Marvil (Koch) Calvert

Marvil June Frances (Koch) Calvert, age 86, of Lafayette (formerly Delphi), passed away on April 24, 2023 in Lafayette.  She was born on November 26, 1936 in Lafayette, Indiana to the late James Koch and Viola (Kendall) Koch Periche.   The oldest of six children, she was raised in Lafayette, in the St. Elizabeth’s Hospital neighborhood, and later West Lafayette (Division Road).  She attended St. Lawrence Catholic School and St. Francis High School.  A fierce lover of all living things, she was loyal throughout her life to the confirmation saint she chose, Saint Francis of Assisi.   Marvil lived in the Lafayette and Delphi areas for most of her life, except for a year in Ceylon(now Sri Lanka).  In her twenties, she worked at a jewelry store and also taught dance lessons at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in downtown Lafayette.  For many years, she was a school bus driver for Hershey/East Tipp and Delphi Public Schools.  She owned several businesses over the years, including the Hilltop Shell and the Home Movie Center, both located in Delphi.  In her later years, she operated a business selling t-shirts and sweatshirts at regional festivals and various local malls.  Marvil was an outgoing, friendly, and an energetic person who had an infectious laugh and life was always interesting around her.  She was a free and independent person and lived life on her terms until the end.  She had many interests and passions including singing, gardening, canning, sewing, crafting, crocheting, cooking, wine making, and herbal medicine.  Her greatest passion, however, was animals and over the years she raised many animals on the farm, Himalayan cats, and dog breeds including Poodles, Yorkshire Terriers, Shih Tzus, Afghan Hounds, and finally her favorite, Papillons.  She operated Wild Havens Papillons in her retirement and sold many puppies to grateful families all across the country.  Marvil was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Delphi, and generational family church, St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Lafayette.

Marvil is survived by her son David Handy and daughters Selma Al-Abbas (Dave Getzin), Susan Al-Abbas (Marty Lake), and Shari Jackson (Tom), her grandchildren Tanya, Summer, Sydney, Brenna, Madison, Joseph, Jane, Marian, and many great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.  She is also survived by her siblings: Carol Kincaid, Dale Koch, Darryl Koch, and Carl Koch. She was preceded in death by her sister Cheryl Rayburn, her parents, and stepfather, Juan Periche.
A memorial mass will be celebrated at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Lafayette, Indiana on June 5 at 11:00 am followed by burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, please donate in her memory to this Indiana senior dog rescue:  https://taffystouchrescue.com/donate