Nov. 25, 1930 – Feb. 4, 2015
Marvin Padgett of Cedar Park, TX, age 84, passed away on Feb. 4, 2015.
Marvin was born Nov. 25, 1930 in Fort Worth, TX. He graduated from Polytechnic High School in 1949 and went on to North Texas State University where he majored in business with a minor in hotel and restaurant management.
Marvin started his career working at Luby’s for 5 years. He then opened the Plaza Cafeteria in Garland, TX. After 10 years, he merged the cafeteria with Servomation, a vending company, where he served as vice president.
Marvin joined the Garland Independent School District as director of food service in 1970. Marvin and the food service staff were responsible for serving 30,000 students in 50 schools every school day. Marvin was a member of the Texas School Food Service Association for 14 years and served as president of the organization in 1977-78. He also served as Legislative Chairman. In addition, he was a member of the North Texas Service Association, and was active in the Garland Exchange Club and YMCA.
Marvin was a creative and humble leader at the GISD. He established student food quality councils to ensure students enjoyed their meals and to reduce waste. He also frequently said: “I’ve been told that everyone in the school district has to eat the mistakes that I make.”
Marvin oversaw the construction and operations of the Marvin Padgett Auxiliary Services building. The building was dedicated and named for him in 1994. Marvin retired after 25 years of GISD service in June of 1995, and moved to Austin, TX.
A year after graduation, Marvin married Dorothy Stephens. They were happily married for over 60 years. They had two sons: Randy, who works for The Boeing Company in Seattle,WA and Stephen, who is the CIO for Actian Corporation in Austin, TX.
Marvin and Dorothy enjoyed planning, designing and project managing their custom homes. They constructed 6 homes in Garland and Austin, TX.
In retirement, Marvin developed wanderlust and took his wife and family on a number of cruises around the world, including Alaska, Canada, Mexico, northern Europe, southern Europe, and South America.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; sons, Randy and Stephen; and grandchildren, Patrick, 20, and Adriana, 14. Services will be scheduled at a later date.
Marvin Padgett
