Eppa Marvin Soles, 96, of North, Va., took the hand of his precious Lord Jesus and was escorted to his Heavenly home on April 8, 2016.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Grace E. Soles.
He is survived by a son, Danny Soles (Norma); two daughters, Rochelle Bartlett (Charlie) and Robin Fletcher (David) and a very special adopted daughter, Carmen Hart; six grandchildren, John Parlett, Shannon Parlett, Jon Bartlett, Justin Bartlett and Troy Soles and a very special adopted granddaughter, Lori Penny; nine great-grandchildren; his loving sister, Evelyn Rose Hudgins; numerous nieces and nephews and one exceptional nephew, J.W. Soles, who was like a son to him.
He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1942-1944. Marvin owned his own trucking business and one of the many things he did during that time was help build the road to the Amoco Oil Refinery. When he retired in 1983, he went to work as a security guard at the refinery for the next 27 years, retiring at the young age of 90.
After miraculously recovering from a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in 2005, he acquired the name “Marvelous Marvin the Miracle Man.” He was marvelous in every way! In 2010, after losing his wife, retiring for the second time, and recovering from major surgery, in order to stay busy at home, he began designing bracelets. During the last five years of his life, he found great pleasure in creating approximately 30,000 beautiful bracelets and found great joy in giving them away.
He was a loving husband, exceptional father and one of the kindest, most generous, loving and joyful human beings this world has ever known. He woke up every day with the mission of bringing joy to everyone he met. This world will never be the same without him.
The family received friends on Sunday, April 10, from 6-8 p.m. at Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home, Mathews, Va. The funeral service was held on Monday, April 11, at 1 p.m. at Foster-Faulkner Funeral Home with interment at Spring Hill Baptist Church Cemetery, Cobbs Creek, Va.
Memorial donations may be made to the Church of the Nazarene, P.O. Box 246, Hudgins, Va. 23076 or the Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 723, Mathews, Va. 23109.