MARVICSIN DENNIS J

MAJ Dennis "Maverick" J. Marvicsin was a VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 07/23/2004 at the age of 64.0 from Heart surgery
Tampa, FL
Flight Class 65-4W
Date of Birth 07/13/1940
Served in the U.S. Army
Served in Vietnam with A/502 AVN in 65-66, C/3/17 CAV in 68-69
Call signs in Vietnam MAVERICK 32, ASSASSIN 36
This information was provided by Fernando De Pierris, Ken Mulholland

More detail on this person: Dennis Marvicsin died Friday morning at 5:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Hospital in Tampa after heart surgery on Thursday. Dennis had a bad heart valve since his youth but it was never a problem until recently when the doctors advised him he needed some corrective surgery. Prior to and during the surgery the doctors discovered two blockages which required by-pass procedure along with the valve repair. Judd Chapin saw Dennis Thursday night and all appeared OK. In fact, Dennis was sitting up in the ICU eating ice cream. Early Friday morning Dennis went into cardiac arrest and did not recover.

Dennis' wife Sharon is being assisted by Judd Chapin (Eagle 8 pilot with Dennis) and Dick Fortenberry (Dennis' RVN stick buddy).

Mike Wyman (VHPAF president) and I will handle flowers from the chapter. No funeral arrangements have been made as of Friday night.

This is a big shock to us all. I saw Dennis at Peter O Knight airport last week and he looked great.

Mike Wyman:

Judd Chapin:

So long Dennis, you will always be remembered by your country for a job well done.

Ken Mulholland, VHPAF Treasurer

MARVICSIN, Dennis (Denny) John, 64, of Tampa, passed away July 23, 2004, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, following surgery. Born in Mansfield, Ohio, Mr. Marvicsin moved to Tampa in 1980 while on active duty at MacDill Air Force Base and made Tampa his home after retiring from the U.S. Army. He was a man of many interests, an owner of local businesses, finance manager for several auto dealerships, a professional pilot and an avid Harley rider. In 1990 his combat memories were published called "Maverick: The Personal War of a Vietnam Cobra Pilot". He received a B.S. degree (Cum Laude) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He currently was a pilot for U.S. Helicopters, Inc., flying Eagle 8 for WFL A-TV and The Tampa Tribune. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, Army Aviation Association, Order of the Purple Heart, Association of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association, National Broadcast Pilots Association and Fraternal Order of Mason/Scottish Rite, Tampa Fellowship Lodge 265. He is survived by his wife, Sharon Less Marvicsin; sons, Michael Paul and wife, Beth, and Dennis Scott and wife, Cindy; and grandchildren, Nicholas and Alyssa. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Sharon Less for the Dennis Marvicsin Memorial Fund, c/o Smith Barney, 100 N. Tampa St., Suite 3000, Tampa, FL 33602. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 31, 2004, at Grace Family Church, 5101 Van Dyke Rd., Lutz, FL 33558, with Pastor Doug Henders officiating. Full military honors will be afforded by Fort Stewart Army Honor Guard and a fly over by the Eagle 8 helicopter. The family will gather to receive friends from 10 a.m. until time of service at 11 a. m. at Grace Family Church.

This information was last updated 05/18/2016

Please send additions or corrections to: HQ@vhpa.org VHPA Headquarters

Return to the Helicopter Pilot DAT name list

Return to VHPA web site

Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024


Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association