Salvation Army

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=====John Southwood=====
**John Marvin "Marve" Southwood** is the father of 3 officers: [[Lillian Southwood Deitrick]], [[Charles Southwood]], and [[Evelyn Southwood Knaggs]].

^Marve Southwood||
^Birth Date|July 14, 1884|
^Death Date|December 28, 1956|
^Relations|[[Southwood|Southwood Family]]|

====Log Cabins and Leaders====
If Marve Southwood had wanted to become president of the United States, he undoubtedly would have run for office prior to his present 72 years.

Marve, of course, probably never had such an idea. He was too modest about his capabilities.

Marve, according to his fellow Juniors in the Akron area, did possess at least three characteristics which most presidential candidates would love to claim. He was a man of great personal dignity, and a great man in terms of good which he has done for his fellow man. And he was born in a log cabin.

J.M. (Marve) Southwood, of Portage Lakes council, first saw the light of day through the window of a log cabin on July 14, 1884. The place was Clinton village, one of the earliest settlements in Summit County.

Marve not long ago observed the 50th anniversary of his membership in the Order. He joined in 1905. At the ceremony held in his honor by the council, Marve was presented with his 50-year jewels and a life membership in the Order.

The silver-haired brother was just as proud at that moment as his foreign-born parents (his father was a Canadian; his mother, a native of Wales) were a half-century earlier when he joined the Order.

Ask any brother who knew Marve to describe the man in a few words and he'll usually mention these three attributes in his reply: hard-working, honest, devoted.

Marve was one of those rare individuals who seems to exist for the purpose of helping others. He was a long time staff member of the Salvation Army. Even at 72 years, he went to work every day as a manager of the Salvation Army department which repairs and rebuilds old furniture to be sold to needy persons.

The Salvation Army not only had left its mark of dedicated service upon Marve but also his family. Three sons are officers in the S.A. and have made service in this great organization a career. Recently one of the sons performed the marriage ceremony for a sister; another son officiated at the wedding of his daughter.

Marve has showered upon the Order the same kind of devotion which he has given the Salvation Army.

He was appointed district deputy state councilor of the Second District (Akron area) in 1922 and served in that position for eight years. So well did he carry out his assignment that he was elected National Representative from Ohio in 1925. He served 12 years representing the Buckyeye State in the National Council.

During his period of service as DDSC for the Akron area, the district showed the largest gain in membership of any district in the entire state. This was recognized in the form of a huge banner which was presented to the district.

Marve was the second man to serve in the position of district deputy for the second district.When he received his commission, he had absolutely nothing to work with. He had neither typewriter nor automobile. So he wrote the letters in longhand and traveled on foot to visit the councils of his district.

One day a brother solved the letter-writing problem by buying for Marve [Continued on page 13 of //Buckeye American//, February 1957]

====Obituary====
Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at two in the airfield-Hickman Funeral Home for John Marvin Southwood, 72, of 92 Norwood Avenue. Captain Burt Johnson and [[Walter Guldenschuh|Captain Walter Guldenschuh]] of the Salvation Army officiated. Burial was in Lakewood Cemetery.

Mr. Southwood died late last Friday in Citizens Hospital where he had been a patient a little more than an hour.

He leaves his wife, Grace; three daughters, Gladys at home, Mrs. Lillian Dietrick of Bucyrus, and Mrs. Evelyn Knaggs of Buffalo, N.Y.; five sons, Walter of Union City, N.J., Harold of North Arlington, N.J., William of Knoxville, Tenn., Raymond of Bellaire, and Charles of New York City; 15 grandchildren; three brothers, George, Roy, and William of Akron; and five sisters, Mrs. Emma Steele, Mrs. Edith Heath, and Mrs. Edna Frey, all of Barberton, Mrs. Grace Baughman of Clinton, and Mrs. Laura Clark of Orrville.

He was born in Franklin Township July 14, 1884, and was a life resident of the Franklin-Barberton area. He was a member of the Junior Order and the Daughters of America, and had played the role of Uncle Sam for 50 years. He was also long active in the Salvation Army, and a number of his children are officers in the organization. Mr. Southwood was foreman of the Salvation Army furniture department for 15 years.

====External====
  * [[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/141811846/john_marvin-southwood|Find a Grave]]