Cecile J Dubois

Cecile Juliette (Jodoin) Dubois, 92, of Anchorage, Alaska, passed away peacefully at home on December 15, 2024.

Cecile was a first-generation American, born on September 1, 1932 in Burlington, Vermont to Honore and Donalda (Boucher) Jodoin.  She was the middle of 5 children and was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Bertha and Leona, and brothers Arthur and Norman.

Cecile met the love of her life, Wilfred Albert “Bill” Dubois, in December, 1951.  After a whirlwind romance, Cecile and Bill were married in Burlington, Vermont on May 3, 1952 and celebrated 72 years together, until Bill passed in August, 2024.  Cecile is survived by their children John (Karen Kurtz), Susan (Michael Tyree), David (Debbie), and James, eight grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, and close friends.

Bill served in the United States Air Force from 1951 until his retirement in 1975, and Cecile proudly served by his side.  She supported and moved the family as Bill’s service took them around the world, with posts in Vermont, Florida, New Jersey, Germany, and Virginia.  Cecile also kept the home fires burning during Bill’s remote tours in Okinawa during the Korean Conflict and Thailand during the Vietnam War.  The Air Force brought the Dubois family to Alaska in 1966, and 50+ years later most of the family still calls Anchorage home. 

Cecile spent her children’s formative years as a stay-at-home mom.  In the early 1970s, she reentered the workforce as a housekeeping attendant, progressing rapidly and ultimately serving for several years as Executive Housekeeper for two large Anchorage hotels.  When Cecile and Bill finally retired from work, they became snowbirds, for a time touring the country in a custom bus conversion before settling in San Antonio, Texas in the winters and Anchorage in the summers.  Loving and missing their family, Cecile and Bill returned to Anchorage permanently in 1997.  They built two homes before moving in 2011 to Chester Park Cooperative, a senior condominium community.

Cecile will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and a warm and gracious hostess.  She was a master crafter; her crocheted blankets and other creations grace the homes of countless extended family members, friends, and beyond.  Cecile steadfastly supported and cared for Bill through years of declining health, persevering despite her own long-term chronic pain.  Cecile and Bill shared a profound faith in the Lord and were founding members of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Anchorage.

A Funeral Mass for Cecile will be held on Friday, February 21, 2025 at St. Patrick’s Church, 2111 Muldoon Road, Anchorage, Alaska, with visitation at 3:30 p.m. and Mass at 4:00 p.m.  Immediately following the Mass, Cecile will be reunited with her beloved Bill in the Cloister and Columbarium Cemetery at St. Patrick’s Church. Arrangements by the Cremation Society of Alaska. www.alaskacremation.com.