was born in St. Louis on October 10, 1937, the only child of Ernest and Louise (nee Luckner) Hudwalker. He passed away July 12, 2021, at Deery Suites of Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls, Iowa, where he and his wife relocated four years ago after living in St. Louis, Farmington and Mehlville.
Marvin attended Woerner Elementary and graduated from Cleveland High School in 1955, then studied at Missouri School of Mines & Metallurgy in Rolla, now Missouri S&T, graduating in 1959. He met Lindenwood College student Mary Green on a blind date and the two married June 18, 1960, beginning a lifetime of love and devotion to each other.
Marvin spent 13 years with the City of St. Louis Water Division before becoming the city of Farmington’s first city administrator in 1973. He went on to help many small towns and cities with water, sewer, street and other municipal projects after opening the engineering and surveying business, Hudwalker & Associates, Inc., in 1978. Marvin sold his business to Sverdrup Civil in 1995, where he spent another five years before retiring.
Marvin served as president of the Missouri chapter of American Public Works Association in 1974 and was active in the Missouri section of American Water Works Association. He was awarded a professional degree from Missouri S&T and inducted into its Order of the Golden Shillelagh. He enjoyed lifetime friendships with his Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brothers.
In his spare time, Marv bowled, golfed and fished. He cheered for the St. Louis Cardinals and spent several years as a season ticket holder. His kitchen specialty was homemade waffles from his mother’s recipe; he and Mary started a New Year’s Day waffle brunch with neighbors in 1974 and the tradition lasted nearly 40 years. He supported anything that involved his family and showed up for every single one of his children’s school activities.
Marvin taught his children by example to work hard, be kind, live humbly, serve your community, give generously, and love God. His priority was always learning and growing in his faith. He served as a deacon at Central Church of Christ in the city, took many turns in the pulpit at Farmington Church of Christ, and taught Bible studies at De Soto Christian Church, Kirkwood Road Christian Church and White Flag Christian Church. He prayed daily for his children and grandchildren, prayers that will sustain them forever.
Survived by his wife of 61 years, Mary, and their family: Linda (Denny) Bowman and Benjamin, Samuel and Cooper of Cedar Falls, Iowa; Tim (Shari) of St. Louis and Curtis (Jennifer) of Tulsa, Jonathan (Alexandra) of Dallas, and Megan of Kansas City; and Amy (Alejandro Vasquez) of Miami and Andrea, Natalia and Stephan.
Visitation from 4-6 p.m. Friday, July 16, at Kutis Affton Chapel, 10151 Gravois Road, St. Louis, and funeral at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 17, also at Kutis Affton Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Water for People, Missouri S&T, or Fresh Wind Ministries at Western Home Communities in Cedar Falls.
To Mary and family:
Although I have not seen Marv often as an adult, he always has had a special place in my heart. He was a special person and he will be missed.
May you be comforted by all your positive memories at this difficult time.
Love, Pat
To Mary and family:
Although I have not seen Marv often as an adult, he always has had a special place in my heart. He was a special person and he will be missed.
May you be comforted by all your positive memories at this difficult time.
Love, Pat
Mary and family,
I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Marvin very early in my career, when he joined Sverdrup not long after I did. I consider myself very fortunate to have worked with such a kind and compassionate man. He was funny, thoughtful and a true leader. He cared about the people he worked with, and wanted to help them grow and become better. And he did it with a quiet, impactful leadership style that many should envy and emulate. We spent time working on new business proposals, and he was always receptive to new ideas and was the first to give credit to other people to upper management. I learned a lot about authentic leadership from him, and how to lift others up in the process.
Most of all, he was kind. He always had a smile for everyone, loved talking about Cardinal baseball (even during their challenging years!), and always made sure to ask how people were doing and about their families.
He was truly one of a kind, and I will miss him. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Mary and family,
I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Marvin very early in my career, when he joined Sverdrup not long after I did. I consider myself very fortunate to have worked with such a kind and compassionate man. He was funny, thoughtful and a true leader. He cared about the people he worked with, and wanted to help them grow and become better. And he did it with a quiet, impactful leadership style that many should envy and emulate. We spent time working on new business proposals, and he was always receptive to new ideas and was the first to give credit to other people to upper management. I learned a lot about authentic leadership from him, and how to lift others up in the process.
Most of all, he was kind. He always had a smile for everyone, loved talking about Cardinal baseball (even during their challenging years!), and always made sure to ask how people were doing and about their families.
He was truly one of a kind, and I will miss him. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
So many great memories with Marvin and the Hudwalker family. Praying for comfort.
So many great memories with Marvin and the Hudwalker family. Praying for comfort.
To Marvins loved ones.
Marvin put in a lot of time and effort for the landfill in St. Francois County. I fondly remember extended conversations while traveling with him to and from Jefferson City. He was patient and humble, listening to the thoughts of someone far less educated yet respectfully listening and considering other thoughts and ideas.
His go to phrase when we didn’t agree was, “We’ll talk about this another time”, and usually we would.
Sorry for your loss. John 5:28 and 29 has always been of comfort to me. Hopefully it will be to you as well.
Sincerely,
Alan AuBuchon
St. Francois County Environmental
To Marvins loved ones.
Marvin put in a lot of time and effort for the landfill in St. Francois County. I fondly remember extended conversations while traveling with him to and from Jefferson City. He was patient and humble, listening to the thoughts of someone far less educated yet respectfully listening and considering other thoughts and ideas.
His go to phrase when we didn’t agree was, “We’ll talk about this another time”, and usually we would.
Sorry for your loss. John 5:28 and 29 has always been of comfort to me. Hopefully it will be to you as well.
Sincerely,
Alan AuBuchon
St. Francois County Environmental
My prayers are with Marvin’s family. I knew Marvin since High School in Farmington, our relationship continued through my college years as I had the opportunity to work for him and his firm in Farmington while I was studying at UMR for my Civil Engineering degree. I have always considered Marvin as my mentor for my early professional years. I know he is now walking the streets of gold, heaven has gained a great man.
My prayers are with Marvin’s family. I knew Marvin since High School in Farmington, our relationship continued through my college years as I had the opportunity to work for him and his firm in Farmington while I was studying at UMR for my Civil Engineering degree. I have always considered Marvin as my mentor for my early professional years. I know he is now walking the streets of gold, heaven has gained a great man.
Marvin was my neighbor for many years. He lived almost directly behind me and every Fall he’d be out blowing leaves into the sinkhole on his property. It was on one of those occasions that I struck up a conversation with him and we quickly became friends. I’d stop and talk to him when he was out doing yard work (which was quite frequently) and would always be greeted with a smile and some friendly banter. He had a way about him that made conversation effortless. I really missed Marvin and Mary when they moved to Iowa, and was saddened to read that he had passed. Mary, I hope you’re doing well. Marvin, I miss you buddy. Heaven has gained a really wonderful individual.
Marvin was my neighbor for many years. He lived almost directly behind me and every Fall he’d be out blowing leaves into the sinkhole on his property. It was on one of those occasions that I struck up a conversation with him and we quickly became friends. I’d stop and talk to him when he was out doing yard work (which was quite frequently) and would always be greeted with a smile and some friendly banter. He had a way about him that made conversation effortless. I really missed Marvin and Mary when they moved to Iowa, and was saddened to read that he had passed. Mary, I hope you’re doing well. Marvin, I miss you buddy. Heaven has gained a really wonderful individual.