Kermit Dufour
(June, 2008, monthly fellowship meeting) In honor of Father’s Day, the Men of Manresa celebrated their 6th annual Father-Son Night. Shown above is Kermit Dufour with his son Mark.
Kermit Dufour - An All-Manresa Man
The Lamb, October 2002
The Manresa Men's Club of St. Charles Borromeo Parish has many outstanding Catholic men. This is a documentary about one of the most outstanding guys we have. He was born on the other side of the river. Back then they were different than us on this side of the creek. At a young age he moved to the right side of the river, with his saintly parents, because his dad was tired of rowing across the river to work at the Shell plant every day. He would start around 100 to 150 yards upstream and by the time he rowed to the other side, the current had carried him to about where he wanted to be. So his parents, one sister and three brothers, made their new home in the Garden of Eden of the good ol' U.S. of A.- New Sarpy, LA. Suffice to say he became one of us, in no time at all. He did all the good things all Sarpians did. Got the plow cleaned for swimming in the river and sneaking smoke once in a while. We smoked the most expensive cigars - two for a nickel - John Ruskins. He worked odd jobs to make a few bucks for say candy or a movie at the Shell club. His Catholic training led him to be an altar server at our beloved St. Charles, thanks to his God fearing, God loving parents. Father Basty must have left an impression on him a couple of times because he couldn't sit afterwards. Then came his service to his country where he served as a cook in the field artillery. Many times he used the Howitzer to flip the pancakes. After his military service he married his dream girl Madeline. It was then that he moved to St. Rose and started raising a family. Kermit and Madeline are celebrating their 51st anniversary of sacramental marriage this year. And like his own dad, Kermit provided well for his family with a good career at Shell Oil for many years. His loyalty and faith led him to work and cook for most all parish functions and any other needy cause, and he's at it still. Thank God, whenever there is parish work he is right there. The 10:00 am Mass on Sunday wouldn't be right without his presence as the usher. He's been an usher for many many years, God willing many more, we pray. Rabbit hunting was once his favorite past time, he used to hunt with his son Mark back at the St. Rose hunting camp. He loved to hunt so much that sometimes he'd give the hounds the gun and he'd run the rabbits and bay for the dogs. Kermit is also very good in carpentry and is a skilled woodworker. He even used some of the wood salvaged from the old Red Church in one of his projects. On a serious note he had an invalid brother called J.C. whom he lovingly cared for. J.C. had trouble walking, but he sure had a good wit. Kermit certainly saw Christ in him by the way he tended to him. It's not what we leave behind, but what we send ahead. When the Great Scorer will meet him, He will say "Well done." Kermit still jokes with his friends about the secret New Sarpy Naval Station and Sarpy Tech, both products of an imaginative childhood. This is what I can recall about Kermit. I hope all is right with what was written, if not please excuse. Kermit is not only a Dufour, he's a Du-four-"0", with 4-0 meaning he's the best there is, like in college and in the military. Have to close with the Manresa motto, "To the Lord I give all the hours of my life and the use of my death." Keep on serving Kermit, you know you work for the best boss in the universe, God, who knows you're "4-0." All of us Manresans salute you. "God bless."