Marvin Starbuck

Marvin DeWitt Starbuck, age 94, died on March 1, 2021 in Kalamazoo in the care of hospice, from the effects of COVID-19. Born July 29, 1926, in Blunt, South Dakota, Marvin grew up in the care of paternal grandparents struggling through the Dust Bowl years on the great plains. He was among family members who climbed on a truck and drove to find a better life in the orchards of southwest Michigan. Marvin graduated from Bangor High School then entered the U.S. Army. He served in the Allied Occupation of Austria following World War II. Before enlisting, he went to the dance hall in Glendale, MI where he met Kathryn (Kitty) Shick. That was the beginning of a 70-year waltz through life together. When Marvin returned home from military service, he and Kitty continued their courtship to the tunes of the Big Bands that frequented the state. What was "their song"? According to Marve it was, "It Had to be You"; Kitty would say "San Antonio Rose". Marve and Kitty married on October 13, 1950. While living on the Shick farm in Vicksburg, MI, Marvin and his new father-in-law, Forrest, built the house next door that would be the Starbuck family home for the next 60 years. A plant manager in several automotive operations, Marve would become a long-haul trucker later in life, with Kitty often riding shotgun. If anything needed doing, it was given to Marve, who had able hands and the mind of a master fixer-tinkerer. Often a man of few words, it took 90 years to discover that his favorite pie was pecan, not blueberry as thought. In addition to plenty of hours on the riding lawnmower, the three-acre yard on Little Portage Creek was the scene of softball scrimmages and summer fun in the swimming hole. But family recreation centered on the hobby that took the foursome down the road, pulling a small travel trailer to mines, quarries, and rock piles all over the U.S. Marve was a wonder with a rock hammer, chisel, faceting machine, and lapidary wheel. Two specimens - a chlorastrolite (the Michigan State gemstone) and an exquisite amethyst crystal pounded out of a hillside in North Carolina-are currently on display at the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum located on the campus of Michigan Technological University in Houghton. The couple also had a world-class self-collected display of Keokuk geodes. Marvin held top leadership positions in the Kalamazoo Geological and Mineral Society and in regional and national organizations as well. The couple received an award for exceptional service and achievement from the Midwest Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies for their work in raising scholarship dollars for geologists in training. Marve and Kitty spent their retirement years between Michigan and New Mexico, happily finding and swapping more rocks. When they were not on the gem trail, Marve and Kitty were active in Vicksburg United Methodist Church and support of community schools. Marve was famous for his spaghetti sauce that came to the table of many a fund-raiser. Marvin was preceded in death by Kathryn (nee Shick) on June 27, 2020; his parents, Howard Starbuck and Opal (nee Shore) Starbuck McIlravy Barnhard; sister Carol Basford and half-brothers Carl and Max McIllravy. He is survived and lovingly remembered by his sister Lois Funk; children, Kay (Lynn) DeMoss and Dennis (Terri) Starbuck; grandchildren Nikki (Mike) Schnelle and Sara (Jeremiah) Poole; his great-grandchildren Madalyn, Chandler, Stella, and Lilah; and many nieces and nephews. An event celebrating the lives of Marve and Kitty Starbuck will be held later, as conditions surrounding the pandemic allow. Memorials may be sent to Vicksburg United Methodist Church, 217 S. Main Street, Vicksburg, MI 49097.