Frank and Marg Marvin

In honor of NMF's upcoming 30th anniversary and National Philanthropy Month, we want to celebrate the contributions of our donors! We will be highlighting a donor a day for the month of November.

Please be sure to check the blog often to read about the wonderful stories of giving back to the northwest region. 


If you are interested in making a difference through the services of our community foundation, our development officers would be happy to assist you. Please contact Caryl Turnow or Lisa Peterson at 218-759-2057 to learn more.

Frank and Marg Marvin, Warroad

The year is 1931 and a frustrated Dorrance Johnston has a degree in Engineering with no jobs to be found. Persistent and not willing to give up, he offered to work for a year without pay just to get a foot in the door.

This is a mere glimpse at who Margaret “Marg” (Johnston) Marvin’s father was. Marg was born and raised in Warroad, and then met her husband Frank Marvin in their shared hometown. Both of their families had settled in the area and remained for several generations. After living in the Twin Cities for a time, the couple decided to move back home to the place where they received a good education, enjoyed the lifestyle, and could be close to their families. Frank knew that at home in Warroad, he would have a job with the family business, Marvin Windows.

If you ask Frank why he wants to live in Warroad, he’ll tell you “it’s home, it’s really home for us, (for) 100 years.” They have strong roots in the community and you can feel that connection when they talk about their lives and experiences in Warroad. Frank is animated when he speaks about the volunteer work that he witnessed his father and uncles participate in. He is proud of the projects that the community has accomplished together.

He first learned the value of the gift of time, and as their business grew, their gift of treasure followed. Marg’s own initial experiences came from her parents who helped to support their community when it was in need during hard financial times. Her mother even reached out across the ocean to support an ailing community.

Frank and Marg have worked diligently to pass these values on to their six children and now twenty-two grandchildren. On top of raising their own six children, they also had four more teens who stayed with them for extended periods. It is their upbringing and strong belief in family that inspired the Marvins to open their home and hearts to others.

It was Frank’s sister Peggy Marvin Johnson who introduced them to the Northwest Minnesota Foundation by telling her brothers “you are going to do this!” Frank agreed and has supported many NMF programs, funds and projects. Next came setting up the Dorrance H.Johnston Scholarship for Engineering Fund in memory of Marg’s father.

They support giving locally because “most of what we have…it was earned by people in this area – it should go to them!”