We are devastated to announce the passing of Marshall “Rusty” Raynor, 93, of Frederick, MD. Marshall left us on January 14, 2022, after a valiant battle with Parkinson's Disease. Marshall (or Rusty, as he liked friends and family to call him) was the most gentle soul, the kindest man who ever lived. Impetuous both on stage and in private life, Marshall made friends and helped people wherever life took him. He was an amazing man who led an extraordinary life; a heroic dramatic tenor, a complete performing artist and a fun, caring children's clown, he seems to have found the secret to unending optimism and generously spread joy and rays of sunshine in the lives of everyone who knew him. 

The beloved only son of the late Walter and Mae Wolk Reinstein, Marshall was the most loving husband of Annemarie Alina Raynor and most devoted father, mentor and life coach of Sean Claude Raynor and Ioana Mihaela Petricel. The Raynor family first settled in Salzburg, Austria, and – over 21 years of marriage – lived in Munich (Germany), and, in the United States, in California, Connecticut and Maryland. 

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Marshall graduated Tilton High School in New Hampshire and the Boston University School of Public Relations with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations, majoring in Theater. He studied music, singing, and opera at the New England Conservatory under Boris Goldovsky and Ernst and Margherita Possony; he took ballet and dance classes under Jan Veen at the Boston Conservatory. Later on, he studied at The Actor’s Studio in New York City under Lee Strassberg. 

Marshall’s biggest passion in life was music, and all he ever wanted to be is an Opera Tenor. He left Boston to follow the Possonys in Germany, shortly after the end of World War II, to become an opera singer. He persevered in developing his voice under the guidance of great tenors like Claude Heater, Mario del Monaco, Max Lorenz, Adam Petroski, and Cloe Owen. He became one of the few singers alive with extensive knowledge of the old “Bologna School” of singing technique, which trained one’s voice to easily and safely reach its natural potential, enabling the singer to be heard over a large orchestra without a microphone. 

Notable moments in his opera career: the leading part (Eneas) in Berlioz’s “Trojans” at the London Royal Opera, Covent Garden; Cavaradosi in Sarah Caldwell’s Boston Opera production of Puccini’s “Tosca”—alternated with Nikolai Gedda; Pedro in Eugen D’albert’s “Tiefland”; Barinkay in Strauss’ “Gypsy Baron” at Augsburg’s large open air summer festival; Eisenstein in Strauss’ “Fledermaus”, in Durban, South Africa; Siegfried, Sigmund, and Loge in Wagner’s "Ring" Trilogy and Bacchus in “Ariadne auf Naxos” in San Francisco. 

He played in any number of films (Stanley Kubrik's "Paths of Glory" with Kirk Douglas, John Hough's "Brass Target" with Sophia Loren, Max von Sydow), and TV productions of both opera and drama, (Titorelli, the painter in the Austrian national television’s production of Gottfried von Einem’s “The Trial”, "Fathers and Sons", "Falstaff", "The Merry Wives of Windsor", "Man of La Mancha", “A Christmas Carol”). 

For over 20 years, he performed as a children and improvisation clown and was one of the most successful Ronald McDonald clowns in the German speaking world. Friends and family usually called him Rusty, his chosen name as a clown. 

Marshall was a complete performing artist. As a director, he brought on stage productions of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”; “Ariadne auf Naxos”; “Mr. Jederman (Everyman)—a Never Ending Story” (a modern adaptation of Salzburg’s centuries-old morality drama that he directed and co-authored); Stravinsky’s “Nightingale”, “My Fair Lady” (at the Isny Summer Music Festival) and “A Letter to Emily”, an opera about Emily Dickinson, and Moliere’s “Scapin”. He coordinated and directed numerous other summer festivals and tours all over the German-speaking world. 

When Marshall wasn’t singing or acting or directing, he was giving back by teaching. He taught for five years voice, body language and improvisation for music theater at the Munich University’s Academy of Music and Theater; movement and improvisation for music theater at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS)—Graz, Austria; he taught at the summer opera seminar offered by members of the Metropolitan Opera at the Tel Aviv, Israel Academy of Music; voice, body language and improvisation in a master’s course offered by the “New York Singer’s Theatre”, sharing duties with members of the Metropolitan Opera, including Lucene Amara and Martina Aroyo; he taught performing artists privately in Vienna, Berlin, Munich and Salzburg, and he headed the voice department at the Bavarian-State-supported Zinner School of Acting in Munich, Germany. His teaching career culminated with a Professorship at the Hartford Music Conservatory, one of the oldest music schools in the United States. 

In the last years of his life, Marshall turned to writing, with a passionate desire to share his accumulated experience and singing technique with aspiring singers all over the world. His "My Destiny with Singing" book, part teaching method, part biography, is being edited by his wife, Annemarie, and will be published soon. 

A friend of the Hopi Tribe, Rusty felt in harmony with their culture and teachings. An avid and skilled skier, he trekked through ski slopes all over America and Europe for over seven decades. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the funeral fund following the directions on this web page. 

If you have photos or memories of Rusty that you would like to share via this tribute website ("Memories" tab), the family would be very grateful. 

Marshall’s funeral services will be held at the Sharon Memorial Park in Sharon, Massachusetts, on Thursday, January 20, 2022, at 10:45 AM. Arrangements entrusted to Torchinsky Hebrew Funeral Home, 202-541-1001.

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