Services for Jerome F. “Jerry” Dufault
Jerome F. “Jerry” Dufault, 84, of Grand Forks, ND, was called home to the Lord on Oct 30, 2017, at his home surrounded by his loving wife and family.
Jerome Francis Dufault was born January 29, 1933, in Oklee, MN, to Joseph and Anna (Regimbal) Dufault. He was raised in Oklee with his four sisters and two brothers, graduating from high school there. He spent much of the free time in his youth working at the Oklee Theater which his father owned and operated. Jerry earned a degree in Pharmacy in 1954 at his beloved North Dakota Agricultural College (now NDSU).
Jerry met his future wife, Jane Gibeau, in his hometown of Oklee where they briefly dated before she and her family moved to South Milwaukee, WI, and Jerry went on to college at NDSU. Jerry traveled to Milwaukee the summer of 1953 to be with Jane, and, after some convincing and a persuasive letter, the two were wed on June 26, 1954. After graduation from college, Jerry served with the U.S. Air Force until he was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in 1957. He and Jane traveled around the country while he was in the service spending most of the time in California. After discharge, they settled in Grand Forks where they raised their family of six children.
Jerry had a long and successful career as a pharmacist spending 33 years as the Director of Pharmacy at Deaconess and then United Hospital of Grand Forks (now Altru). He retired in 1992 after which he and Jane took time to travel around the country. He served as Exalted Ruler of the Grand Forks Elks Lodge #255 and as President of the North Dakota Pharmaceutical Association (NDPA). Jerry and Jane are long-time members of Holy Family Catholic Church where he served on the Pastoral Council, the Finance Committee, and as a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus. Jane and Jerry attended daily Mass which was followed by coffee with a group of close friends. Holy Family served as a cornerstone for the family, and Jerry was able to watch generations of his family be baptized, grow up, and get married at the church.
Jerry and Jane spent 22 winters in Donna, TX, where they could escape the Midwestern cold and Jerry could enjoy golfing with their snowbird friends. Jerry was a proud Bison Alumni and enjoyed watching them dominate the football field on fall Saturday afternoons. Jerry was an avid gardener and could be found in the garden on any given summer afternoon picking the fruits of his labor to share with family and friends. Some of Jerry’s happiest moments in the last few months were spent with any of his 12 great grandbabies or 17 grandchildren - numbers he was happy to share with anyone he met! He enjoyed 63 years of marriage with Jane and never took for granted the life and family they built together.
Survivors include his wife, Jane, Grand Forks; children, LeAnn Powers, Round Rock, TX; Randy (Laurene) Dufault, Eagan, MN; Greg (Brenda) Dufault , Grand Forks, ND; Tim (Jan) Dufault, Minnetonka, MN; Annette (Jim) Hovey, New Rockford, ND; and Pam (Mark) Johnson, Moorhead, MN; 17 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; brother, Larry (MaryLou) Dufault, New London, NH; and sister, Irene (Vince) Cahill, Burnsville, MN.
He was preceded in death by his parents, three sisters; Margaret, Bette, and Eleanor, and brother Richard.
Mass of Christian Burial will be Thursday, November 2nd at 2:00 PM at Holy Family Catholic Church of Grand Forks. Visitation will be at Amundson Funeral Home in Grand Forks Wednesday evening from 5-7 p.m., with a rosary at 4:30 p.m. and prayer service at 7 p.m. Interment will be at Calvary South Cemetery of Grand Forks Friday, November 3rd at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Dufault Family Scholarship Fund, c/o Catholic Development Foundation, 5201 Bishops Blvd. A., Fargo, ND 58104. The Dufault Family Scholarship Fund was established by the family to help financially-challenged students with tuition at Holy Family/St. Mary’s Catholic School. Online guest registry available at www.amundsonfuneralhome.com.
