Stuart Thibodeau

Stuart E. "Stu" Thibodeau, age 88 of Faribault, passed away Sunday, May 6, 2012 at his home following an extended illness.             Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. at Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Faribault, 139 Mercy Drive. Interment will be held at St. Lawrence Cemetery, Faribault with military honors provided by the Rice County Central Veterans Association.             Visitation will be held at the Parker Kohl Funeral Home & Crematory of Faribault on Tuesday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and at the church on Wednesday for one hour prior to services.             The family prefers that memorials be directed to Divine Mercy Catholic Church or to Bethlehem Academy High School in memory of Stu.             Stuart Emanuel Thibodeau, the son of Edward and Josephine (Caron) Thibodeau, was born on February 25, 1924 in Faribault. He attended Faribault High School and graduated with the class of 1942. Shortly after graduating from Faribault High School, Stu was inducted into the Army at Ft. Snelling in May of 1943. After training at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, he was sent overseas to England. Since he was the only soldier in his company who could serve Mass with the Latin responses, he was chosen to be the Chaplain's Aide. His posting was the Sixth Group, armored tank corps, in the First Army. The group was deployed from Birmingham, England, to Normandy, France, where they landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 6. After the war, he returned home and married his high school sweetheart, Lillian Machacek on November 15, 1945 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Faribault. It might last.             Stu later served as Trustee of Sacred Heart Church for some 30 years. After retirement, he was an adult server for daily Mass; he was also a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus. The local Rotary Club last year honored him for nearly fifty years of membership, including a term as president. Stu and Lill worked together tirelessly for 40 years in their business, Thibodeau Insurance Agency, (with a side of Western Union). Their office was headquarters for ­Rice County Families: Their History, Our Heritage, as they collected and Lill proofed its numerous entries. The book, 800 plus pages, was published in 1982. They've also helped plan numerous F.H.S. class reunions through the years.             They enjoyed camping vacations and National Park sojourns with their young family. After the kids were grown, Stu and Lill expanded their traveling vistas on bus tours in America, and overseas trips to Austria, Australia, China, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Ireland, the Holy Land and Portugal. In Chile, they visited the parents of their delightful Foreign Exchange student, Ginny Paredes, who became an honorary family member after her school term in 1969-70. After retiring from their insurance agency, Stu and Lill spent ten winters as snow-birds in Mesa, AZ until health concerns precluded such extended travel.             Their children and grandchildren all have fond memories of working with their grandpa at Thib's Popcorn Stand every year during the Rice County Fair. (Grandma was home trying to keep up with the demand for her home-made Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches!) Stu greatly enjoyed those days, meeting old friends, classmates and customers there year after year, as the sought out Thib's excellent popcorn, popped in his double-shelled World Fair kettle from the '30's. The theme here is longevity, and maintaining quality equipment and relationships.             Stu loved, and lived for, his entire family, and especially his cherished wife of 66 years. He energetically enjoyed their Roberds Lake cabin for some years, as he taught grand kids to fish and watched them water ski as they got old enough. A few of his golf buddies turned into fishing buddies, taking annual fishing trips up North; Stu also caught some big ones on Lake Michigan, and with relatives in the waters off Seattle. He even played softball with the church league team until he "lost a step" at age 52. His bowling team was aptly named "Who Cares?," his inevitable answer when asked how they did. However, his high school yearbook noted he was a "cork": you couldn't keep him down for long.             He is survived by his wife, Lillian Thibodeau of Faribault; by three children, Greg (Debbie) Thibodeau of Faribault, JoAnne (Steven) Knuttila of Detroit Lakes, MN and Barbara (Larry) Timmers of Fountain Hills, AZ; by his honorary daughter, Ginny Hutchings of Fountain Hills, AZ; by 9 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren; by his sister Lorraine Miller; by his sister-in-law, Addie Winslow of Kansas City, MO and other relatives and friends.             He was preceded in death by his parents, his daughter, Jeanne Saunders, by his brother Darrel Thibodeau and by his brother-in-laws, Donald E. Winslow and Fritz Miller.             The Thibodeau Family would like to acknowledge the wonderful care that Stu received from Carol Musel, P.C.A., St. Croix Hospice and the Divine Mercy Catholic Church Priests and Staff.