AUBURN; Wilfrid J. Dufour, 71, of 20 Dale Ave., passed away Wednesday, November 19 at Saint Vincent Hospital, after a brief illness, with his family at his side.
He was born in Worcester at Memorial Hospital on Monday, September 13, 1943 to the late Wilfrid E. Dufour and the late Lillian Mae (Johnston).
He is survived by his three children, Thomas Dufour and his fiancé Katie Fontaine-Denault and her children Ashley and Jamie of Auburn, Patrick Dufour and his wife Candice of Leicester and Katelyn Browning and her husband Jonathan of Auburn. He leaves 4 grandchildren; Piper, Violet and Fiona Browning of Auburn and Finnegan Dufour of Leicester. He leaves two sisters, Carol White of Worcester and Elaine Elliott of East Brookfield.
He grew up in Millbury where he graduated Millbury Memorial High School in 1961. As a youth he was very active in Boy Scouts as a member of Troop 109 sponsored by Millbury Federated Church, where he earned the rank of Silver Award in Exploring and the rank of Eagle Scout. He was a diocesan officer in the Catholic Youth Council his senior year.
He graduated from Worcester State College in 1965 where he was a co-editor of the yearbook. He took a turn at public office and was elected a member of the first Town of Millbury Parks Commission where he served for four years.
He taught in the Holliston, MA public schools for 17 years. In the winter of 1973, he opened a tax preparation office that came to be known as Taxmatters, a business he ran until his death. As part of a retirement plan he purchased a Liberty Tax Service franchise, bringing his Taxmatters clientele to the new firm.
Wil was very active in the Knights of Columbus, Auburn Council #4158, for over 25 years, serving a term as Grand Knight. He was also a member of the Fourth Degree, John Cardinal Wright Assembly.
As a resident of Auburn, Wil served as a town meeting member for many years and more recently as a member of the Local Channel Committee.
His hobbies were coin collecting and collecting Old Time Radio programs where he amassed a collection of over 20,000 hours of programming. Above all, his pride and joy were his grandchildren.
The Funeral will be held Tuesday, November 25 from the MORIN FUNERAL HOME, 1131 Main St., Leicester with a Mass at 10 A.M. in Our Lady of the Angels Church, 1222 Main St., Worcester. Burial will follow in Hillside Cemetery, Auburn. Calling hours are Monday from 4-7 P.M. in the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Auburn Youth and Family Services, Inc., 21 Pheasant Ct., Auburn, MA 01501.