Obituary of Maynard L. Marquis

Maynard L. Marquis, 87, of Orange CT passed away peacefully at Hartford Hospital on December 14. 2023, with his devoted son, Dr. Maynard Jr., at his side.  He was the beloved husband of the late Mary Jane Marquis for over 62 years.

Maynard will be remembered for his loving dedication to his family, professional accomplishments as an engineer and professor, and the twinkle in his blue eyes that came with his quick wit.

He was born in New Canada, Maine to Edwin Marquis and Marie (Violette) Marquis. At the age of 6, Maynard’s family relocated to Hartford CT. Maynard attended St. Ann’s School and graduated from Hartford Public High School. He entered the Army in 1956, where his skills and natural abilities were quickly realized.  He was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers, sent to the Panama Canal Zone to survey the jungles of Panama and achieved the rank of SP-4. Maynard shared stories about his jungle adventures when he used a machete to clear his way, ate turtle meat, and camped outside “enough for a lifetime”. Shortly after his honorable discharge in 1959, Maynard married the love of his life, Mary Jane (Settipane) Marquis.  They welcomed their children, twins Maynard Jr. and Mary Jane, with love and joy while Maynard attended the University of Connecticut, where he majored in civil engineering.  At UCONN, he was inducted into the Chi Epsilon national civil engineering honor society.  Upon his graduation, he was recruited by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation to work as an aeronautical engineer and remained there for more than 35 years.  While at Sikorsky, he earned a Master’s of Science degree in engineering from Yale University. He served as President of the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Allied Weight Engineers. His work was widely acclaimed at Sikorsky while working as a weight engineer. He was responsible for a surprising milestone for an aircraft contract when he helped the Blackhawk helicopter project (UTTAS) meet specifications while remaining under the weight goal which enhanced performance and earned Sikorsky significant unprecedented bonus payments on the contract. He later worked in new product development and valued his work on an improved prototype medical evacuation cabin for the Blackhawk. Maynard took satisfaction that almost 50 years after his work on the UTTAS helicopter, the Blackhawks were still being produced and used by the US military.

Maynard took on new challenges in his retirement and taught graduate-level Java programming courses at Fairfield University, rising to the level of an adjunct professor of software engineering. Years after he retired from Sikorsky, he was asked by a company Vice President to return as a consultant, and Maynard worked for two more years on several projects in that role teaching the next generation of aeronautical engineers.

For fun, Maynard enjoyed shopping with his wife, listening to Strauss waltzes, visiting the beach, rooting for both UConn Huskies basketball teams, and playing with his grandchildren.

Maynard was predeceased by his wife, Mary Jane, as well as his older brothers Leo, Phillip, Marc, Lorn and his older sister, Sister Therese Marquis. He is survived by his son, Dr. Maynard Marquis, Jr and his wife, Ursula, and their children, Nicole and Matthew, as well as his daughter, Mary Jane Collier and her son, Colby.  He is also survived by a sister, Gabrielle Finnegan, and many nieces and nephews.

He was a loving grandpa to Maynard Jr’s children, Nicole and Matthew, who will dearly miss his hugs and fun they had through the years, especially playing cards together in the last few months of his life. 

The family would like to thank the staff of the memory care unit at Addison Place in Glastonbury for their kindness and care, especially Dawn Anderson and the caretakers on the unit, as well as the doctors and nurses at Hartford Hospital’s Neuro ICU and Conklin Building 3rd floor. 

A graveside service will be held on Friday, December 22, 2023 at 10:00 am at the Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown CT.  Friends may call on Thursday, December 21, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury. For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com.