Stephen Duncan Marvel
Jan. 17, 1961-April 5, 2025
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Submitted by Kerri Marvel

Stephen "Steve" Duncan Marvel, born on January 17, 1961, in Wilmington, DE, embarked on a life rich with music, enduring friendships, and a long marriage to his wife. Though known to most as Steve, his mother and sister lovingly called him Stephen. His musical journey began early, encouraged by a saxophone-playing stepfather, leading him to sing in a band by age 12 and explore various genres, primarily rock and country.

At 21, seeking new adventures, but leaving behind family and good friends (like Louis C.), Steve moved across the country to attend College of Recording Arts in San Francisco. There, he forged a lifelong bond with his first roommate, Eric, who later facilitated Steve's induction into the "Knight Crew," a close-knit group from Yuba City, CA, marked by a symbolic ankle tattoo. His time in California also brought him another dear friend, Rich P., through a softball league, and later, Chris K., during his years working for SuperShuttle out of the San Francisco airport. Steve transitioned into the car dealership industry, from sales to service management, where he met another lifelong friend, Dave. Steve worked as a Director of Fixed Operations at a variety of car dealerships for over 20 years.

Music remained a central passion. In the mid-1980s, Steve co-founded the band, “Ruby Shoes”, writing original music. For a while, there was talk of the band being signed to a record label. Of the three of them, only Tom C remains, living in San Francisco. While Ruby Shoes was the first of many bands, Steve consistently held the role of lead singer. His most enduring musical endeavor was the band, Public Eye, formed in 1993. This versatile cover band, known for its eclectic repertoire spanning the 60s, folk, rock, country, and hits from 80s bands like The Cars, U2, and AC/DC, performed extensively at pubs, wineries, and private events, including several years at Brentwood's "CornFest". For almost 20 years, Public Eye played almost monthly at Main Street Brewery in Pleasanton for years, including the bar’s annual Halloween party. Despite changes in band members, Steve remained Public Eye's lead singer for over three decades, also performing solo shows. A multi-instrumentalist, he played lead, rhythm and bass guitar, and some piano and drums. The number of gigs per year decreased some as the band members got a little older. Steve remained close to many of his bandmates over the years, long after they were no longer playing at gigs. What Steve loved the most about music was using music and song to bring people together, to see them dance, to perform for them. That was when he was in his element. He frequently would hand a tambourine to an audience member and have them tap out some percussion up on the stage. Depending on the crowd at any particular venue, Steve was known for changing the lyrics of whatever song he was singing to fit what was going on in the world (or just in the venue). Some of his favorite bands were Scorpions, Beatles, Oasis; typically, he’d see the Scorpions in concert every time they came through town. His favorite song of all time was The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony," which he always said he’d like played at his funeral.

In the early 1990s, Steve met Kerri Winters (Marvel), whom he married on April 9, 1994. Louis, Rich and Chris all stood up at their wedding. They shared nearly 30 years together, making a home in Livermore before settling in Brentwood for over two decades. Though they had no children, their home was filled with numerous cats, two dogs, and even a dwarf rabbit. In 2021, a new chapter began when Steve accepted a Service Manager position in Reno, NV, leading them to move to Sparks with their German Shepherd, Bronn.

Steve was a huge boating enthusiast. He and his wife owned boat(s) and took them out on the Delta for 25 years; mostly with friends in tow, swimming and finding their favorite watering holes.

Steve was also a devoted sports enthusiast, a loyal fan of the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers, even holding season tickets and enjoying San Francisco games with their Party RV. He loved to watch men's professional golf and NASCAR on Sundays. He always said he loved the ‘cadence of an MLB baseball game’. He loved to watch documentaries based on famous sports figures.

He greatly enjoyed movies, such as "The Godfather" series and all "Star Wars" films. Steve loved to recite lines from movies. Whether it was just because it seemed fitting for what was going on at the time, or because he wanted people to guess what the movie was. He was pretty well known for that. His wife and he tried to outsmart each other, even to the point of placing bets, trying to stump the other one on a movie line.

Tragically, Steve's later years were marked by a serious struggle with alcohol dependence, an addiction that ran in his family. Despite overcoming past battles with other substances, he was unable to conquer alcoholism, which eventually impacted his career, his marriage (ending in August 2024), and ultimately, his life. He passed away on Saturday, April 5, at the age of 64, in his apartment in Myrtle Beach, SC, where he had moved to be near his mother and sister. His death certificate cited "cardiac arrest due to coronary artery disease, chronic alcoholism with cirrhosis."

Steve is survived by his ex-wife Kerri Marvel, his mother Monnie Dancy, his sister Rhonda Wampler, numerous cousins and second cousins across California, South Carolina, and West Virginia, and of course, so many friends.

Steve singing in his band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peS1X52kWns

Tags: arts/media