Marvin L. Buxton

Marvin L. Buxton

1933 - 2024

Marvin LeRoy Buxton, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, Naval veteran and fervent Dodger fan, leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness, and dedication to God, his family, community and country.

Born in Aberdeen, South Dakota in 1933, to parents Rose and Lawrence Buxton, Marvin spent his early years there, before moving with his parents and two sisters LaVonne and Doreen to Los Angeles in 1942.

As a youth, Marvin loved playing baseball with his buddies Jim Fay, Jack Randall and Bob Perez. Marvin graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1952 during the height of the Korean Conflict, and felt compelled to serve his country. So he joined the Navy and served as an aviation mechanic on the USS Kearsarge, deployed to the South China Sea as part of the VA-115 Attack Squadron working on AD Skyraider’s. He was honorably discharged in 1956 with the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class and was hired by Douglas Aircraft as a prep mechanic.

It was during this time that Marvin met Susan Weldon at a BBQ for a friend’s bride’s-maids party. At that fateful event, Susan thought to herself “That’s the man I’m going to marry”. And so, after two years of courting, Marvin and Susan became man and wife on Sept. 15th, 1956, walking down the aisle at Saint Timothy’s Catholic Church in West LA.

As Marvin’s engineering skills developed, he graduated from aircraft manufacturing to aerospace, working for Rocketdyne and McDonell-Douglas throughout the 1960’s.

On the personal side, Marvin graduated from husband to father with the birth of his first son Stephen Buxton in 1958. In the ensuing years, Marvin and Susan then welcomed Christopher, Timothy, Valerie, Vincent, Paul and Mark. As their family grew, Marvin and Susan first moved to Simi Valley, then eventually settled down in Huntington Beach, where all nine Buxton’s lived on Arnett Drive.

During this period, Marvin transitioned from aerospace to oil, working for a diverse roster of companies, ranging from Fluor to Santa Fe Drilling, Santa Fe International, Santa Fe Braun, etc. Thanks to his strong work ethic and natural “can do” attitude, Marvin was able to adapt his engineering skills to a variety of job specialties, including Material Control Specialist and Expediter. His proudest professional achievement was working on the Alaskan Pipeline.

When Marvin wasn’t commuting to work, he was home with his family, helping Susan oversee the daily whirlwind of getting the kids ready for school, off to sports and then loading everyone into the station wagon to get to Mass on Sunday. Marvin was always up early on the weekends, getting breakfast ready while reading the paper. His son Vincent fondly remembers the sound of plastic packaging loudly crinkling early on Saturdays and Sundays. That meant dad was up, getting the muffins out. Valerie remembers Marvin as a doting dad who never uttered a harsh word to her.

After retiring in 1995, Marvin moved with Susan to Reno, Nevada for a brief stint before returning to Southern California and settling down in the retirement community of Lake San Marcos, San Diego, where he and his wife’s home became the center of Buxton family life. Sons Christopher, Vincent and Mark all lived in the San Diego area and became frequent visitors, along with other family and friends.

Marvin and Susan became regular parishioners at Saint Mark’s Catholic Church, where they would spend their Sundays attending Mass. Marvin would then come back home to catch the Dodgers on TV, cheering them on and offering helpful coaching hints. Along with the Dodgers, Marvin’s other passion was watching old movies on TCM. “Casablanca” was his favorite.

Not only was Marvin of service to Susan and his children, he also served his church and community. In Simi Valley he belonged to the Holy Name Society where he made the breakfasts for their meetings and served at St. Rose of Lima parish picnics. In Huntington Beach he was known as the “donut man” at St. Vincent de Paul parish as he prepared coffee and donuts for three masses each Sunday for many years. At St. Marks in Reno, he cooked and delivered meals to The Ronald MacDonald house and at St. Marks in San Marcos he and Susan with Mary and Patrick Quigley helped Sister Sheila coordinate the Interfaith Homeless Shelter.

In his later years, Marvin dealt with a number of health issues, overcoming lymphoma but ultimately succumbing to cancer.

Marvin Buxton, faithful husband, devoted father and proud American, passed away peacefully on April 3rd, 2024, at the age of 91.

He is survived by his wife, Susan, his seven children, twelve grandkids Jessica, Ashley, Shannon, Alisha, Roman, Sofia, Dominic, Brianna, Leila, Bella, Aiden and Addison, four great-grandkids Bailey, Lexi, Grayson and Avery, and two sisters.

Funeral services for Marvin Buxton will be held on Friday, April 26th @ 11am at St. Marks Catholic Church: 1147 Discovery St, San Marcos, CA 92078, with a reception to follow in the parish hall.

Military Honors will be performed on April 29th, @ 12:30pm at Miramar National Cemetery: 5795 Nobel Dr, San Diego, CA 92122.

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