Marvin Harvey Billings' Obituary
Marvin Harvey Billings
November 24, 1939 – September 13, 2020
Marvin was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Ella Kate and Thomas Billings. Growing up in the projects, he lived for a time, across the street from Elvis Presley and this colored his view of music for the rest of his life. One of his favorite memories was of Elvis’ mother inviting the neighborhood kids over to watch their new tv – the first in the neighborhood. He attended Humes middle and high schools until the 11th grade when his mother moved the family to Longview, Texas and then to Amarillo. There, Marvin graduated from Amarillo High.
During and after HS, he worked at the now historic Paramount Theatre first as an usher (they wore former uniforms that had been retired from a local Elevator Operators guild. He always got a kick out that.) Soon, he was promoted to making popcorn in concessions, then running the film projectors. He had memories of when the movie “Giant” came out, as well as “Gone With the Wind” – they were long movies with an intermission so he had to run down to Concessions to help sell popcorn during the break.
Marvin next worked fulltime at R&R Electronics in tv repair and sales while also working part-time as a night time radio DJ for an AM station. There he enjoyed playing vinyl records and speaking about the artists – especially noting when the Beetles hit American airwaves.
During this time, he joined R&R’s company bowling team where he would become friends with his future father-in-law, Harry Bell, Having met his wife Leslie on a blind date, he didn’t know who her father was until he went to pick her up. Luckily, their friendship survived although Marvin attributed some of that to Harry not wanting to lose a good bowler.
Upon moving to Dallas in 1967, Marvin got a sales job with Texas Instruments. Later, he transferred to Round Rock, Texas when the company opened a new campus in Austin. After 17 years there, he went to work for a sound and electronic manufacturer rep company, J. Y. Schoonmaker Co. and ended up based out of Dallas. One of his favorite parts of the job was attending Dallas Cowboy games to ensure that the new Telex wireless
headphones that the coaching staff wore worked throughout the game. He also monitored the new instant replay cameras. After retirement, Marvin held a range of jobs including Building Superintendent at the La Tour Condos in Dallas, and opening up a new Central Market setting up the produce section.
Marvin was preceded in death by his wife Leslie, mother Ella Kate, and sister Helen Rogers. He is survived by daughter Leanne Hedrick and husband Gary, granddaughters Rebekah Tapper and husband Jay, Elisabeth Hedrick-Moser, Danielle Hedrick, Kimberly Meitzen and husband Walt, and grandson Timothy Hedrick and wife Christina - as well seven great grandchildren. Marvin, you will be missed. We will close with your standard goodbye at the end of an evening, “Bye-bye and see you later.”
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