Obituary of Louis M. Marvil

After a very short-lived battle with pancreatic cancer, Louis M. Marvil passed away on May 15, 2021 at home, surrounded by his family, loved ones, and his beloved pets. His truly remarkable life was cut short by a short-lived battle with Pancreatic Cancer. He is preceded in death by his parents, Norman C. and Alice E. Albitz Marvil and is survived by his two sons, Zachary and Tyler, his loving wife of 24 years, Jenn Fontana Marvil, who shared his passion for the martial arts and helped run his karate dojangs for more than two decades, his sister, Sherry Marvil, his father-in-law, Anthony (Vicki) Fontana, Sr., his brother-in-law, Anthony (Franny) Fontana, Jr., his beloved dogs JJ and Lucy, cats and grand fur kitties, as well as numerous other relatives and friends. A Delaware County PA native. Grand Master Marvil began his karate training in 1978 at the age of 11 and quickly fell in love with the art of Tang Soo Do. He began competing as a green belt in 1979 and won hundreds of awards, including a sweep of the 1988 Tang Soo Do World Championship, ranking 1st place in forms, weapons, sparring and creativity events. He began his professional teaching career in 1985, and a year later was recruited to become the Chief Instructor of the World Tang Soo Do Association Headquarters where he taught through 1991. Soon after, he began his journey as a studio owner, eventually building 5 studios throughout the the Philadelphia area. Grand Master Marvil ultimately achieved the rank of 7th Dan and is the president of the Jeonsa Tang Soo Do Federation, overseeing the quality and promotion of the art throughout the country. Over the past 35 years, Grand Master Marvil has trained thousands of students with more than 500 of them earning the coveted rank of Black Belt. So many have reached out with offers to help, and the family is extremely grateful for the outpouring of kindness and support. In lieu of flowers, donations in Lou's name may be made to the American Cancer Society for Pancreatic Cancer Research (cancer.org), or Lou's GoFundMe drive. While some money raised here will help with expenses (medical and otherwise), all additional funds will be put towards furthering Grand Master Louis Marvil's lifelong mission: Helping youth to discover the transformative power of the martial arts. Details on this effort will follow in the future. A viewing will be held on Monday, May 24, 2021 from 9-11AM at Pagano Funeral Home, 3711 Foulk Rd. Garnet Valley, PA, followed by a Funeral Service at 11AM. Interment, SS Peter & Paul Cemetery, Springfield, PA. Online condolences may be made by visiting www.paganofuneralhome.com.