Guy family united in grief again

Anna Macdonald, left, Scott Guy's mother Jo and his widow Kylee, far right, outside the Bethlehem Baptist Church. Photo / Alan Gibson

Like his cousin Scott Guy, Andy Marshall was killed in brutal circumstances.

But his mourners were yesterday focused not on his murder but on celebrating a man they remembered as compassionate, sensitive and beautiful.

Mr Marshall, 29, died in hospital on May 8 after he was thrown through the window of a Perth hotel and fell 7m.

Stefan Pahia Schmidt, a 25-year-old associate of the Rock Machine gang, has been charged with his murder.

In Tauranga yesterday afternoon, about 300 friends and relatives joined in tearful embraces as his casket was carried from Bethlehem Baptist Church to The Foo Fighters' anthem My Hero.

Among them were Bryan Guy, Mr Marshall's uncle and father of murder victim Scott Guy, Scott Guy's widow Kylee Guy and cousin Anna Macdonald, whose husband Ewen Macdonald has been charged with shooting Scott Guy in Feilding last year.

After the service, Mr Marshall's father told the Herald his family was not dwelling on his son's murder but on a life lived to the full.

"Today is about celebrating," Alan Marshall said.

"Andy had a strong faith, as we do. It certainly gives you strength to be surrounded by so many people. We are just so grateful to everyone who came."

Mr Marshall described his son as a keen sportsman who could light up rooms with his beautiful smile.

"One phrase that we have heard a lot in the last couple of weeks is that words cannot express how we feel ... I think it's just impossible to describe the anguish of your soul when you lose a child and you lose someone so close.

"But if I can just tell you something about love - love has its own language and when you lose someone else, love never fails."

Mr Marshall reflected on his son's boyhood love of adventure, which saw him climbing trees and locking himself in the neighbour's house, his talent as a cricketer and his passion for drumming in his Perth band, Rich Widow.

Mr Marshall comforted wife Wendy as she wept while reading a poem she wrote early one morning last week.

"And I just want to say thank you to God and thank you to Andy for 29 unforgettable years," she concluded.

Bryan Guy did not give his own tribute but read messages from Mr Marshall's old Riccarton High School First XI cricket coach and Rich Widow vocalist Brayden Edwards, who described his bandmate as "generous, thoughtful and always a step ahead of me".

Andy Joyce, who employed Mr Marshall as a roofing contractor in Western Australia, said: "He was a beautiful guy, absolutely beautiful, one of the best guys I've ever met.

"All of us in Perth who knew Andy, we loved him ... he started off as a worker, and ended as a friend."

Christchurch youth pastor Carl Crocker said the last time he saw his best friend, who visited after the Christchurch earthquake, was when he kissed him on the cheek as he left for work.

"Andy, he truly was one of the good guys. We used to always talk about that as his mates, Andy's one of the good guys, full of life."

A video tribute showing Mr Marshall performing with Rich Widow and travelling around the country drew sobs across the church before the coffin was driven away in a silver hearse.

Family members will next week farewell Mr Marshall at a private internment in Feilding, where his family lived before moving to Tauranga.