Marvin S. Crell

Marvin S. Crell was born on March 4, 1932 and passed away peacefully on December 20, 2020, surrounded by Family, following a day of storytelling and reminiscing on the amazing and full life he led and the positive impact he had on others. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Harriet Crell, his sons, Jeffrey (Linda Friedman) Crell and Steven (Amy) Crell, his grandchildren, David (Kate) Crell, Jacob Crell, Hannah Crell and Emma Crell, and his great-grandchildren, Cora Crell and Leo Crell. He was preceded in death by his brother, Melvin (Margot) Krel.

Marvin exemplified the American Dream. He was born in Poland in 1932, and as a child spent four years imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. He and his family survived, and eventually made it to Fort Wayne, Indiana with his family in 1948. He was 16 years old and didn't speak English.

Marvin worked hard to save the paychecks from his many factory jobs, learn English, and enroll himself in Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne in 1951. A year later he transferred to IU Bloomington, where he met his future wife, Harriet, and within 10 years from the day he set foot on American soil, earned two degrees—an A.B. in government in 1954 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1957.

After finishing his degrees, he returned to Fort Wayne where he would practice law for more than 50 years as a partner of the law firm Tourkow, Crell, Rosenblatt & Johnston. He was the subject of many news articles about the lives of his clients on whom he had such a positive impact. He could not enter a restaurant or other public function without a client or colleague approaching his family and recounting some way in which Marvin had helped or had an impact on him or her.

Marvin was an instrumental part of the creation and construction of Fort Wayne’s first and only convention center, The Grand Wayne Center, which bears his name as counsel to the Center in its cornerstone. This had a huge positive impact on Fort Wayne’s tourism and community.

Marvin believed strongly in giving back to his community and to others. He traveled abroad with Global Volunteers to Xi’an, China, where he taught English to college students whose hopes were to find international jobs in the hospitality industry. Struck by how we all share the same hopes and dreams, the experience resonated with him and he encouraged everyone to experience other cultures firsthand.

More recently, to honor the time he and Harriet spent at IU, and to provide opportunities to students with financial need, Marvin and Harriet funded the Marvin and Harriet Crell Memorial Legacy Endowed Scholarship. The scholarship is designed to award financial aid to students at Indiana University-Fort Wayne who demonstrate hard work, a financial need, and a dedication to obtaining their degree. Marvin always stressed the importance of giving students who are in a similar position to him—those who study and work hard but who have a few hurdles to cross on their road ahead—a fair chance. “I would like for them to have the opportunity that I had; a chance to get a college education and to choose a career that will enhance their future and allow them to make a good living,” he shared.

In Marvin’s version of the American dream, success is best when shared with others. His wish was to instill this belief in his family and others. He would be glad to know he succeeded.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to ZERO-The End of Prostate Cancer, or to Naples Jewish Congregation. Services will be private, but a link to a livestream video of the services will be provided immediately following the services on December 24, 2020.