Obituary of David Allan Lefebvre
David A. Lefebvre, 73, loving husband, father and pépère, passed away on May 28, 2019, surrounded by his family.
Born December 18, 1945 in Holyoke, Massachusetts, David was the youngest of nine children to Lucien and Marie (Picard) Lefebvre. He graduated from Cathedral High School in 1963 and Western New England College in 1972. An Air Force veteran, he proudly served from 1963-1967, based at Miyako-jima during the Vietnam War. In 1968, he married the love of his life, and they built a life together until his passing 51 years later.
David is survived by his wife, Marie Anne (Gaudet) of Bedford, TX, their three children, Kevin William and life partner, Randol Hutcheson, of North Richland Hills, TX; Philip Ernest and wife, Vy Nguyen, of Bedford, TX; Natalie Cosette (Lefebvre) and husband, Jeff Wright, of North Richland Hills, TX; his four grandchildren, Kirsten, Prosper, Aurora and Raphael; brother, Paul Lefebvre, of Lincoln City, OR; sister, Jacqueline (Lefebvre) Klinker, of Jupiter, FL; brother-in-law Paul Gaudet, of Tampa, FL; sister-in-law Sr. Diane Gaudet, SSJ, of Holyoke, MA, as well as several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers Lucien, Gerald, Roger, Norman and Kenneth and sister Muriel.
David, the humblest of men, loved life and lived it to its fullest. He was a gentle giant who was the hardest worker. He continued to work part-time after retirement because he could never sit still very long. David was one of the happiest men in the world, you would always find him whistling along to the greatest jazz hits, twirling his wife, daughter or granddaughter around the house to a good country song or listening to classic rock hits with his sons or grandsons. Amongst his many travels, he accomplished his goal of reaching all 50 states, and even smoked a pipe with Lou Holtz, twice. David loved deep sea fishing and reeling in that biggest catch, and if the sun was out and the wind was tame, you would find him on a golf course. Independence was big with David, so he made sure that all of his kids knew how to work on cars and use tools. He loved to work with his hands and create new things and he passed that love on to his children. He also enjoyed helping his children update their homes, teaching them more helpful trades. The most important thing to David was his family. He spoke often to his brother and sister, called to talk to his children almost daily and would make every sacrifice in the world to provide for his wife, children and grandchildren. It did not matter what his children chose to do with their lives, as long as they were happy, he was proud of them. His grandchildren, however, were his legacy and if you were lucky enough to catch him looking at them, you would see the twinkle in his eyes because he could never hide the amount of love he had in his heart for his four grandchildren. David believed, whole-heartedly, that his grandchildren could never do any wrong. He was so proud of all of them. In the winters, David loved spending alone time with his wife at their home in Florida. David also never met a stranger; anyone that met him, had an instant friend. He gave the greatest bear hugs and everyone got a huge hug when he was near. And if you ever asked him how he was, he response was always the same, "damn near perfect!" David made sure that everyone he knew and loved, knew just how much they meant to him. Every one of his children’s friends became like an adopted child to him and he loved them all. David had the biggest heart to love everyone he met, the widest shoulders when you needed them, strongest hands to hold you up and the tightest hugs for all. The love David has for his family and friends was reflected in his unending devotion to those he cherished.
Friends and family are invited to the memorial service on Thursday, June 13, 2019 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Forest Ridge Funeral Home; for those wishing to attend, a rosary prayer service will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the funeral home prior to the memorial service. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m., Friday, June 14, 2019 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Bedford, Texas. His interment, with military honors, will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday, at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Grand Prairie, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph at 577 Carew Street, Springfield, MA, 01104, in his honor.
