Tributes pour in for Marvin ‘Preach’ Webb

For decades, Webb walked the streets of Edwardsville, running errands for local businesses and most importantly, making friends.

After his mother died, Webb lived with his brother, James Webb, in Edwardsville, and there was a time when everyone in the downtown business district knew his name.

“It began with our mother, Lillie Webb, who realized that Marvin was a special kid,” James Webb said. “She took him downtown and introduced him to all of the merchants and told them if they needed a good hard worker, her son Marvin was that guy.

“From that moment on, the doors opened up and Marvin would go to Vanzo’s Taproom, August Mirring Florist, Imber’s Men’s Wear, Schwartz’s Drugstore and a lot of other businesses around town. Miss Duffy at the Wildey Theatre used him as an usher, and he’d stay there late every night so she wouldn’t have to leave by herself. He would take the deposits from Vanzo’s and other places to the Bank of Edwardsville.”

Webb’s favorite place, though, may have been August Mirring Florist.

“They gave him two carnations every day, one on each lapel,” James said. “That was his trademark and once he got those, he would walk up and down Main Street and give them to the ladies. He did that all of his life until he couldn’t do it anymore and then he retired.”

Gwen Baird is the daughter-in-law of the late Nina Baird, who was Edwardsville’s city clerk for 21 years. She knew Webb since the early 1980s.

“I met him at the old Vanzo’s (110 St. Louis St.) and Vickie Vanzo Stassi, whose family owned the tavern for all those years, was with me over the weekend when we visited him at the hospital,” Baird said. “Preach used to come into Vanzo’s every day and he was the star there.

“My mother-in-law was in all of the events like the parades, and he was also there too. We became friends just from hanging out at Vanzo’s. The most fun was when Vickie had karaoke nights. Marvin had so many nicknames, like Cat Daddy, Preach, Marv, Elvis and Six-Timer. He always used to get up and sing at karaoke and I would sing there too. I bought him an Elvis cap and some other Elvis stuff, but he was always thrilled to be singing.”

Stassi’s family ran the original Vanzo’s Taproom on St. Louis Street, and she ran the later location on North Main Street. Webb was a fixture at both locations.

“I can remember him my entire life, but he was all over Edwardsville,” Stassi said. “Where Glik’s is now, they had the old National grocery store and if a cart was rolling in somebody’s way, he would go grab it.

“At the new Vanzo’s, he ran errands for me as well as everybody else downtown. For me, he would go to the bank and get coins and change. He came in every day for lunch, and he called me ‘Bickie’ because he couldn’t say ‘Vickie.’ I saw him three times in the hospital before he passed.”

Last week, Baird got a call from James Webb saying that his brother was in the hospital.

“I was out in Bloomington at the time, but I called Vickie and told her about it and she went to the hospital that day to visit him,” Baird said. “When I got back in town, he was still there, and he FaceTimed with me last Saturday. I ended up coming to the hospital Saturday night and he looked good, and he was in good spirits.

“We were talking about old times at Vanzo’s and I pulled up the karaoke version of ‘Kansas City’ on my phone. I hit the play button and it was like he transformed into his old self. He would snap his fingers and sing ‘Kansas City’ over and over again. The people working at the hospital started coming in and asking us if we were having a party. I stayed for a couple of hours on Saturday and I’m so glad I did. I kept playing the old tunes and he just sat back and enjoyed it.”

Sherrie Hickman, meanwhile, is a member of the Preach on Main Project. In January 2021, the group held an unveiling and dedication ceremony for a plaque honoring Preach at the Madison County Administration Building at 157 N. Main St.

The Preach on Main Project also started the Marvin “Preach” Webb Scholarship.

“I’m from Edwardsville and I’ve known Preach since I was a kid,” Hickman said. “I remember at the high school when he used to stand outside of our basketball games and remind people that they couldn’t bring food or drinks into the gym.

“I got involved with the Preach on Main Project several years ago when there was discussion of doing a statue of him. I got to know Preach’s family a little more and I’ve heard a lot of great stories about him.”

The scholarship is being administered through the Edwardsville Community Foundation and is open to students from District 7. Donations are still being accepted through the Edwardsville Community Foundation at https://www.edwardsvillecommunityfoundation.org/.

“When Preach was in third grade, they sent him home from school because they didn’t have the means to support his needs,” Hickman said. “This scholarship will help other special needs young adults gain skills to further their independence.

“We’ve had two scholarship winners and Lewis and Clark Community College has a life skills program for special needs students. Each year, a high school student is awarded a $1,000 scholarship and they have the opportunity to take classes at Lewis and Clark at both the Edwardsville and Godfrey campuses.”

James Webb is especially proud of what his brother meant to the city of Edwardsville, and what the city meant to him.

“Marvin was a piece of work and a joy to the community. He loved the city of Edwardsville and would not say anything bad about it,” James said. “He never missed a football game or basketball game at Edwardsville High School or anything else that went on there. They made him an honorary mascot.

“One time when they were having an event at SIUE, he walked all the way there, but I think somebody ended up giving him a ride home. They were amazed that he walked, but we wanted to be a part of that event and he wasn’t going to miss it.”

James also has fond memories of his brother’s relationship with the late state Senator Sam Vadalabene, who died in 1994.

“When Senator Sam was ready to go to Springfield for a black-tie dinner at the governor’s mansion, Marvin would go with him,” James said. “He would send a note home to my mother, and she made sure that Marvin was dressed up in his good suit. Senator Sam would send his driver here and pick Marvin up and off to Springfield they would go.

“Senator Sam would take Marvin to all kinds of affairs and dinners. This was back when things were racially stressed and he lived through that era, but everybody loved him. Years ago, when a Black man couldn’t sit at the counter at Schwartz’s Drugstore, (owner) Bob Schwartz loved him and he would feed Marvin lunch and dinner, and Marvin would sit there at the counter and laugh and smile.”

Many years after Vanzo’s closed, Baird and Stassi maintained their friendship with Webb.

“He lived with his brother James and for his last birthday (in January 2022), Vickie and I brought him a cake and a balloon,” Baird said. “Not long after that, I got him an Edwardsville Tigers shirt because he was the mascot of Edwardsville High School. He was always at basketball games and football games.

“When Vanzo’s was open, Vickie would give him the day’s deposits and he would walk them over to the Bank of Edwardsville. He would run errands for people all the time. He just had a heart of gold.”

Stassi has plenty of Preach stories from over the years and she shared a few of them.

“He would always bring me a card on my birthday, but because he couldn’t read, it might have been a sympathy card or a wedding anniversary card,” Stassi said, laughing. “When I was sick, he would come in with a get-well card or whatever card it might have been, plus a roll of Hall’s cough drops.

“He also had an honorary badge that the city gave him. He would go around and ‘arrest’ people and you would put your thumb on the badge like you were getting fingerprinted.”

As of Friday morning, the Preach on Main Project Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/preachonmainstatue/) had 176 comments and 178 shares about Webb’s death.

Tributes were also pouring in from current or former Edwardsville residents who still remember Preach.

“I’ve not lived in Edwardsville for 37-plus years but still have family there and so many fond memories,” Tracy Gotz of North Augusta, South Carolina, said in an email. “I remember my dad, Herb Winte, always telling me if I ever needed anything to look for Preach as he would help, and I could always trust him. Loved it when he would be at Schwartz’s counter having ice cream with me and my dad.

“Everywhere my husband has been stationed and everywhere we’ve lived, including our UAE friends, have heard me talk about Preach. Great childhood memories I will always treasure.”

Thomas Webb (no relation) was a member of the Edwardsville Municipal Band from 1964 to 1968 and noted that Preach was an “unofficial” member of the band. 

“Any concert, parade, or other performance, Preach was there,” Webb said in an email. “Setting up or taking down chairs, carrying the big suitcase that held our music, moving equipment, or just ‘directing traffic’.

“On a parade, you could look off to one side as we marched the parade route and he would be there, carrying that beat-up suitcase.  He even had his own Muni Band cap. I can’t say for certain, but I’m sure ‘Gus’ Etzkorn may have arranged to make sure Preach was compensated in some way.

“We all knew this day was before us and it has arrived. Sad to say, Edwardsville has lost an icon. Every village, town, or city has a citizen that typifies the nature of the community, and Marvin ‘Preach’ Webb defined Edwardsville.”

Kari Eaker is the owner of Eaker’s Family Barbershop, 227 N. Main St. She cannot remember a time when Preach was not part of her life.

“We’ve been open since 1951 and even before we were open, Marvin was already walking up and down Main Street,” Eaker said. “The funny thing is that he would never let my dad or grandpa cut my hair, and he didn’t start coming to the barbershop for a haircut until I came there. Prior to that, he knew my dad and grandpa and ran errands for us as well as all of the other merchants in town.

“I think people loved him because of his pure heart and his innocence. He was always happy to see everybody and always said hello to them. He would pull out his badge and say he had things under control.”

Like many people, Eaker has spent the past few days reminiscing about Webb and swapping Preach stories with friends.

“We have a couple of pictures of him in the barbershop and he’s talked about all the time,” Eaker said. “He came in for a haircut within the past couple of months. His brother James started bringing him in around the time he stopped walking up and down Main Street. He said that Preach talked about us every day and he always wanted to go downtown, even in the last few days of his life.”

Webb’s pure heart and innocence shine through in a pair of stories that Eaker shared.

“I sent him to the post office one day to buy 100 stamps and I thought they were about $49, but he came back with the stamps and pointed to the receipt,” Eaker said. “I said, ‘Preach, I didn’t give you enough money,’ but he paid $8 out of his own pocket to pay for the remainder of my stamps. Of course, I gave him the money back, but it was pretty special to me that he did that for me.

“Another time, I went to his house after he had knee surgery to give him a haircut and he was so proud to have me there with his family. He was trying to get me to cut their hair too and his brother James thought that was hilarious.”

Damon Johnson is another person whose life was touched by Webb at an early age.

“I’ve known him for 61 years, but I was 8 years old when I met Preach on Main Street in the Ben Franklin store,” Lucas said. “My mother and I were checking out and he looked down at me and said, ‘Hey kid, how are you doing?’ I looked at my mother and she said, ‘talk to him,’ so I said hello and told him my name.

“When I was 16, I started working at Schwarz’s Drugstore and I was there for four years. My name according to him was ‘Demon,’ and that’s what he called me my whole life. He gave different names to a lot of people and if you were lucky enough to be tagged with one of those names, you were part of that close circle that he always embraced.”

During his time working at Schwartz’s, Lucas would see Webb five days a week, and the two become close friends.

“When I was younger, I had a motorcycle and if I was having a day off and going down Main Street, I’d pull over and he would get on and we would take a ride,” Lucas said. “He would hold on tight, but he would wave at a few people.”

When Lucas would go on vacation, he would bring back gifts for Webb.

“Marvin would go home, and his brother James would ask where he got those presents, and he would say ‘Demon gave it to me.’ James heard about ‘Demon’ for decades and had no idea who I was,” Lucas said, laughing. “A few years ago, Marvin was in the hospital, and I stopped in to see him and James was there.

“As soon as I walked in the door, Marvin said, ‘Hey Demon, what are you doing here?’ James looks up at me and he said ‘so you’re Demon. Finally, I’ve got a face to put with the name.”

Lucas’ description of his friend provides a perfect summary of why Marvin “Preach” Webb is an Edwardsville icon who can never be replaced.

“He would give you unconditional friendship – if you were his friend, you were going to stay his friend,” Lucas said. “Other towns have their goodwill ambassadors, but we like to think that Preach was the best goodwill ambassador a town could ever have.”