CHATTANOOGA — Marshal Mize died at the age of 81 in Chattanooga. He was born on June 5, 1945, in Millen, Ga.

Mize was the only child of John and Henrietta Mize. He graduated from Washington County High School and attended Georgia Southern College, earning a degree in mechanical engineering. While attending college, Mize worked as a mechanic and as a member of NASCAR pit crews.

Mize served in the Air Force as an aircraft maintenance technician and was honorably discharged in 1972 at the rank of captain. After leaving the Air Force, he worked as a customer service representative for the Ford Motor Company. He held sales and management positions at Handshaker Ford in Morrow, Ga., and served as the general manager of Gene Evans Ford in Atlanta.

Mize opened Marshal Mize Ford on Rossville Boulevard in Rossville, which later expanded to a location on Hixson Pike in Hixson. Mize retired from the automobile industry in 2001. He retired from piloting in 2020 after receiving an award for 50 Years of Dedicated Service in Aviation Safety from the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Mize was a founding member of the Doonbeg Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland, and the Council Fire Golf Club in Chattanooga. He served as the 93rd President of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga and was a member of the Siskin Board of Directors. Mize received the Alumni of the Year Award in Private Enterprise from Georgia Southern University.

Mize was an active member of the Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon, elder, and trustee. He is survived by his wife, Donna Mize, whom he married on November 11, 1977, in Austell, Ga., his son Gil Milton and daughter Suzanne Hallman.

A private family service for Mize was held at a gravesite in Metter, Ga. Chattanooga Funeral Home North Chapel is in charge of arrangements.