Roy Marburger, of the clan known for Marburger Farm Dairy, died Jan. 10 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He was 94.
Marburger lived in McCandless with his wife, Janet Lindsey Marburger, for nearly 70 years.
Born to Victor Wahl Marburger and Hazel McCandless Marburger in 1930, he grew up on his family’s Butler County farm next to the land where his uncle, Adam, would eventually establish the Marburger dairy business in 1938.
Opting to become a mechanical engineer, Marburger graduated from Grove City College in 1951. Soon after, he served two years on an Army base in Maryland. Later in life, he earned a master’s degree from Duquesne University.
In 1979, Marburger founded Dynamic Equipment Corp. with Larry Kondas in Pittsburgh’s North Side. The company designed and manufactured heavy industrial equipment, often for use in steel mills, that became utilized throughout the country. Marburger ran Dynamic Equipment until age 86, when he sold the company in 2016.
Anna Marburger said she remembers her grandfather as a “jovial” lover of corny jokes and a great storyteller.
One story in particular, she said, involved her grandfather having to hide the “biggest news of the 20th century” from his family.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Roy’s family went out for a drive without him. An 11-year-old Roy, known for his sweet tooth, snuck out of the house to buy a treat from a local market. There, he was informed of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the American entrance into the World War II.
When his family later arrived home and turned on the radio, Roy feigned surprise so his family would not know of his secret trip to the market. Anna said the story was popular among family.
During another historic moment, while working at Mesta Machine’s plant in West Homestead, Roy happened to meet Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev when he visited the United States in 1959. According to Anna, the leader gave Roy a lapel pin.
David Marburger, Roy’s eldest son, said his father was funny, caring and “endlessly competitive.” If he were a cartoon character, David said his dad would have been Fred Flintstone.
“My dad had character, but more than that, he was a character. He was very funny and very creative,” David said.
Growing up, David said his father encouraged him and his three siblings to attend college and pursue careers they genuinely enjoyed. He pushed his children to participate in sports and often could be found in the stands supporting his children and grandchildren at swim meets.
Anna said her grandfather was a skilled bridge player and often won matches of “Oh hell,” the family’s preferred card game.
Despite his competitive edge, David said his dad was always an encouraging figure.
“We never were made to feel like we failed. We were always made to feel like, ‘Today wasn’t such a good day; go get them tomorrow,’ ” David said.
David said he remembers one instance when he was particularly “overwhelmed” during his first year at Syracuse University. Homesick, David said he continually called home for consolation from his parents at his dorm’s phone booth.
One day, talking with his mother on the phone, David said he heard a knock on the booth. He turned to find his father, who had ventured from McCandless to see his son, who he knew to be struggling.
They spent a few days with each other in Syracuse, which lifted David’s spirits, he said. The incident, he said, still makes him emotional to this day.
“It was such a surprise and exactly what I needed at that time, and my dad was sort of like that,” David said. “When there was a problem to be solved, suddenly he would just appear.”
Marburger is survived by his wife of 72 years, Janet Lindsey Marburger; four children, David Marburger of Cleveland, Dan Marburger of Fountain Hills, Ariz., Sally Mark of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and Susan (Dan) Shannon of Leonardtown, Md.; and seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by his siblings, Victor Marburger, Lucille Marburger, Helen Slack, Hazel Grabman, Grace Marburger and Eleanor Hays.
A service celebrating Roy’s life will convene on Saturday, May 17, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in McCandless.