Obituary of William Dubois

It is with great sadness that the family of William “Joe” Dubois of Champlain, NY announces his passing after a brief illness on Saturday, August 1, 2020 at the age of 94 years. He will be lovingly remembered by his children Sharron LaVenture (Rick), William (Lydia), Susan MaWhinney (Jack), Ricky (Kay), and Tami Trembley (David), his 13 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Joe was predeceased by his wife of 71 years Agatha, in 2018, and parents Clara and William DuBois, and his sister Rita Chapman. William was born February 26, 1926 in Perry’s Mills, NY and attended Perry’s Mills School before working on his parents’ farm, for Sun-E-Hill Farms creamery and Champlain Telephone Company. He retired from CTC in 1988 with 20 years of service to the company. Many of his coworkers remember him as a practical joker who often got the best of them with his frequent pranks. He was fond of playing jokes on family members as well. He lived all his life in the hamlet of Perry’s Mills where he kept dairy cows, chickens and horses on a farm that has been in the family since the 1860s. Joe can best be described as a man of few words but many smiles. He was a man of simple pleasures and a filled pipe and a Yankee baseball game was time well spent. For a while during the 1960s and 1970s he coached a baseball team comprised of youth from Perry’s Mills. He also took up pitching duties at the family reunion held each July 4th with the DuBois and Chapman families at a camp in Mooers, NY. He was also the Town animal control officer for many years. Joe was one of the rare men for whom no one had a bad word. He lived his life being happy with what he had and helping others when he could. And, like his wife Agatha, he left a considerable mark on those he leaves behind. He consistently set an example as an honest, hard-working man, always taking the time to let his grandchildren tag along on any errand, visit to the barn, country auction or fair, and this made him a man of great substance in their lives. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church in Champlain on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 followed by a burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery on Church Street. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Elmore Animal Shelter or an animal shelter of your choice. A celebration of his life will be held when conditions permit. The family also wishes to express deep appreciation for the loving care given him by numerous aides that worked with him at home, as well as staff at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital and Meadowbrook Nursing Home. Their kindness brought a sense of peace to both him and his family during his last years.