Marvin J. & Gloria M. (Nee Dybul)
Garland
*Visitation for Marvin and Gloria will be held on Thursday, June 4, 2026 from 10:00am – 12:00pm followed by a service at 12:00pm at OKLAHOMA AVENUE LUTHERAN CHURCH 5335 W. Oklahoma Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53219. Private burial at Arlington Park Cemetery.
Marvin Joseph Garland and Gloria Mary Garland (nee Dybul) passed away within 12 days of each other. Marvin passed away on May 13, 2026, at the age of 90 after fighting a battle with Vexas Syndrome. Gloria passed away on May 25, 2026, at the age of 88, primarily from Broken Heart Syndrome. They will be remembered as a loving and devoted husband and wife, and as cherished parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.
Marvin and Gloria are survived by their sons, Brad (Carrie) and Scott (Paula) Garland, and daughter, Michelle (Brian Sr.) Lenski. They are further survived by six grandchildren: Brenda (Josh) Heinecke, Heather (Matthew) Bergmann, Lukas Garland, Mariah Garland, Brian Jr. (Diana) Lenski, and Rebecca (Ryan) England. Their six great-grandchildren—Toby, Stella, Mack, Emelina, Valentino, and Rylee—brought them many moments of joy. Marvin is preceded in death by his parents, Orin and Elsie Garland; his brother, Maynard; and his sister, Marcella. Gloria is survived by her brother, Ron (Ruth) Dybul, and preceded in death by her mother, Florence Kindler, and father, Henry Dybul.
Marvin and Gloria graduated from Pulaski High School, where they met and were high school sweethearts that eventually reconnected. They were married on January 11, 1958, at the age of 22 and 20 and recently celebrated their 68th anniversary. They had a special relationship that included playing cribbage almost every evening, a kiss goodbye when they parted, and a devotion to each other that was unmatched. In the end, their love showed how dependent they were on each other and their need to be together.
Marvin worked for Chicago Northwestern Railroad (now Union Pacific), retiring after a 44 year career. He maintained friendships with the “railroad guys” and enjoyed the monthly retiree breakfast. Gloria was a bookkeeper for a bus company until she retired to help care for her lovely grandchildren.
Marvin loved motorcycles and was a founding member of Milwaukee Sport Riders Motorcycle Club. Owning motorcycles most of his life introduced the love for riding to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Gloria even rode a small enduro motorcycle around town to work. Motorcycling created many lifetime friends for both of them and their children, providing everyone with fond memories of picnics, rides, and good times. Marvin enjoyed watching his son Brad race motocross and went on scenic rides with his son Scott and grandson Luke. Gloria mostly worried about them, as a true mother always does.
The family cabin built by Marvin’s father on Grindle Lake, outside Mountain, Wisconsin, was the focal point of summer family life. “Upnorth” visits led to lifelong friendships. Marvin loved to fish every evening and taught his children and grandchildren to fish. Gloria appreciated the quiet and read many books. They were gracious hosts, quick to offer everyone who visited an Old Fashioned, and spent many evenings around the campfire followed by cards or dominoes.
Deer hunting was another sport that brought Marvin’s family together, hunting with family in Tigerton, WI along with his sons and grandchildren. He loved the outdoors and bagged his last buck when he was 87 years old. Although Gloria did not go deer hunting, she enjoyed deer hunting season as a time to cook her favorite foods, prepare for the holidays, and relax.
Gloria was a woman of great intelligence, grace and many incredible talents. Every birthday she decorated amazing cakes for her children; she even made a wedding cake. Her children cherish all of the crafts she made throughout the years such as wood painted holiday decorations and ornaments, crocheted art, and tin punch. Michelle especially loved her sewing abilities and the many dresses she made, including a prom dress and her wedding veil.
As an avid sports fan, Marvin loved all sports, but especially football, NASCAR, and bowling. He always ran football pools, watched games or races on TV, and cheered loudly with lots of “passion.” Marvin was on a bowling team most of his adult life. When he stopped bowling around the age of 85, he became the #1 fan and would watch his teams every week. Gloria and Marvin bowled in a couples league for many years.
A fun fact for Gloria is that she skipped a grade ahead and could have gone to college on a full scholarship. A little-known fact was Marvin’s love for WWII aircraft and his ability to name all of them and what they were used for.
The family would like to thank the dedicated and compassionate staff at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Center at St. Luke’s Hospital for the care they provided to Marvin. We are especially grateful and give thanks to the Aurora Zilber Family Hospice for the care they provided to Marvin and Gloria in their final days.
A combined service for Marvin and Gloria will be held on June 4, 2026, at Oklahoma Ave. Lutheran Church, located at 5335 W. Oklahoma Ave., Milwaukee, WI, 53219. Visitation will be from 10:00 AM–12:00 PM, followed immediately by the service of Christian burial at the church. The family would like to invite all family and friends to attend and celebrate their lives. Marvin and Gloria were married at Oklahoma Ave. Lutheran Church and were lifelong members. As parents, they instilled a faith in Christ that assures us we will be reunited again in heaven. In lieu of flowers, they requested donations be made to the church they loved, Oklahoma Ave. Lutheran Church.
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I will miss my aunt and uncle very much. Such a wonderful couple.
I will always remember the Teddy Bear cake Gloria made for my birthday when I was young. It was amazing! It was a sitting up Teddy Bear! I had no idea then how difficult this was and I appreciate it now even more then I did then. She was very talented and a very sweet person.
I will miss Marvin’s smile and how caring of a person he was. My father( Marv’s brother) and Marvin spent many hours hanging out together and seemed to talk on the phone sometimes daily.
Im glad to know that Marvin and Gloria are reunited, and together for eternity. They will be missed.
They were a very special couple. I appreciate the friendship my son’s shared with their son s
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I too will miss my Aunt Gloria and Uncle Marvin. Such a sweet and loving couple. Marvin was my dad Maynard’s younger brother, and often visited when I was young. The two both worked at the C&NW railroad and must have had many stories and news to share about what happened at work. At one point, my Uncle continually encouraged me to take up a musical instrument, particularly the one that he played, the accordion. Despite this being the 60’s, when rock & roll guitar was all the rage, I finally relented, got an accordion, and took several years of lessons in addition to playing in an accordion band. I think this was when I was 10-13 years old, and I am forever grateful for this as it taught me the basics of playing music, thank you Uncle Marvin. And I also will always remember the apple trees in their back yard that my Aunt Gloria made many baked treats from. You two will be missed.