RUMFORD – On the morning of Jan. 5, 2021, Jacques “Jake” Dupuis passed away in Lewiston at the age of 80 from complications of the Covid-19 virus. He was surrounded virtually by his family and in person by his loving wife Joyce and eldest daughter Denise Richard.

Jake was born in Lewiston on June 19, 1940, to Ernest and Eva (Latendresse) Dupuis. For the first two years of his life he lived in the woods of West Peru with his parents and sister Nicole. They then moved to Smith Crossing and finally Falmouth Street in Rumford.

Jake spent a lot of time in the woods with his father, his Uncle Albert and his Pepere Arthur, living in the old logging camp in Sunday River Valley until 1966, then at Letter E until 1979, when he went out on his own to cut privately. Being in those camps is when his love for the woods and just being outdoors, began to flourish. He cut or hauled wood, for almost all of his 80 years and was still doing it right up until a couple of weeks before his death. Being in the woods and being with his family were his two passions in life, and there was never a time he didn’t have a smile on his face, or you couldn’t hear his booming laugh, when he was around them. He particularly loved Mann Hill, which he owned with his Dad and brother. He was able to purchase the granite quarry abutting Mann Hill. He said he’d always wanted to own this piece of history; the men would mine the granite in the summer and slide the huge rocks down the mountain on the snow in the winter with work horses. He said many times he always felt at peace in the woods where he loved the silence and the beauty.

Jake attended St John’s Catholic School in Rumford and was a communicant of St. Athanasius and St. John’s Church. He graduated from Stephen’s High School in 1959.

He bought his father’s blacksmith shop in Smiths Crossing. He frequently went to auctions to purchase vehicles and heavy machinery to fix and sell at the shop. He was a brilliant man when it came to motors. It didn’t matter what type of machinery it was, he was able to get it running and ran it like an expert.

He had a used car and truck business with his brother Andy called J & A Used Cars, and then he went into business with his son David and formed JD Used Trucks and Equipment. He was also in the construction business as a silent partner with WFP and then in the oil business as a silent partner with Richard Cote.

He was a Certified Logging Professional, and went to night school to obtain his welding certifications. He was certified in erosion control practices in Maine and was always conscious about the impact what he did had on the environment around him. As with most selective wood cutters, he was very passionate about keeping the forests thriving for the next generations to come.

When Jake wasn’t working or spending time with his family, he could be found in his recliner fast asleep, ‘watching’ old westerns. If anyone tried to change the channel, he would wake up and say ‘I was watching that,’ then fall back asleep. This tradition carried on with him, right until the end.

Jake was an avid member of Le Paresseaux (Snowshoe club), Aerie #1248 of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Rumford Knights of Columbus and not a member, but a frequent guest of the Post 1641 VFW.

In 1983, Jake moved to Smith Crossing, across from his blacksmith’s shop, where a few years later he built the house he would live in the rest of his life. He had many adventurous nights with his countless friends. Jake believed in not only working hard, but playing hard, and he did both very well. It was during (or rather the end) of these wild years, that he met the woman that would be by his side until the very end, his wife Joyce.

He was a kind and generous man. Later on in life, he visited his sick friends often. When his mother got sick, he moved her in with him and took care of her for many years. When his Uncle Albert came to town, he took him to his house many days for meals and visits. Andy and Jake took Uncle Albert to McDonald’s every week and brought him a coffee at the nursing home almost every day. He was always willing to help out his friends and family if they needed it. He and Joyce adopted a little girl later in life and loved and treated her like their own. He will be missed greatly by so many people, but none more than his family and friends.

He was predeceased by his parents; his sister Nicole Harris and his brothers-in-law Richard ‘Dick’ Bernard and Michael Harris.

He is survived by his wife Joyce Holmquist Buotte Dupuis; brother Andrew Dupuis and his wife Jean, younger sisters Lisette Bernard and Mona Braithwaite and her husband Richard; his children Denise Richard and husband Jon, Lynda Dupuis and S/O Johnny, Laurie Noel and husband Matt, Lisa Lyons and husband Rick, David Dupuis and wife Melissa, Daniel Dupuis and wife Jen, Kyleigh Dupuis, Christie Buotte and Eric Buotte; along with the mother of his six children, Carolyn Dupuis. He also leaves many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Friends and family are invited to sign the online guest book and share memories with the family at http://www.meaderandson.com.

Funeral services will be private and held at the family’s convenience. Arrangements are under the direction of the Meader & Son Funeral Home 3 Franklin St Rumford, ME.