Charles B. Marvin

Charles Burger Marvin died from ampullary cancer in the early morning of October 29 at his Peterborough home, one day before his 80th birthday. Charlie was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1937 to Margaret and Kenneth Marvin. He grew up in Illinois and graduated as a philosophy major from Illinois Wesleyan University. In what proved to be an impactful decision, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1959, attended intensive Russian language classes at Syracuse University and was stationed in Pakistan and Germany. Upon his Air Force discharge, he moved to New York City where he met his wife, Mary Jo Van Kirk when both were working for Colliers’ Encyclopedia. They were married in St. Paul’s Chapel, Trinity Parish, in New York City in June 1965.

Guided by his Air Force experiences in intelligence analysis, he was accepted into the Central Intelligence Agency Training program in 1966 and moved to the Washington, D.C., area. Charlie stayed in the intelligence business for the rest of his career, except for a brief stint as a real estate broker in Capitol Hill. He worked for the CIA, experimented with real estate sales, and then joined GTE Government Systems as an analyst of foreign communications systems until retirement. At the same time, the Marvins bought and renovated eight houses in Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Arlington, Bethesda, and Potomac, Maryland. Charlie was an avid motorcyclist from the time he was 19 until his early 60s; he renovated several antique motorcycles and was a member of the Classic and Vintage Motorcycle Association in Washington area.

Charlie retired in November of 1997 and immediately moved to Jaffrey Center, NH where he and Mary Jo bought and restored another old house. Charlie served three terms as Trustee of the Trust Funds in Jaffrey, as Treasurer of the Jaffrey Center Village Improvement Society, and a Trustee of the First Church in Jaffrey. The Jaffrey board of Selectmen named him Volunteer of the Year in 2011. In addition to volunteering in Jaffrey, Charlie was the treasurer of the Window Shop at the Monadnock Community Hospital for 18 years. Soon after moving to Jaffrey, Charlie was invited to join the OFC men’s lunch group and became a regular attendee.

In 2012, the Marvins reluctantly downsized, selling their house on Thorndike Pond Road and moving to Governor Square in Peterborough. Charlie was a member of its condo board until illness forced him to resign. In later retirement, his passions included tackling the New York Times crossword puzzles, having a good craft beer with lunch, listening to the music of Gustav Mahler, and genealogy research.

Charlie is survived by his wife of 52 years, Mary Jo, his daughter Cate Marvin Dupont, son-in-law Joseph Dupont, step grandsons Ezekiel and Samuel Dupont, and adored granddaughter Lucia Drew Marvin. Two younger sisters Sherry Marvin and Mary Errett, of Forest Knolls, California, and Sioux City, Iowa, respectively, also survive him.

A memorial service for Charlie will be held at the First Church in Jaffrey, 14 Laban Ainsworth Way on Sunday, November 19 at 3 pm. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Charlie’s memory be made to First Church in Jaffrey or the Peterborough Fire and Rescue.