Marvin was a lifelong resident of the Washington area. He was born on April 10, 1928 in Washington, DC to Joseph and Sophie Spector Kay. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1946 and went on to receive a B.A. with distinction from George Washington University in 1950. He was a founding father of the Kappa Deuteron Chapter of the Alpha Epilson Pi Fraternity and received the Gitelson Man of the Year award in 1990. He also served in the Army during the Korean War.
Marvin and his partner, Richard Kirstein, formed Richmarr Construction in 1953. Richmarr started as a small home building entity and soon became a powerhouse construction company, building thousands of homes, apartment buildings and condominiums along with millions of square feet of commercial space.
Marvin loved his hometown and gave back to the city in many ways. He served on the boards of the Greater Washington Jewish Community Foundation, The Hebrew Home, Adas Israel Congregation, Arena Stage and The George Washington University. He supported and raised funds for The State of Israel Bonds, Landon School and most notably, The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Marvin chaired the Washington campaign for the museum and raised millions of dollars enabling the Holocaust Museum to open its doors in 1993.
Marvin leaves behind his beloved wife, Dolores Tauber Kay, his son Steven B. Kay (Ellen Winer) of Washington, a daughter, Karen Kay Matthews of Alexandria and his son Craig J. Kay (Stephanie Krupin) of Rockville. He is also survived by five loving grandchildren, Andrew, Suzanne, Caroline, Hallie and Madison Kay.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at Adas Israel Congregation, 2850 Quebec Street NW, Washington, D.C. followed by burial at Judean Memorial Gardens in Olney, Maryland. Shiva will be observed at his late residence on Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum or The Alzheimer's Association. Arrangements by Joseph Gawler's Sons, LLC
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