MEXICO, Mo.—Marvin Bozarth, a retread industry mainstay for the better part of six decades, died Sept. 1 at the Missouri Veterans Home in Mexico. He was 85.
Considered one of the retreading industry's foremost technical experts, Bozarth is a member of the Retreaders Hall of Fame and Tire Industry Hall of Fame and led the American Retreaders' Association (ARA) and its successor organization International Tire & Rubber Association (ITRA) for a decade.
Born Dec. 10, 1936, in Paris, Mo., Bozarth grew up on a farm nearby with 11 siblings. He joined the Army in 1955 and was stationed in Germany until his discharge in 1958.
Upon returning to the U.S., he went to work for Missouri Farmers Association Oil Co., responsible for the group's tire retread shop.