Elmore Dufour

1930 - 2025

Elmore Generes Dufour ("Doots") of Austin, died cheerfully and peacefully Saturday November 29, 2025, to join his beloved wife Delores Villarrubia Dufour ("Dee"), who died August 10, 2025. Dee and Doots shared 74 years together. Affectionately known as "Doots", he was born on June 12, 1930, as the only child to Elmore Gareau Dufour and Lucille Pruitt Dufour in New Orleans, Louisiana. Challenged at the age of 12, his parents divorced, swiftly prompting Doot's grandfather, William Cyprian Dufour, to enroll Doots in Porter Military Academy, a boarding high school in Charleston, South Carolina. After graduating from Porter, he spent a short time back in New Orleans, and then was accepted to the Citadel, in Charleston, South Carolina. Doots graduated in May, 1951, converted to Catholicism, and married Dee on his birthday of that year at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. Doot's military career took him to Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Polk, Louisiana; the Korean War; Ft. Meyer, Virginia; Schweinfurt and Stuttgart, Germany; South Bend, Indiana, where he taught ROTC at Notre Dame; Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas; Washington D.C., where he gained a Master's degree in Government at George Washington University; Fort Knox, Kentucky; the Vietnam War; finally retiring in 1972, bringing his family to Austin, Texas. After 21 years in "the Military Service", as Doots called it, he retired from the Army as a Lt. Colonel.
Doots went from a youth that attended the church that "had the best food", to converting to Catholicism before marrying Dee, and of course, raised his family in the Catholic Church. Both Dee and Doots were very active at St. Theresa's Catholic Church – Doots began in the Choir, leading to studying and being ordained as a Deacon in 1984. Doots eventually became the director of the Office of Criminal Justice Ministry at the Diocese of Austin. Borrowing from a beautiful tribute to Doots by fellow St. Theresa's Deacon Peter Barger, "Doots held a unique place in the history of our local church. He was part of the very first deacon ordination class (1984) in the Diocese of Austin. Twenty-five men were ordained that day, pioneers of a renewed ministry of service in Central Texas." Deacon Peter Barger describes Doot's mindset perfectly by saying "He studied the criminal justice system, advocated for reform, supported chaplaincy, re-entry resources, and life skills support, always treating incarcerated persons as beloved sons and daughters of God." Doots dedicated years to this pursuit, not retiring from the Diocese until the age of 85.
Doots is predeceased by older stepbrother, Wallace Fassman, who was killed in World War II; his parents, his eldest daughter Courtney Foster, and his wife Dee. Doots is survived by his oldest son, William C. Dufour, II, and his wife, Vera, of Austin, and youngest daughter, Kimberly Dufour Gardner, and her husband, Derry, who reside near Cotulla, Texas. Doots was blessed with five grandchildren, Kristin Dufour Hill, and husband Austin Hill, Kyle Dufour and wife Emily, and Kevin Dufour and wife Ashley, all of Austin, Douglas Charles Foster, IV, of San Antonio, and Victoria's Foster Gray, and her husband Alex, currently residing in the country of Honduras. Further blessings are his six great grandchildren, Lily and Alexandra Hill, Elizabeth and Elias Dufour, and Dakota and Duncan Dufour.
A viewing and Rosary will be held on Monday, December 8, 2025 at 6:00 p.m., at Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, Texas, 78752. A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 at 10:00 a.m., at St. Theresa's Catholic Church at 4311 Small Drive, Austin, Texas, 78731. Burial, with full military honors, will take place at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, at 2:00 p.m. on December 17, 2025. Doots often and just recently told his children after Dee died, "I need to find another ministry, I'm not finished yet." Doots found his new ministry by spending Eternal Life with his wife, Dee.