David Dufresne

David Anthony “Dave” DuFresne, 77, of Lake Elmo, Minnesota passed away peacefully on December 17, 2021, after a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.   He was surrounded by those he loved since his diagnosis in October 2021.

Dave was born on December 4, 1944, in St Paul, MN.    He was the fourth of five children of the late Archie and Margaret (Abresch) DuFresne. He grew up on the East side of St. Paul, where he graduated from Harding High School in 1962.  He retired from 3M in St Paul in 1997.   He loved to stay busy throughout the years which included collecting and refurbishing classic cars and deer processing each fall.  In addition, after retiring, he started his own home remodeling and deck building company (Reliable Home Repair and Remodeling) to continue to keep busy doing what he enjoyed.  In the past few years he was a dedicated warehouse specialist at RISE, a company that provides employment opportunities for adults with disabilities, where he did all things shipping and receiving and kept the warehouse organized accounting for all orders.

He has been an active member of Christ Lutheran Church in Lake Elmo since the mid 1970’s.  He started on the Board or Property and continued on many boards throughout the years, in addition to being the church’s handyman.  He was also an active member of the choir and was loved by many.

Dave was an avid music lover, particularly 50s and 60s country (Johnny Cash, etc.), which he referred to as “real country music”.  In his early years, his band The Rhythm Kings, with schoolmates Dave West, Butch Hesley and Doug Olsen would play parties and school dances.  There are many fond memories of Dave singing and playing into the night around campfires and parties throughout the years.  His passion for music and guitar was passed down to his entire family, especially to his son and grandsons.

Dave is survived by the love of his life for over 50 years, Patricia (Glockner) Dufresne; daughters, Heidi (Joe) Pucel and Becky (Mike) Mazzara; son, Russell DuFresne; brother, Thomas (Geri) DuFresne; and sister Diane Heinrich.  He was preceded in death by his sisters, Darlene Richardson and Deloris Paddock.

Dave was a loving and devoted husband, father and grandfather as well as a great friend to many.  He was an avid golfer and played on several leagues, even after his diagnosis.  He loved to fish and hunt with his family whenever he could.  He loved spending time with his 7 grandchildren, his pride and joy.

A special thank you to Tammy and the entire staff at Minnesota Hospice for the special care provided.  Also, special thanks to Dr. Lemma and staff at Minnesota Oncology Hematology for their expertise and care.

Celebration of Life on January 3, 2022 at 11am with visitation beginning at 10am at Christ Lutheran Church in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred.