Ed Marszal’s Family Celebrates a Life and Newborns

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - A Sacramento pillar of business and philanthropy, Ed Marszal died on March 21. He was 74. Born in a working class Cleveland, Ohio neighborhood, this descendant of Polish immigrants was the first of his family to attend college. After graduation, he served the Army then cultivated an astonishing flair for retail. In 1981, Marszal bought a run-down Carmichael service station and began pumping gas. Days before his death, the Marszal family operation – now known as California Retail Management – opened its 43^rd gas and convenience store business in South Lake Tahoe.

His daughter and son take over an empire with Chevron, 76 and Shell stations in three states.

Although his passing came after a long illness, the Carmichael resident lived energetically into his final weeks. “He got a bonus of three years that no doctor thought he would get,” says his wife of 40 years, Susan. “During that time, his son and daughter both married and gave him grandchildren. He built the home of his dreams in Hawaii and lived there for four months. He got last rites from Jesuit High School’s President, Father John McGarry. My children and I heard Ed whisper ‘Amen.’ He knew it was time.”

Days earlier, daughter Annie Marszal Fass had delivered her first child. “Dad had Facetime with me and the baby,” she reports. “He was tearful and proud that we named little Eddie after him.”

Honoring the late Ed, his swaddled namesake and son Adam Marszal’s new-born Lucy, Marszal’s heirs this week decked the Marconi and Walnut Avenue Chevron station in blue and pink. The gesture revisited history: at Annie’s 1983 birth, her father swathed his macho business in pink ribbons. “He told us people drove by honking horns,” says Annie (37). “His station was quite a neighborhood center. Customers went there on Saturdays just to hang out with dad. He planned to decorate it in pink and blue last month, to celebrate both his grandkids. By doing it now, we’re fulfilling dad’s dreams.”

Fulfilling dreams was a big part of Mr. Chevron’s business. Ed Marszal served boards for Make a Wish and United Cerebral Palsy Foundations. He donated generously to any number of police charities and wrote big checks for the 11-99 Foundation in aid of bereaved CHP families.  “Dad’s focus was on children,” says son Adam. “When he was a little boy, a family friend gave him a nickel. He never forgot how happy that gift made him. When we ate lunch at a restaurant, dad handed kids dollar bills for their piggy banks. He just loved to make people happy.”

He also liked to make them laugh. Marszal’s humor was exemplified by his marriage proposal. “Ed got on his knees and flashed this gaudy, cheap ring,” recalls Susan Marszal. “I was surprised at his taste, but I said yes. When he asked if I liked the ring, I tried to enthuse. Then he pulled a beautiful diamond solitaire from his pocket and he said he’d brought this other one, just in case.”

Fun was interspersed with decades of hard work. It’s an understatement to say Ed Marszal came a long way from the nine-year-old Cleveland kid who sold rescued golf balls back to their owners. “He was a natural-born entrepreneur,” says his son. “He knew an older guy was also collecting balls from around the golf course. Dad figured people might prefer to deal with a cute kid. So he paid the other guy to find balls and he sold them to the golfers at a profit. Our grandfather wanted dad to join him in the newspaper printing trade. But dad’s passion was to run a business of his own.”

With college and the Army behind him, Marszal moved to California and sold auto accessories. “I felt I could run a gas station at least as well as the guys I was selling tires to,” he recalled. “I didn’t plan an empire. I just wanted to make one station work.” He launched Carmichael Chevron and turned his hand to selling gas, checking under hoods and mopping floors. His bride commuted from the Bay Area to pump gas at weekends. “People like family businesses,” Marszal considered. “We always had someone available to run out and help customers. We never charged for air or water. Our cashiers were the most important people in our company; their friendliness determined whether people came back.” This ethic shaped his children’s careers. “Dad had two rules,” notes marketing specialist Adam Marszal. “Rule One: the customer is always right. Rule Two: if the customer is wrong, refer to Rule One.”

When an early customer wanted her car washed, Marszal soaped the sedan himself.  “Watching me, my employees learned never to pass up an opportunity to extend service,” he explained. “From then, we put carwashes in all our stations.” While alert to innovation, Marszal treasured the continuity of old retainers and family. Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Valentina was his right hand for 37 years. Daughter Annie has worked 10 years for California Retail Management and son Adam joined its marketing team in 2015. “My kids did their share of cleaning restrooms,” boasted their dad. “I wanted them to learn how important every role in our business was.”

During his 50 high-octane years in the gas industry, Marszal established stations in California, Ohio, Georgia, Hawaii and Nevada.  He saw rivals come and go. “Many lost their focus on service,” considered the veteran. “Over the years, our friendly service constantly opened doors for more customers. The gasoline engine will be around for many more decades. As for gas stations, I believe the strong and the friendly will survive.”

A memorial for Ed Marszal will be held in Carmichael next week; a Catholic mass is planned for Cleveland in May.  In June, ohana (family and friends) will gather on the island of Maui. “Ed loved living in Carmichael,” explains his wife. “He had strong family ties to Cleveland. Maui was our special place to rest and renew. He had friends everywhere. They’ll all want to celebrate his life.”  She last week looked through his desk and found a note scribbled by his hand: “Do not mourn that which you lost -- rejoice instead that you had it.”

“That’s what we’ll do,” says the widow. “We’ll always rejoice that we had Ed in our lives.”

For information of Ed Marszal’s Carmichael service E mail: [email protected]