November 12, 1926 - December 20, 2019
Marvin was born in Nampa, Idaho on November 12, 1926 (on his Dad’s birthday) to Ira Marvin Hetrick and Laudena “Dena” Faye (Shepherd) Hetrick.
He went to be with his Lord and Savior on December 20, 2019, at the age of 93.
Marvin lived on a farm in Wilder, ID, from 1926-1938. His mother said he was an active little fella; she liked to dress him in red to keep track of him.
He started helping on the farm at the age of 9. When he was in 7th grade, the family moved to homestead a farm in Homedale, ID, and Marvin graduated from Homedale High School in 1944.
He was active in FFA where he received his State Farmer Degree. He attended the University of Idaho in 1945-1946 and then rented the Fisher farm in Homedale for 3 years. He returned to the University of Idaho in 1949 where he was active in ROTC and the Alpha Zeta ag fraternity.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture in the spring of 1952.
In December of 1952, Marvin and his brother, Ralph, applied for a desert-land entry on 640 acres in Orovada, NV, while they continued farming in Homedale, ID & Nyssa, Oregon. In 1954, the desert-land entry application was approved and they acquired a well-drilling rig and started drilling their first well, clearing the sagebrush and leveling the land.
“Lots of grit, rabbits and little money.” In 1958 they harvested their first crop — about 160 acres of wheat. They worked hard, didn’t believe in “getting in over their heads,” and took out very small FHA loans paying them o? as soon as they could.
They were able to pay the farm o? in the late 1980’s. Marvin & Ralph honored the Lord by not farming on Sundays and the Lord blessed them abundantly.
The farm is still in the family, being managed by his nephew, Dan Hetrick. There are about 2500 acres of irrigated land and a lot fewer rabbits!
Marvin’s sister-in-law, Phyllis Hetrick, introduced him to her cousin Laray Walz in 1959 and they started dating in 1960. Laray, ever the evangelist, started witnessing to him on their first date and stated that she could never marry an unbeliever.
After 5 years of soul-searching, he finally converted from an evolutionist to a creationist, surrendered his life to the Lord, and married Laray on July 31, 1965, in Ontario, Oregon.
They raised their children, Lisa & Kevin, in Orovada where their door was always open to missionaries passing through, field men who happened to be on the farm at lunch time, and basically anyone who showed up needing help.
Marvin was very interested in people and was adept at asking questions that encouraged them to share their stories. He had a very witty intellect coupled with a dry sense of humor which sometimes surprised people.
Marvin & Laray were very supportive of missions and many of their trips included visiting some of the missionaries they supported. One of their favorite trips was to Papua New Guinea.
Other trips were made to Australia, Canada, France, Greece, Haiti, Israel, Jordan, and New Zealand. Trips throughout the U.S. always included visiting relatives & friends along the way. Marvin was an avid photographer and documented their trips and much of his life through pictures.
There are over 90,000 photos in his computer and reels & reels of slides in the closet!
Marvin was a kind, gentle, compassionate man who loved to study and learn.
He taught his kids the value of education; they knew they could get their Dad to sit down on the floor and spend extra time with them if they told him they wanted to do phonics!
His e?orts paid o? as both kids were good readers by the time they entered the first grade. Lisa recalls the time he stayed up all night helping her make posters when she ran for student body secretary her senior year of high school.
Kevin remembers how much he learned about the value of hard work, perseverance, and innovation by watching & working alongside his Dad.
He took an active part in the community and had an appreciation of his employees, neighbors & friends. He was also a charter member of the Orovada Community Church where he served as Sunday School teacher & on the church board.
In 2005 they rented an apartment in Boise, ID, to begin transitioning o? the farm. Since 2006 he and Laray claimed Heritage Bible Church as their church Home here in Boise. The church family has been extremely supportive during this di?cult time.
Marvin is survived by his wife of 54 years, Laray (Walz) Hetrick; daughter, Lisa and her husband, Stacy Young; son, Kevin and his wife, Rebecca; granddaughters, Inna & Jessica Hetrick; brother, Ralph Hetrick; sister, Bernice Berry; in-laws, Janice and Bill Rudd, Diane Brown, Gloria and Dave Ego; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
Marvin was preceded in death by his parents, Ira and Laudena Hetrick; parents-in-law, Bill & Pauline Walz; sister-in-law, Phyllis Hetrick; and brothers-in-law, Melvin Berry & Harold Brown.
A celebration of a life well-lived will be held at 1:00 PM, March 14, at Heritage Bible Church (7071 W. Emerald Street, Boise, ID). Food will be provided by the church. Summers Funeral Home in Boise, ID, will be in charge of arrangements.
If you have memories of Marvin you would like to share with the family, please post them on the tribute wall at https://summersfuneral.com/tribute/details/169476/Marvin-Hetrick/condolences.html#content-start or mail to: Lisa Young, PO Box 118, Sumpter, OR 97877.
If you wish to honor Marvin’s memory, memorial contributions can be made to any of the following:
Ethnos360 (New Tribes Mission) https://ethnos360.org/give
Heritage Bible Church 7071 Emerald St, Boise, ID 83704
Mission Aviation Fellowship https://www.maf.org/donate
Orovada Community Church PO Box 198, Orovada, NV 89425
The family would like to thank St. Luke’s Hospice sta? for the incredible care they gave to Marvin and his family.
