Marvin Eugene 'Marv' Gloege
June 3, 1932 - April 22, 2014
Marvin Gloege of Albany died at home on April 22 after battling brain cancer.
Marv was born in Helena, Mont., to George and Bernice Gloege. He attended grade school in Miles City and high school in Billings, Mont., followed by college at Eastern Montana (now MSU-Billings) for two years. He went on to receive his bachelor's degree from the University of Washington, followed by a master's in urban planning in 1958. Marv served in the US Army from 1954 to 1956 and was stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany, during that time.
On June 7, 1958, Marv married Marlene Eckart in Seattle, Wash. They lived in several cities throughout Washington and Oregon, finally settling in Corvallis where they lived from 1972 to 2009. Marv and Marlene then moved to the Mennonite Village in Albany.
Marv had a passion for his work as an urban planner and was highly respected throughout his career. He worked in various positions throughout Washington and Oregon from 1958 to 1997, including: first resident planner in the City of Ashland from 1960-1962; director of planning for Wenatchee (Washington), Chelan County and Okanogan County from 1962-1966; teaching in the Urban Planning program at the University of Oregon from 1969 to 1972; Director for Oregon District 4 Council of Governments from 1972 to 1975 (serving Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties); planning coordinator for Linn and Benton counties from 1975 to 1979; state land-use trainer from 1979 to 1981; and county planning director for Linn County from 1981 to 1997.
After retirement, Marv continued to assist the communities of Mill City, Lyons, Scio and Sodaville in their planning and community development efforts. He also served on the board of the Benton County Historical Society and Museum for six years and was chairman for two years. From 1997 to 2013, Marv was a volunteer at the museum, transcribing and digitizing historical documents.
Marv was known for his life-long love of baseball, and in particular was a fan of the Boston, Milwaukee, and now Atlanta Braves. He had an exceptional skill with statistics. Marv's love of Montana was a constant in his life, and he enjoyed many trips there, as well as writing and publishing a book about the small towns of Eastern Montana. After retirement, he and Marlene were able to enjoy several memorable trips to Europe. Marv was a voracious reader, wrote a memoir of his life, and took great pleasure in his evening walks everywhere he lived. He will always be remembered for his friendly smile, love of puns, and the friendships he maintained throughout his life.
Marv is survived by his wife of 55 years, Marlene; sons David and wife Didi of Salem, and Marty and wife Carol of Denver, Colo.; and daughter Karen and husband Rob of Granite Falls, Wash. In addition, Marv is survived by four grandchildren: Danika, Helen, Ellie and Henry. He is also survived by his sister, Donna of Scott City, Kan.
Marv was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Randall and Wayne.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Benton County Historical Society and Museum or Samaritan Evergreen Hospice.
A celebration of Marv's life will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Lakeside Center at Mennonite Village.