David Emile Marquis

David Emile Marquis believed a single day could hold two good things. In Wellfleet, that meant the ocean in the morning and a freshwater pond in the afternoon. Across a life, it meant he was never quite done — always ready to move on to the next round of golf, the next ride, the next trip, the next bit of fun he could wring out of the time he had. He was, simply, one of the most alive people anyone who knew him had ever met. David died on June 18, 2026, after an eighteen-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 70.

Born in Hamden, Connecticut, on May 16, 1956, Dave grew up in Hamden, raised his own family in Branford, and spent the last eleven years of his life in Orange County, California. He began his career as a special education teacher — which is where he met Joanne Ahern, a fellow teacher who would become his wife and his partner for the next forty-three years. He later earned a master’s degree in computer science from Southern Connecticut State University and went on to serve as head of information technology there.

He was a hard worker, always busy around the house or at the office, and a devoted golfer. Between his weekly league, his annual Vermont trip, and countless hours hitting balls in the backyard, the game was a constant. He loved the outdoors just as much — bike riding (until his famous elbow), hiking, fishing, and summer trips to Lake Conway and the Cape.

He was a wonderful father, and he taught his sons mostly by example: how to put in hard work and still make it look easy, how to be a friend and a buddy to your own kids, how to meet people with a smile, and how to find joy in simple things that cost nothing. To him, the most important thing of all was time with his family and his good friends. A man of faith, he stopped most mornings before work at Saint Mary’s Church in New Haven to pray.

There was a particular cruelty in Parkinson’s coming for a man who never wanted a day to end early — and he met it, for eighteen years, with the same spirit he met everything else: rarely complaining, except, perhaps, that the day was over too soon.

David is survived by Joanne (Ahern) Marquis, his wife of 43 years, whom he married on November 13, 1982; his two sons, John Marquis (and his wife, Grace) and James Marquis (and his wife, Katie); his brother, Phil Marquis; his sister, Lynn Marquis; and four grandchildren.

A service will be held on June 25 at 2:00 p.m. at Pacific View Mortuary and Memorial Park, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar, California.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Michael J. Fox Foundation, in David’s memory, in support of Parkinson’s research.

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