Marvin F. Horch

Marvin Frederick Horch, 96 yrs. Of age, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Sun. Aug.21, 2016 He was born in Ritzville, WA on December 22, 1919 to Alvina (Thom) Horch and George Frederick Horch Jr. as the 3rd of 6 children. His family was German farmers, who in good times farmed and leased land and in lean years, hired themselves out to work for other land owners, the family later moved to Rathdrum Prairie, in northern Idaho and in a few years. Marvin graduated from Coeur d'Alene High School. He met the "love of his life", Violet Dawson in 1939 in Coeur d'Alene, shortly after he had joined the Idaho National Guard.
When World War II broke out in 1941, he left with the 148th Field Artillery Unit to join the allied troops in the Philippines and Australia. Marvin's highest rank was Staff Sgt. He received a Philippine Liberation Medal, 6 overseas service bars and a Purple Heart. After returning from the War, Marvin married Violet and began working, with a dream of going to college. When enough money had been saved, he enrolled at the University of Idaho to study "mechanical engineering", but was quickly sidetracked by a recurrence of malaria that he had contracted in Australia. Marvin and Violet soon moved to Spokane, where the couple raised 3 children. He worked in an automotive repair shop until the Kaiser plant closed and thousands of young men in the Sokane area lost their jobs. In 1959 the family moved to Edmonds, WA AND Marvin worked in a plumbing shop. He learned to repair plumbing pipe cutting tools and eventually opened his own repair shop.
In 1963, Marvin and Violet bought 2 lots in Driftwood Key Hansville, WA and when they retired in 1974 they lived in a small trailer, while Marv built them their "retirement" home. Marvin was a volunteer fighter for the Hansville Fire Dept. for many years. In 1976, Marv and Violet fell in love with the congregation at Faith Lutheran Church in Kingston. They attended faithfully until illness made it difficult, but the congregation continued caring for them throughout the years.
In 2000, Violet suffered a stroke which placed her in Martha and Mary nursing home in Poulsbo, WA. Marvin drove from Hansville every day to be with his wife, but by 2006, Marvin began to have difficulty driving, especially at night; so he sold the house in Driftwood Key and moved to Monclair Park Assisted Living Home in Poulsbo. When he could no longer drive safely, he gave his car to his Pastor and rode the Kitsap Transit Bus to Martha and Mary. Violet passed in 2008 and after a series of T.I.A. strokes, Marvin found himself a resident at Martha and Mary.
Marvin is survived by his children, Patty (Terry) Wood of Chehalis, WA; Richard (Candace) Horch of Woodinville, WA, Jim (Kathy) Horch of Marysville, WA; sister, Bernice (Walter) Beyer of Spokane, WA; 12 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren. Interment was held at Hansville Cemetery with Military Funeral Honors. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 17 at 1pm at Faith Lutheran Church 26736 Miller Bay Rd NE, Kingston, WA 98346. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church.