Patterson Cemetery District, Stanislaus County, CA 

Submitted by Gale Stroud and Burta Herger 26 Aug 2007

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Doolittle Marshall 910122 p1
Lifetime Cowboy Killed in Auto Wreck;  Residents at El Solyo Village were grieving the loss of Marshall Doolitlle, 80,
who was killed in an automobile accident Friday evening.  Doolittle was a popular resident of the retirement village and
operated a transportation service for local senior citizens.  At 5:45 p.m. Friday, Doolittle and Irma Scott, 83, of Patterson
were traveling on Grayson Road en route to Ceres when the 1988 Chevy he was driving slammed into the rear of an
agricultural spray rig.  Jesus Lara, 35, was driving the rig at 20 mph near Shiloh Road.  He was not injured.  Scott. who
was pinned in the passenger s seat, suffered numerous broken bones.  After firefighters removed her from the car, she
was taken by Medi Flight to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto where she underwent surgery Friday night.  On
Monday, Scott was recovering in the intensive care unit and was listed in stable condition, a hospital spokesman said.
Visibility was apparently good Friday evening as there was no fog. Marshall s vehicle encountered the slow-moving rig
after coming around a curve in the road.  Due to the holiday, CHP was not available Monday to give a final accident
report.  El Solyo residents plan a potluck dinner Wednesday at 1 p.m. as a special time to remember Doolittle, said Joyce
Alexander, co-manager of the apartments.  "I knew him for about a year and a half." Alexander said.  "He was great and
he was very popular here."  Funeral arrangements were pending while family members were contacted.  A niece from
Simi Valley was expected to arrive in Patterson early this week.  Alexander said the niece and Doolittle s 82-year-old
sister planned to attend the dinner Wednesday.  Doolittle was born and raised on a cattle ranch in Deming, N.M. and he
spent most of his working career as a cowboy.  During World War II, he served in the Air Corps in ground maintenance.
A friend says he later operated a sort of mobile farrier business and taught others to shoe horses.  Doolittle worked
several years for the Chase Ranch on Jennings Road where his job was to spot and doctor sick cattle.  In the last several
years, Doolittle delivered hot meals to elderly people on the West Side as an employee of the Senior Opportunity Service
Program, and provided transportation for senior citizens.  The longtime Cowboy was also a musician.  Up to the time of
his death, he played with Old Time Fiddlers of Ceres and was ambidextrous, according to one group member.  "A
Mexican man taught him to play the guitar, and he played that with his right. hand." says Bill Whitfield of Patterson.
His father taught him the fiddle and he played that with his left...  Whitfield described Doolittle as "smart, hospitable,
very active, and a good handy man."