Marshal Sylvan

Marshall Sylvan, a loving, kind, and generous husband, father, friend and teacher passed away September 3, 2026, at the age of 91 in Santa Cruz, California.

Born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois on April 8, 1935, to the late Meyer and Etta Sylvan, Marshall spent his youth and young adult life in the midwest.

After forgoing a career as a professional bowler in favor of mathematical statistics, and after a career pit stop in Colorado, Marshall made his way to the west coast to earn a PhD in Statistics from Stanford University. Simultaneously, UCSC was established and Marshall became a founding faculty member and spent the remainder of his career as a professor teaching probability and statistics. Marshall was well liked by his students and known for his kindness. Rather than exploring the frontiers of mathematical statistics, Marshall preferred to collaborate with researchers and professionals, applying his expertise to “everyday” problems. As he once put it, he liked “looking over the shoulder” of professionals in a variety of fields. Marshall had wide-ranging interests: woodworking, leather working, golf, attending live music events, cooking and lending a helping hand to his family and friends.

In addition to his parents, Marshall was preceded in death by his brother Irwin. He is survived by his wife Karen, his brother Donald (Anne), his son Jonathan (Cathy Cuddihy), his daughter Charlotte (Robert Flood), his granddaughter Clara and his nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will take place at Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel on September 14, 2026 at 12:15 p.m. Burial will follow in the Santa Cruz Memorial Park at 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Teen Kitchen Project, teenkitchenproject.org or the Santa Cruz Symphony, santacruzsymphony.org