Marvin G. Willis, 90, died May 5, 2025 in the Olathe Hospice House after a severe stroke at his home in Gardner days earlier.
He was born May 6, 1934 and lived most of his life in Hoyt, as did his parents (Roland and Pauline) and grandparents (Roy and Eura Steward).
Marvin grew up during the Depression and spent much time on his grandparents’ farm east of Hoyt.
At a young age he started playing the trumpet. He eventually performed professionally as an adult, including duets with son Dick who was age nine at the time.
In high school Marvin starred on the Hoyt Cowboys basketball team. He was good academically but did not go to college, which he always regretted, and which influenced him to encourage his children to pursue higher education.
He met his future wife Eileen at a dance. He traveled to her family’s farm near Emmett and courted her in his early 20s. The married couple lived in Hoyt where Marvin owned the Phillips 66 service station. His Grandpa Roy and Dad Roland helped, as did Gary Salts then in high school. The station was a social hub in Hoyt where people would come in and talk and drink Coca Cola and eat peanuts.
When Highway 75 was moved out of Hoyt, Marvin sold the station and then worked for years at Goodyear in north Topeka.
The family bought land and created a farm north of town where they raised Quarter Horses and Black Angus cattle.
Marvin trained one horse in particular named Wimpy which developed into an excellent cutting horse.
The family farm had two big gardens which supplied most of the vegetables through the year.
Marvin coached his daughter Tracy’s softball team and was Scoutmaster of Troop 67 in Hoyt.
Later in life Marvin and Eileen launched a wooden john boat (Woody) to fish for channel cats in the Delaware and Wakarusa rivers.
After retiring, Marvin and Eileen sold the farm and took off in their big recreational trailer. They wintered in McAllen, TX where they had many friends from all over North America who snowbird lived in the Rio Grande Valley. Marvin continued occasional trumpet performances.
When in Kansas they went to many grandchildrens’ horse shows and ball games.
The couple bought a house in Gardner seven years ago. Eileen died there in 2020.
In later life Marvin enjoyed watching Royals baseball games and riding his recumbent bicycle around Gardener bike paths. He went headlong into life, and wanted his friends and family do that as well after his death.
Marvin is survived by his children, Dick Willis (Alison Hayward), Rapid City, SD/Somerset UK; Tracy Willis Wingate (Jeff), Olathe; three grandchildren, Krist Wingate, Kylie Wingate, and Dustin Willis Chapman (Heather); and four great-grandchildren, Ember, Morgan, Avery and Lee.
A visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until service time at 11:00 on Tuesday, May 13th at the Chapel Oaks Funeral Home in Hoyt. Burial will follow in the Hoyt Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Hoyt Community Center, in care of the funeral home, PO Box 280, Hoyt, KS 66440.
