Marvin J. Kanter

Marvin Kanter, 94 of Austin, Texas passed away on February 21, 2019. He was born January 14, 1925 in Sedalia, Missouri to Simon and Ida Kanter. He was an honest and loyal man, as well as a good father and husband.

He was a World War II veteran who devoted 50 years of his life to high school and college football games.

Marvin’s football life began in the fall of 1957 with a game at Bastrop High School. It was the beginning of a long dedication to high school and college football. He was a game official in the Lone Star Conference but was most passionate while working high school games on Friday nights.

When Marvin joined the Navy in 1943, his first assignment was as a gunner on the SS Hitchcock. He held similar positions on the SS Short and USS Gear during World War II. Marvin retired from the Navy in 1946, a year after the war had ended.

He was 24 when he met his wife, Irene. They were married in 1949 and spent 66 years together until she passed in 2015. They have a daughter, Shelly, who is a lifelong Austin resident.

Marvin and Irene had a passion for traveling, they went to Australia, New Zealand and traveled throughout Europe.

Marvin was an extra in several Hollywood movies, including “Courage Under Fire,” “Miss Congeniality,” “Heaven Can Wait,” “Substitute Wife,” “Tornado Alley” and “Hope Floats.”

A service will be at 1 p.m., Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at Cook-Walden Funeral Home on North Lamar Blvd. in Austin, Texas Interment will be held at 3:00 p.m. at Austin Memorial Park Cemetery located at 2800 Hancock Drive, Austin, Texas.