service was held Feb. 15 at Spring Hope FWB Church, New Bern. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Spring Hope FWB Church or the First Capital Antique Auto Club of New Bern.
Arrangements by Bryant Funeral Home & Cremations, Alliance, North Carolina.
The article originally appeared in the February 17 – 23, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
