Dennis Marchant

Cape native Dennis Marchant, 76, died peacefully his sleep on 21 January 2024, after a period of declining health. He was the son of Evelyn (Chase) Weeks, loving stepfather S. David Weeks, and biological father Chester Everett Marchant, Jr. His three siblings, Eileen, Alan and Bill, predeceased him. Remaining family include his wife of 55 years Vicki, grandchildren Daymian, Gabrielle, Olivia and Steven, great-grandson Rowan, daughter-in-law Jennifer Lopes, brother-in-law Donald Brown, and son Dennis Dana.

A Barnstable High School graduate of class of 1965, Dennis was in the starting line-up, and earned the coveted letters, on sports teams throughout those years as a pitcher in baseball, a running back in football and guard on the basketball team. He pitched winning games when the team won the 1965 Class C State Championship in baseball and received the N'IVP award for one of the annual Thanksgiving games against historic rival Falmouth High School.

His education at UMass Amherst was interrupted to meet his draft duty in the U.S. Army. He trained as a metal-body repairman and was stationed in Phu Bai, Vietnam. He completed his service at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and returned to the Cape to begin his 39-year career at Cape & Vineyard Electric Company.

His goal as supervisor of the electrical substation department was for his crew to not dread coming in to work and to work safely in the substation environment. The fellowship of the crew continues today long after retirement as they meet once each month for breakfast. Their pre- and post-breakfast telephone calls kept Dennis up-to-date and were deeply appreciated when he could no longer join them for breakfast.

Dennis found his passion and creative outlet designing and constructing sets for live-theater performances at the Barnstable Comedy Club, the 100+-year-old all-volunteer community theater in Barnstable Village. If you enjoyed a show at the theater over the past thirty-five years, you most likely saw his work. His construction crew learned how to navigate his standard opening line "no we can't do that" into "well, I think it will work if we . . .”. He appreciated their patience and their devotion to the task to bring enjoyment to the actors, techs, and audiences.

In addition to set design and construction, Dennis served on the Board of Directors as the House Manager and was responsible for keeping the historic building in good shape. He was a double blessing in his role because he could fix most of the issues that arise in an old building, a challenged he enjoyed over his three decades in that role.