Dr. Anthony Dennis Merklinger

Dr. Anthony Dennis Merklinger, known to all as Dennis, passed away peacefully at home in Virginia Beach on March 13, 2026, at the age of 86. Born on May 16, 1939, in Newark, New Jersey, to Anthony A. and Joyce Merklinger, he grew up with a love of learning and sport that would define much of his life. A standout scholar and athlete, he graduated from the Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, later earning induction into its Hall of Fame for football and wrestling. He attended the Virginia Military Institute on a football scholarship, where he lettered in four sports and won the Southern Conference wrestling championship.

Dennis met his future wife, Mary Linda Standing of Virginia Beach, while at VMI. They married during his time in dental school at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, where he earned his D.M.D. After a short period in New Jersey, he moved his young family and dental practice to his wife’s hometown of Virginia Beach. There they raised their four children. Innovative and deeply committed to his patients, Dennis created one of the country’s first mobile dental offices by converting a Winnebago, brought children to and from school for appointments, and established an in-house dental lab that allowed him to offer same-day dentures. His practice became so well regarded that patients traveled by bus from other states to see him.

Above all, Dennis was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He gave his time generously to his family, teaching, coaching, and cheering with unmatched enthusiasm at countless games and events, regardless of weather or distance. He took his children camping, fishing, hiking, hunting, and skiing, and led by example through hands-on projects around the home and family farm in Lexington, Virginia. His home and farm were always open, guided by his motto of arriving as a friend and leaving as family. He hosted large gatherings, welcomed hundreds of guests over the years, and quietly helped many people with generous acts of support that often went unseen.

Dennis is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mary Linda Merklinger; his children James Anthony Merklinger (Tiffany) of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, John Addison Merklinger of Encinitas, California, Jeffery Dennis Merklinger (Debbie) of Virginia Beach, and Megan Carty McCain (Sean) of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania; his sister Gail Greer of Atlanta, Georgia; and ten grandchildren: Olivia, Anna, Tyler, Emily, Isabella, Jacob, Max, Bosco, Sylvia, and Kierane. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Wendy.