Doris A. Dufresne

Doris “Dot” Agnes (Berard) Dufresne, 90, of Worcester and Southport, North Carolina, died peacefully, surrounded by family on December 13th after a brief period of declining health. Born in Worcester, Doris was the daughter of Andrew and Agnes (Lucier) Berard. She attended St. Joseph’s School and Commerce High School and Becker Junior College. She married Bernard “Lefty” Dufresne in 1947. They were married 66 years until his death in 2013. They raised their family in Worcester on Grafton Hill, where she remained until she moved in 2014 to be closer to her children. Doris worked all her life, most prominently as a secretary at Lawrence McCoy Lumber Merchants and as medical records coordinator at Blair House.   Doris is survived by the family she loved so much and who loved her: her children, John Dufresne, his wife Cindy Chinelly, and their son, Tristan; Paula Sullivan, her husband Denis, and their children, Matthew and Andrew; Mark Dufresne, his wife Lucille, and their children, Nathan and Aimee; Cyndi Wondowlowski, her husband Conrad and their children, Jason Zelesky, Sara Nortey, and Evan Wondolowski; eleven great-grandchildren whom she cherished: Maddison, Logan, Lucas, Aidan, Caroline, Brady, Avah, Taylor, Finnley Harper, Teagan, and Zoey. She is also survived by her sisters Joan Wackell and Luci Gilberg and her husband John Gilberg, two brothers-in-law, Carlton Dufresne, Jr. and Robert Dufresne and his wife, Barbara, two sisters-in-law, Marie Daige and her husband Jim, and Jane Marino and her husband Jack. She was predeceased by her sisters, Beatrice Rustman, Eva Cundall, and Paulette Berard, and a brother George Berard.   In her youth, Doris was an avid and award-winning candlepin bowler. She was actively involved in the Women’s Auxiliary of the Grafton Hill American Legion, serving as President. She was a member of St. Joseph’s Parish. She loved reading, shopping (she never met a large pocketbook she didn’t like), crossword puzzles, bingo, vacations at Old Orchard Beach, and holidays with the family. She was a member of the Worcester Art Museum, Friends of the Library, and Friends of Abby’s House.   Friends and relatives are invited to visit with the family on Sunday afternoon, December 18, from 2 till 5 at MERCADANTE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 370 Plantation St. Her funeral service will be held Monday, December 19th at 10 a.m.in the funeral home. Her entombment will follow in Notre Dame Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Doris’s name can be made to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, PO Box 515, Northampton, MA 01061-0515 or to Lower Cape Fear Hospice c/o SECU Hospice House, 955 Mercy Lane, Bolivia, NC 28422.   The family wishes to thank the staff at Arbor Landing in Shallotte, NC, where Doris made new friends and enjoyed her poker-playing pals. The family also wants to thank the staff at Lower Cape Fear Hospice for their commitment to providing high quality, dedicated care in the last weeks of Memere Dot’s life.