Obituary of Marvin C. Veto

After a happy and well-lived life that modeled success by any worthy standard, Marvin Churchill Veto passed away at his Stokesdale home on Aug. 17, 2018, at age 92.

Marvin was the finest of men—a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. Those blessed to know him admired him for his kindness, integrity, generosity, humor, athleticism, love of music, faith and devotion to his family.

Born March 17, 1926, in Springfield, Mass., Marvin was the youngest of Ralph and Adele (Fish) Veto’s three children. His siblings, Mildred Veto Wender and Edward Veto, predeceased him.

He grew up in Springfield and learned to love baseball as a boy playing sandlot ball. A highlight of his youth was when his age 10¬–12 team won a local championship, and their prize was a trip to see the Yankees play ball in New York. On the train ride home, he sang “Music, Maestro, Please” in a talent contest and won an autographed baseball from that day. He attended Washington Street Elementary, Forest Park Junior High and West Side Junior High, and West Springfield High School, graduating in 1943. At graduation, he was voted Best Athlete.

After graduation, he worked the night shift at Water Shops Armory in Springfield, and when he turned 18 in 1944, he joined the Marine Corps, reporting for basic training at Parris Island, S.C., in May. He trained as a radio operator and completed much of his WWII service at Cherry Point, N.C. In the summer of 1945, he was part of a contingent that traveled across the country by train to prepare for an invasion of Japan. Their arrival in California coincided with Japan’s surrender, so orders were cancelled. After three months at various bases in California, he was sent back to Cherry Point, where he served until his discharge in 1946 at the rank of corporal. At Cherry Point, he tried out for and made the baseball team, playing centerfield and batting .321 over 30 games on a team that finished with a 21-9 record.

After his service, he returned to Springfield and worked for Gilbarco, then Smith & Wesson. While at Gilbarco, he began dating the love of his life, Lorraine Bouley. Married on Aug. 2, 1947, they celebrated 71 years of marriage this month. He remembered they met when a group of co-workers, including Lorraine, went bowling together and, as he recalled, “She claimed she didn’t have a ride home. I gave her a ride, and we were off and running.” Although he had always been shy around girls, Marvin said Lorraine’s sweet and fun-loving personality and frequent smiles made her easy to be with. They honeymooned in Niagara Falls and Cooperstown, N.Y., borrowing Lorraine’s father’s car to get there and financing the trip with $1,000 Marvin had won in an American Legion raffle. 

“All’s right with the world when I’m with Lorraine,” he said. Their long and beautiful love story has been shared in local publications, most recently in the Northwest Observer in February 2018.

In 1952, Marvin went back to work for Gilbarco. To advance his career prospects,  he started attending night classes at Western New England College and graduated cum laude in 1960 with a B.A. in accounting. He and Lorraine had become parents to three of their four children at this time. His degree helped him secure future supervisory positions at Gilbarco, where he worked for the remainder of his career.

The family lived in Springfield, where all four children were born, until 1966, then moved south to Greensboro, N.C., when Gilbarco moved its plant there. A grand family adventure was their short-term move to England for most of 1969, when Gilbarco transferred him there for a temporary assignment. The family enjoyed trips to sights in London, Wales and Paris during that memorable year. 

Marvin retired from Gilbarco in 1985 but continued as a consultant to the company for a couple of years. He and Lorraine moved to Kernersville in 1978 and built many great new friendships. In 2013, they moved to Countryside Village retirement community in Stokesdale. He served as chaplain for the residents association and was known for leading the group in beautiful prayers and renditions of “God Bless America.”

The greatest joy of Marvin’s life was his family—his wife, their four children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He and Lorraine traveled extensively; favorite trips were to Israel, England, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, Canada and many parts of the U.S. He loved music and often sang around the house or while driving in the car, and he thoroughly enjoyed the music at his church. He was known for his sense of humor and loved a corny joke.

Marvin was an active member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Kernersville, serving as usher, lector and sacristan. His faith was very important to him; his daily Bible readings and devotionals resulted in him reading through the Bible many times over. His favorite passage was the Sermon on the Mount.

He was generous with his time and gifts, supporting causes that were important to him and volunteering at Crisis Control Ministry, Meals on Wheels and United Way. Hobbies included playing golf, watching favorite golfers on TV (and for many years at the Greater Greensboro Open), watching the Boston Red Sox play (especially during the Ted Williams years), growing tomatoes in his home garden, reading novels, solving crossword puzzles, playing bingo at Countryside Village and visiting with family and friends.

Marvin is survived by a family who will miss him greatly: his wife, Lorraine, of Stokesdale; his children Robert Veto (Martha) of Macon, Georgia, Marvin T. Veto of Greensboro, N.C., Diane Veto Parham (Terry) of Columbia, S.C., and David Veto of Charlotte, N.C.; seven grandchildren—Rachel Veto Chabot (Jeff) and Charlie Veto of Macon, Georgia; Meredith Martinez Veto (Gustavo) of Guadalajara, Mexico, Jack Veto of Pleasant Garden, N.C., Katie Parham of New York City, N.Y., Annie Parham of Philadelphia, Pa., and Paul Veto (Laura Beth) of Charlotte, N.C.; and three great-grandchildren, Emiliano and Teddy Martinez and Annabel Veto.

Vigil and visitation will be Tuesday, Aug. 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Pierce-Jefferson Funeral Services, 213 W. Mountain St., Kernersville, N.C. Funeral mass and committal will be Wednesday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 616 S. Cherry St., Kernersville, N.C. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro, Meals on Wheels at Senior Services, Inc., of Forsyth County, or the charity of your choice.