Francis Marvin Atchley was born on August 13th, 1937 in Fillmore, CA to Edna Ruth (Parker) and Marvin Carl Atchley. He passed away on September 16th, 2021 as a result of a short battle with lung cancer. He tragically lost his mother in 1940 and was raised by his father, a citrus farmer, who ingrained in him the skills for practical living. Marv’s four older sisters doted on their only brother. His childhood on the Shields Ranch in Bardsdale fostered a lifelong love for nature and exploration. Marv graduated from Fillmore High in 1955 and was a perennial class favorite. With a strong engineering mind, Marv attended UC Berkeley where a summer job for Ernest Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron, led to a position at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. He retired as the Director of Computer Operations.
In 1968, Marv purchased 20 acres on Spring Mountain in Napa County where he carved out 5 acres for a vineyard. Marv made his own wine for personal use for many decades but later sold his grapes to Correlation.
Marv was a remarkably talented and well-read man who mastered everything he did from viticulture to electronics to music. He devoted over 35 years of service to the performing arts in the Napa Valley; his retirement revolved around the St. Helena Community Band and the St. Helena Choral Society. With his jaunty beret and dark mustache, he cut a dashing figure and was a beloved musician.
Marv married Judith Bramell of Berkeley, CA in 1959. They raised two daughters and divorced in 1978. Marv married Judith Emsley Rochios in 1988 with whom he spent many happy years. He is preceded in death by his parents, and his four sisters: Evelyn, Christine, Mary, and Joann. He is survived by his wife, his daughter Sara Atchley Thomas (Duncan) of St. Helena, his daughter Jennifer Atchley Montoya (Angel) of Las Cruces, NM, grandson Woodrow Montoya, and brother-in-law, Richard Hackney of Fillmore, CA. Services will be held at a later date.