Support the Dechausay Family After Tragic Loss

Dear friends and athletics community,

On November 20, Marlon Dechausay hugged his family goodbye expecting to be away for just over a week on a work trip. The highlight of the trip was several days in Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. As the Sr. Associate Athletics Director at the University of Memphis, he was traveling with the men’s basketball team. He was looking forward to returning on Thanksgiving Day for dinner with his family and then driving to Dallas for a day-late holiday celebration with our family where he would also be able to watch his son play in a basketball showcase.

Sadly, our postponed Thanksgiving never happened. On Tuesday November 26, Marlon collapsed as he was sitting down to dinner. He was in a restaurant in Maui with his colleagues and friends, everyone in a great mood celebrating Memphis’ win earlier in the day. When he fell over, a doctor who happened to be eating at the next table was quick to check his pulse and begin CPR. The paramedics soon followed, shocking his heart three times to restart its rhythm. By the time he arrived at the hospital, his heart had stabilized but the doctors noticed that the left side of his body wasn’t moving. They scanned his brain and discovered a blood clot that had caused an ischemic stroke. Although they removed it quickly, catastrophic damage had already occurred. Marlon never opened his eyes or made any purposeful movements again.

His wife of 17 years, Tina, sons, Marlon Jr. and Braylon, and mother arrived at the hospital on Wednesday. My sister Nadine and I arrived on Friday and his brother-in-law, Danny, on Monday. We stayed by his bedside everyday and night praying, talking, singing, holding his hand, giving him updates on his favorite teams, truly believing in a miracle. On December 4, our vigil ended when Marlon died peacefully, still asleep.

The Family Needs You

Marlon’s passing at the age of 49 leaves a tremendous void in all the communities he touched, but most of all with his family. We are grateful to the University of Memphis which did not hesitate to fly Marlon’s family to Maui and provide lodging, food and transportation for the family during the week of his ICU stay. The university has also pledged support for the cost of transporting Marlon’s body back to Memphis. We are extremely grateful for all the caring support they have provided.

We have set up this page to ask for help with the many other out-of-pocket expenses associated with Marlon’s hospitalization and final arrangements, as well as to help Tina and the boys transition to being a single-income family. The boys are active in sports and Marlon Jr. is headed to university next year. We don’t want them to lose any momentum due to money. Please help us ensure that Tina is not burdened with any expenses from this tragedy and has the financial means to support her family for the next year and beyond.

Your contributions will help us:

1. Reduce hospital expenses not covered by medical insurance

2. Cover funeral expenses for our brother when he arrives back home in Memphis

3. Ensure financial stability as his wife and boys adjust to their new family dynamic

4. Support athletic and educational expenses for Marlon Jr. and Braylon

Remember Marlon

Marlon’s career in athletics spans more than 20 years, nine universities, where he has mentored countless student-athletes, worked with hundreds of special colleagues, and made so many wonderful friends. He took pride in helping others become their best selves and worked tirelessly for student-athlete development and leadership.

Some know that before making a great career in athletics, Marlon was an accomplished athlete in high school and college himself. A friend recently remembered that Marlon ran around a 10:69 in the 100M in 8th grade. He held records in the 400M and won a gold medal for Canada in the Junior Olympics. He knew firsthand what it took to achieve greatness and made sure to instill values of hard work and discipline in his sons. And while his accomplishments were many, his greatest was his family and the life he built with his wife and sons.

Marlon firmly believed in the power of education and the fairness of sport. This tragic situation has been far from fair, but we are hoping that with the support of his larger community, those ideals he believed in can and will live on.

With Gratitude and In Solidarity,

Lucius and Nadine Dechausay