Marvin W Hamstra

Marvin Hamstra of Oxford, NY, died peacefully on Jan. 8, 2025, after a brief illness. He was 84 years old.

 Marvin — “Marv” to most friends and “Marvy” to a few — was born in Paterson, NJ, in 1940, and grew up in Hawthorne, NJ, on his grandparents’ fruit orchard. He met Dorothy, who was living in Montreal at the time, while he was attending college in upstate New York, and they quickly fell in love. They married in 1961, and moved into the farmhouse, where they would live for the next 38 years and raise their two sons.

 Marvin attended Paul Smith’s College and earned an associate degree in Forestry. He worked as a construction inspector at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 1961 to 1995, mostly stationed at the Lincoln Tunnel. After he retired, he and Dorothy decided to move upstate to Oxford, NY, where they could pursue their lifelong dream of settling down in a small town.

 They made many friends in Oxford, and Marvin was active in several charitable activities, including serving as the manager of the Oxford Community Food Pantry, and volunteering at the local soup kitchen. Many will always remember him for the role he was born to play — dressing up in a red suit and becoming Santa Claus for hundreds of children every Christmas season for 15 years in East Park in downtown Norwich, NY.

 Marvin enjoyed playing bridge with his brother Richard and hunting and fishing with many of his hunting and fishing buddies.

 He was always active in his local church. He was the treasurer at the Rea Ave. Reformed Church in Hawthorne for many years, and for the past several years he had been attending the United Church of Oxford.

 Marvin was preceded in death by his parents Martin and Edna Hamstra.

He is survived by wife of 64 years, Dorothy (Hough) Hamstra, and their two sons and daughters-in-law: Mark and his wife Vivian Wang of New York City; and Ross and his wife Lorraine Hamstra of Galloway, NJ, and their children, Dale, Nadine, and Grant.

 He is also survived by his two brothers and their families: Richard and his wife Gale of Norwich and their son, Arden; and Harold and his wife Betty of Knoxville, TN, and their daughter and son, Heather and Andrew.

 Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Behe Funeral Home Inc. 21 Main Street, Oxford, NY 13830. Friends and family may call at the United Church of Oxford, 25 Main St., Oxford, NY, 13830 from 10:00AM. to 12:00PM on Saturday, January 25, 2025 followed by a funeral service officiated by Pastor Douglas Satterlee at 12:00PM. Friends and family may also share memories and condolences by visiting www.behefuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Marvin Hamstra to the Oxford Community Food Pantry.