New sculpture on Centennial Trail depicts the family of late V.A. chief surgeon

A new sculpture on the Centennial Trail west of the Monroe Street Bridge stands as a symbol of Suzan Entwistle’s family.

In front of a crowd of about 20, Entwistle dedicated the sculpture to her husband, the late John Marshall, former chief surgeon at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center. He went missing in January 2016, and was found dead a day later floating near the banks of the Spokane River.

The sculpture doesn’t offer any closure for her, she said.

The sculpture stands not far from where Marshall’s body was discovered.

His death “turned this beautiful spot into my horror, my terror,” she said. The sculpture is “my way of reframing this area.”

A number of questions remain regarding Marshall’s death.

His death was ruled an accidental drowning the month after his body was found by searchers, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s office.

Entwistle, a trained surgeon who changed her name from Suzan Marshall, continues to question why her husband was found floating face up, when drowning victims are most often found face down, and why there was bruising on his body. Marshall’s body also carried an MP3 player that did not show signs of having been submerged. His ribs and sternum were broken, which Entwistle said was suspicious because it didn’t correspond to trauma caused from a fall and drowning in the river.

“My husband went for a run and died the next day,” she said.

Installing the sculpture also doesn’t mean Entwistle is done seeking justice, she said.

She told The Spokesman-Review that she sought out a group called the Cold Case Foundation to come to Spokane to investigate Marshall’s death.

Numerous TV shows have covered Marshall’s death, including “Crime Watch Daily,” and “Dateline NBC.”

Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich told The Spokesman-Review last year, “Everybody has the right to question how investigations are done. As far as I’ve seen, the investigations we have been involved in, they seem to be done very correctly.”

The sculpture was designed by Richard Warrington, of Cheney, who said the sculpture depicts the family of four. Standing 6 feet tall, it’s made of a blend of copper and tin, the same material as the Bloomsday runner figures in Riverfront Park. The surface allows spray paint to be wiped away with lacquer.

“Hopefully this gives some closure to the family,” he said.

Entwistle has been working since February 2017 to get the sculpture installed in the park. The sculpture was approved by the Joint Arts Committee and the Park Board.

“It’s a symbol of the perfect moment of our family,” she said.

The name of the sculpture is “We are Marshall,” also the name of a 2006 movie about a football team that died in a plane crash, based on a true story.

Marshall’s daughter, Elle, said in a prayer, “Dear Lord, thank you for my father’s life. I really miss him.”