Apr 6, 2024 5 min read

Courtesy of Pat Maxon

Vietnam War veteran Dennis “Denny” Krisfalusy was honored with a marker at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in 2023.

Courtesy of Pat Maxon

Dennis Krisfalusy, a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, was killed along with his wife, Lois, in a Mexico City, Mexico earthquake in 1985. He was honored at a ceremony in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in 2023.

Courtesy of Pat Maxon

Kevin Krisfalusy, the nephew of Dennis “Denny” Krisfalusy, receives a flag during a ceremony for Dennis at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Washington County.

Courtesy of Pat Maxon

Dennis and Lois Krisfalusy were killed in a 1985 earthquake in Mexico City.

In 1985, Vietnam War veteran Dennis “Denny” Krisfalusy and his wife, Lois, died in an earthquake in Mexico City, Mexico.

A memorial marker was installed in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Washington County in 2023, but Krisfalusy’s family has had one regret: a federal regulation exists that only allows the names of spouses who died after 1998 to be etched onto the stone of a military veteran.

So Lois’ name is not on Krisfalusy’s marker.

Nearly 39 years after the couple were killed in the magnitude 8.0 earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 9,500 people, a bipartisan bill named in honor of Krisfalusy, a 1961 graduate of California Area High School, and his wife, which would add Lois’ name to the marker, has been introduced by Congressman Guy Reschenthaler, a Republican who represents Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District, alongside Congressmen Chris Deluzio (D-PA), John Joyce, (R-PA), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Dan Meuser (R-PA), and G.T. Thompson (R-PA).

The Dennis and Lois Krisfaluy Act would provide a memorial headstone or marker through the Department of Veterans Affairs to an eligible spouse or dependent child of a veteran in a national cemetery or state or tribal Veterans cemetery, regardless of the date of death.

Under current law, spouses and dependent children who died before Nov. 11, 1998, or after Oct. 1, 2024, are ineligible to be added to a memorial headstone or marker.

Additionally, the legislation would update federal law to extend the veteran benefit beyond 2024 for an additional 10 years.

“Our veterans and their families dedicate their lives to our country. As a veteran myself, I understand the important role our loved ones play in the lives of our nation’s heroes,” said Reschenthaler. “I am honored to introduce this commonsense legislation that cuts bureaucratic red tape for families like the Krisfalusys and ensures we provide the utmost support for those who have sacrificed so much for our nation.”

For Pat Maxon, Krisfalusy’s sister, the proposed bill provides closure and peace.

She thanked the congressmen for their efforts to introduce the bill.

“Not only will Lois’ name be engraved on the memorial stone with Denny, but spouses and children of veterans will be entitled to the military rights they rightly deserve,” said Maxon. “Our brother, who served over 20 years in the military, and his wife, who was by his side, should both be recognized for their patriotic duty. We are forever grateful to all who brought this bill to fruition and look forward to its passage for all veterans and their families.”

Denny and Lois Krisfaluy were both 42 years old when they died. Their bodies were never recovered.

Dennis Krisfalusy was the oldest of five children, and even though he lived far away from home since he joined the service, he remained close with his family.

Maxon said Krifalusy met Lois, an Arizona resident of Mexican descent who worked as a hairdresser, when he was stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, outside of Tucson.

She said the couple were inseparable.

The Krisfalusys had moved to Los Angeles, Calif., following his retirement in 1983, and he worked as a mail carrier. The couple, who had been married for 20 years, traveled to Mexico City to search for a retirement home when the Sept. 19 earthquake struck.

Krisfalusy’s family held a small, private church service after the couple died, but in 2022, Maxon reached out to the national cemetery about holding a military service and installing a marker for Kirsfaluy and his wife.

It was then that Maxon learned about a code that states the spouse of a veteran is ineligible to have their name inscribed on the veteran’s headstone unless the spouse died on or after

Nov. 11, 1998.

Maxon turned to Veterans Affairs, but efforts to appeal the regulation failed. Maxon said she is also grateful to the Cemetery of the Alleghenies and the VA for their efforts.

“I am just so grateful and so appreciative and overwhelmed that this is actually happening,” said Maxon. “I’ve had so much help on the way, and I’m grateful for all of the people who have worked to make this happen.”

DeLuzio said he is proud to introduce the bipartisan bill “and make sure that eligible spouses and children can be included on veterans’ memorial headstones or markers.

“This bill is a powerful way to honor how important family is to our nation’s veterans, and to offer comfort to the family members they leave behind,” he said.

Maxon remembers her brother and sister-in-law fondly, but grieves for their loss.

“It’s hard to get closure. You’re never the same after a loss like that,” said Maxon, whose father had served in World War II as a cannoneer and never recovered from the deaths of Dennis and Lois, along with the death of his wife, Mary, who died unexpectedly in 1984 at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack.

She is optimistic the bill will pass.

“I have faith in the congressmen who co-sponsored the bill. That meant a lot,” said Maxon. “I have faith that this will pass. I’m just so grateful that this is coming to fruition. It will bring some peace.”