Obituary of Marvin Gold

Marvin Gold passed away on December 15, 2022 at the age 92. He was born on September 13,1930 in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up in Chicago with parents Charles and Clara Gold, older brother Louis and younger brother Erwin. He attended Marquette Elementary, Lindblom High School and Wilson Junior College. Marvin earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the Northern Illinois State Teachers College in 1953, and a Master of Arts from the University of Maryland in 1955. During college he taught math and coached basketball at Harper High School, having his younger brother, Erwin, as a student. After college, Marvin spent several years living with family in Los Angeles, selling land which he split into parcels in both Palmdale and Lancaster. Next, he worked as a real estate agent in Beverly Hills selling duplexes and quadplexes. Then he began his official teaching career in the Culver City area, where he taught photography. Next, he taught for a few years at Crenshaw High School, in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Around 1957, Marvin taught at Centennial High School in Compton for 2 to 3 years where his subjects included math and coaching basketball. In 1959, he invited students to bring racquets and join him at the public tennis courts, on the school property, to learn the fundamentals of tennis. Word spread quickly, causing approximately 120 girls and boys in the 10th through 12th grades to show up for the free lessons. Since there were many students, Marvin organized them into rows of ten to learn basic footwork and go through the motions of forehand and backhand strokes. One of his now famous proteges, who attended his free tennis clinics, is Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. Richard was also a student in Marvin’s trigonometry class, as well as playing on his junior basketball teams. Other famous students whom he coached in high school include baseball stars Reggie Smith and Roy White. In 1959, Marvin married Eileen Anita Pomerantz and in 1962 they had son Corey Alan Gold, followed by daughter Andria Louise Gold in 1965. During the early 1960s, Marvin moved his family to Garden Grove, worked as an insurance salesman and began working for the Anaheim Union High School District where he taught at Cypress High and other schools. During his tenure in Anaheim, Marvin served as a Teacher, Vice-Principal and Counselor. Due to his welcoming nature and ability to make both students and colleagues comfortable, being an administrator and a counselor was a natural fit. In 1992, the Anaheim Union High School District honored Marvin with an award, “In Appreciation for his Contribution to Education.” Being an entrepreneur ahead of his time, Marvin developed programmatic courses in the form of short books educating about friendship and other social skills, with the goal of encouraging diverse populations to get along. He started a business called “Magnicon” which provided after-school math tutoring and created a student study-carrel product to encourage focus and privacy during studying. Marvin cowrote a math book entitled, “Modern Applied Mathematics” with Robert Carlberg. The book was very successful and was picked up by Houghton Mifflin, resulting in wide sales which enabled Marvin to move his family from Garden Grove to Anaheim and to purchase their home on Scarborough Lane. Family was important to Marvin and being a husband, father, son, brother, uncle, cousin and grandfather brought him some of the greatest joys of his life. An avid athlete, Marvin played basketball, tennis and golf, as well as participating in a bowling league. He was a member of the reserve basketball team at De Paul University during the time when they took second place in Chicago. He competed in the Golden Gloves Boxing Competition, keeping him out of the war, due to an injury to his ears sustained while boxing. A born leader, Marvin always served as the captain of the tennis teams on which he played. In 1997 his tennis team won the Seniors 4.0 USTA Men’s Southern Sectional Championship. In 2000 his doubles team, the Orange County Amigos, were National Club Finalists in the Super Senior division. And in 2007, they took part in the USTA Super Senior Tournament 7.0 and became the Southern California Doubles Section Champions. A great joy in Marvin’s life was connecting with people and enjoying stimulating conversations. An active member of the men’s club at Temple Beth Emet, Marvin loved to attend services and play poker at the synagogue with his long-standing friend group of over s45 years. Marvin co-owned several commercial stores with longtime friends Myrna and Jerry Sheinblum. He loved spending his retirement managing the stores and talking with his tenants, who became extended family. Marvin was a problem solver who truly knew something about everything. He was a real estate agent, an insurance agent, a tax preparer, a teacher, a coach, a dance instructor, a golf instructor, a storyteller and all-around mensch. He loved to eat at family style restaurants and delis, and he knew all of the specials. He enjoyed eating dessert every day, especially ding dongs. Marvin was generous with his advice and assistance. He did a lot for his family and friends to help them start businesses, including lending money and sharing his knowledge. He had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh. Marvin never rushed the process of life, unless it was sports related and the clock was ticking. He enjoyed the passage of time and letting life take its course. An exceptionally kind person, Marvin was never heard uttering a negative word about others. He looked for the best in everyone and found it easily. Marvin had a special way of making others feel appreciated, included, and at ease. He was pleasant, generally calm, quick to compliment, and appreciative. Fiercely independent, Marvin had a stubborn streak. He enjoyed doing things his own way, and often felt he knew what was right and wanted to share his understanding with others. Later in life Marvin was very present during conversations giving you his full attention. He was a fiercely devoted husband, caring for his wife Eileen up to the week before he died. He was a father and playmate to his children, teaching them about sports, and always looked forward, with excitement, to playing together. Marvin was a member of AZA Jewish Fraternity and believed in giving to the community. From 1993-2003 he served as Housing and Redevelopment Commissioner in Anaheim. From 1992-2003 Marvin was a member of the FSS (Family Self Sufficiency) Program Coordinating Committee for HUD (The Department of Housing and Urban Development), which is a voluntary program to promote increased earnings and savings among families receiving HUD funded rental assistance. He was honored by the FSS Program for his Outstanding Contributions to the F.S.S. Coordinating Committee from 1993- 2003. Marvin is survived by his wife, Eileen Gold, his daughter and son-in-law, Andria and Stephen Bock, daughter-in-law Adrienne Gold, grandchildren and their spouses, Sara Gold, Aaron Bock and Fennel Maya, Rebecca Gold, and Emma and Terence White, niece and husband, Heather Gold Pollak and Steve Pollak, grandnephew Richard Erwin Gold Pollak, grandniece Elyse Claire Gold Pollak, and many cousins and numerous friends that he considered family. Thank you for sharing in this celebration of Marvin Gold’s life. Services are Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 2 p.m. Harbor Lawn - Mount Olive Memorial Park 1625 Gisler Avenue Costa Mesa, CA 92626