Marvin Justin Brenner
April 8, 1939 - May 27, 2022
Marvin Justin Brenner passed away peacefully on May 27, 2022, from Alzheimer’s Disease. Beloved husband, father, stepfather, and grandfather, he is survived by his wife Marilyn, daughter Helen Murphy (Jonathan) of Livermore, stepsons Michael Gordon (Karen) of New York City and Brian Gordon (Gaëlle) of Marin, and six grandchildren: Jacob, Matthew, Samuel, Sarah, Ava, and Daniel. He is also survived by his brother Lawrence (Holly) of Aptos.
Marvin was born to Lillian Keen Brenner and Harry Brenner in Kansas City, Missouri in 1939, and was a lifelong Chiefs and Royals fan. He graduated from Colgate University in New York and the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor. He was one of the first Fellows of the prestigious E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship at Georgetown Law Center, where he earned his LLM.
After fulfilling his parents’ dream of working at his uncle’s law firm in Kansas City, and after working as an Assistant District Attorney there also, Marv moved to Washington, D.C. to begin a career in labor law with the Airline Pilots Association. He later moved to Los Angeles and then Palo Alto, representing pilots and later, flight attendants, out of the Burlingame office. When the Agricultural Labor Relations Act became effective in 1975, Marv became Jerry Brown’s first Chief of Litigation at the agency. He was a member of the Bar in Missouri, Washington, D.C., and California.
At the age of 41, this bachelor met Marilyn, his wife now of 41 years, through mutual friends. They were married eight months later and lived in Aptos, California. Preferring the courtroom to management duties, Marv served next as an Administrative Law Judge, hearing cases around the state and writing case decisions in his peaceful home office in Aptos where he overlooked the Monterey Bay. He later served as Regional Attorney in the agency’s largest office located in Salinas.
Marv retired in 2011, and what had been thought to be memory lapses became diagnosed as Alzheimer’s Disease. After being cared for at home in Aptos for many years, Marilyn moved him to San Francisco’s Memory Care facility at Rhoda Goldman Plaza, where he was cared for conscientiously and lovingly.
Marv was active in the Santa Cruz JCRC and Legal Aid boards. He passionately supported many Jewish causes and the State of Israel. He was a familiar and fond sight in his Aptos neighborhood, recognized by his intense focus on his newspaper as he climbed and descended hills, sometimes ending up in potholes. He read constantly, loved travel, sports, playing cards, taking walks, and was an expert in Civil War and World War II history. He is deeply loved by his family and many friends, and his loss is profoundly felt.
Marvin will be interred on Thursday, June 2nd at Home of Peace Cemetery in Colma following funeral services at the chapel there. The first night of shiva will be held at Marilyn’s San Francisco apartment at 5pm Thursday.
In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates donations to The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, to YIVO: the Yiddish Scientific Institute (YIVO.org), or to the charity of your choice.