NATCHEZ — Memorial services for George Matthews Marshall IV, 84, formerly of Natchez and raised at Lansdowne Plantation, who died Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014, in Portland, Ore., will be at Lansdowne the week of Thanksgiving with the date to be announced later.

George received his undergraduate degree at Ole Miss, master’s from Vanderbilt and PhD from LSU.  He taught as an assistant professor at LSU and in his career as a speech pathologist and audiologist helped people of all ages improve their speech and hearing abilities.

George had a passion for language, dance and flying, among other interests. At one time he taught ballroom dance, had cultivated a tremendous vocabulary, piloted his own plane, and studied flamenco with Oscar Tarriba of Mexico. He loved rain and thunderstorms, the poetry of Robert Service and pondering the more vexing questions of science. A naturalist at heart, he was especially interested in the landscape and its inhabitants, espousing respect and kindness for all life.

George became a successful nationally and regionally ranked cyclist and was a long-term member of the Natchez Bicycle Club and the Baton Rouge Bicycle Club, often competing against and outracing riders many years younger.

Following his retirement to Natchez, George wrote letters on politics and conservation of the environment that were published in local, regional and national newspapers and written in an articulate and erudite style for which he was widely known. He was an eloquent writer and speaker.

Mr. George, as friends called him, was, and still is, a role model and hero to those who knew him. His subtle wit and self-effacing charm made him a major attraction of Lansdowne. George also had an honest and kind character. He was a true southern gentleman—a man of integrity, modesty, elegance and grace. He was an inspiration to us all and we are honored and grateful to have spent time in his company.

George was an excellent father and was beloved by his children. His passing is a great loss for the world. He will be deeply missed.

George was preceded in death by his parents, George Marshall and Margaret Marshall MacIlroy, and one brother, Neville Buck Marshall.

Survivors include two daughters, Holly Marshall and Heather Marshall; one son, George Matthews Marshall V and wife Kirsten Kinsman; grandchildren Camille Grace Marshall and George Matthews Marshall VI; and a sister, Devereux Marshall Slatter.