Dennis was born on February 1, 1934 in Forest City, IA. He was the son of Katie (Ver Hoef) and Willard Orville Thovson. He graduated from Iowa State University where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps where he served as a jet fighter pilot. Dennis was an Executive at Bell Labs and AT&T, Murray Hill, N.J. During his career he was awarded a patent for his work in telecommunication.

He met his beloved wife, Marlys in 1953. After 63 years of marriage, Dennis was predeceased by Marlys in 2018. Dennis was an avid Porsche enthusiast and served as the President of the Northern New Jersey Region of the Porsche Club of America and the Chief Driving Instructor for many years. Dennis also served as Vice President  and President of the national Porsche Club of America. Dennis passionately and skillfully drove his various Porsche 911s at many road racing  courses throughout the country including Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, Virginia International, Mid-Ohio, Pocono Raceway, Laguna Seca, Bridgehampton  and Summit Point. Together with his wife, Marlys they volunteered countless hours for the Porsche Club whether at the High-Performance Driving Schools, Annual Wine Tasting Events, and almost all other Club events. Dennis also enjoyed photography and was a classical pianist.

Dennis is survived by his sister, Janet Peterson and his brother, Paul Thovson. He is also survived by a host of extended family and dear friends.

Burial arrangements will take place in Forest City, IA.

A Celebration of Life” gathering is scheduled for Sunday, May 22 from 1:30 to 4:30 at Paul Miller Porsche 3419 US-46 E, Parsippany, NJ 07054. More details here.   

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research in Dennis and Marlys’ name.