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Obituary
Dr. Dale Moore DuPlessis passed away on March 17, 2023, at The Moncton Hospital after a sudden illness. He was surrounded by family and passed peacefully. Several days before, he left his home in Riverview—after having lived there for more than 50 years—for the last time; it was well-stocked, immaculately tidy, and with pre-measured ingredients and recipe for brown bread waiting on the kitchen counter, part of his morning ritual. He often said his routine sustained and enriched him, and he lived out his days on his terms.
Dale was born to the late Blanche (Moore) and Harvey DuPlessis on May 2, 1927, in the family home in Keswick Ridge, NB—the eleventh of thirteen children. He grew up a farm boy. He would rise early, a habit he kept all his life, to feed and milk the cattle (many years after he filled his last pail his forearms were iron) before prowling the woods on the way to school for grouse. Unbeknownst to his teacher, he would stash his gun in the trees nearby until school let out.
His work rearing cows, hogs, and chickens on the family farm, as well as time spent in the bush, led him to develop a naturalist’s eye and a keen appreciation for life in all forms. Once he’d finished high school, he enrolled at Nova Scotia Agricultural College, where he completed a year of course work before attending Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, ON. He spent hours in study—poring over textbooks in the library—with a particular focus on large animals. He graduated in 1952, and kept in contact with many of his classmates, attending reunions regularly even as his peer group dwindled; his last reunion, the 65th, saw a gathering of a small but devoted cohort of which he was proud to belong.
As a student, a classmate set him up on a blind date with a nurse, a farm girl from Inwood, ON. The date was a success, more followed, and though he travelled back to New Brunswick after graduation to begin work, he returned to Ontario to marry Patricia Lehrbass on June 27, 1953, in her hometown. For their honeymoon, they withdrew a $600 loan and took off for the Rockies. They loved to travel, and throughout their years together toured much of Europe and North America (in May 2015, Dale finally visited Louisiana, his 50th state). They had three children: Mark, Kim, and Brent. They rarely disagreed, and complemented each other in parenting. On one memorable occasion when the boys made the ill-advised choice to set fire to a barrel behind their grandmother’s Ontario home, Dale took them on a strategically long walk while Pat ran damage control. After Pat passed in 1999, he settled back into bachelorhood; he was satisfied in love for a lifetime.
Dale began his career in veterinary medicine with the provincial government of New Brunswick, where he worked for several years as a large animal vet. He found kinship with the farmers he served and related to their practical concerns. As the years passed, he was coaxed by a colleague in the federal government to transition to work in the inspection of imported animal goods and management of contagious diseases. While he was always happy in the field, especially when it allowed him time between patients to stalk abandoned apple orchards for grouse, he chose the federal position for the change in lifestyle and opportunity to take on managerial duties. By the end of his career, he had risen to the office of Atlantic Regional Veterinary Director.
Beyond his career, Dale believed in service to the community. He served as president of the Woodstock Y’s Men Club, and as a member of the Charlottetown and Fredericton branches. He served for a time as the secretary of the New Brunswick Veterinary Medical Association. For more than two decades he served as the clerk of session at St. Paul’s United Church in Riverview, NB. Later in life, he lent his prodigious and oft-tested skill as a pancake cook to many church breakfasts, towards which he would unfailingly be seen lugging a container of batter and his prized whisk (he really hated the church’s whisk).
Dale was a lifelong hunter. He met Dick Yeomans, a neighbour in Woodstock, NB, in 1963, and by 1964 had convinced him of his character enough to earn an invitation to Dick’s hunting camp. Dale returned to the camp every year in the fall, with friends and family, until the end of his life. For Dale, camaraderie in the backcountry was as important as the pursuit of quarry, as was respect for nature. He took much joy through the years in observing the lives of animals, and in sharing a love of the natural world with his children and grandchildren.
Dale, forever the farm boy, took great pride and interest in the garden which spanned his backyard. He grew squash, corn, raspberries, strawberries, and tomatoes, among other vegetables, and kept a number of flower gardens. He spent many seasons refining his technique and constructing equipment to grow giant pumpkins, a hobby he shared with his neighbour Gordon; his largest pumpkin weighed nearly 500 lbs and was marvelled at by neighbours, exhibition attendees, and his grandchildren. Before the gardening season each year, he would join his friend Delbert at the sugar bush, where they shared many mugs of maple tea over an enormous steel evaporator as it refined the sap of their labour. For Dale, his garden, his time in the woods, and the many days he spent with children and grandchildren (he was omnipresent at graduations, celebrations, and family holidays) all spoke to a single desire: to watch things grow, and to nurture them when he could.
Dale had twelve brothers and sisters; he is predeceased by siblings Fred, Marion, Frank, Johnson, Pauline, Charles, Paul, Lloyd, Helen, Bruce, and David. He is survived by his sister, Hazel Phillips, as well as his three children, Mark DuPlessis (Joanne DuPlessis) of Dartmouth, NS; Kim Johnston (Blair Johnston) of Bellville, ON; and Brent DuPlessis (Caroline Pavlin) of London, ON. He was a loving and attentive Grampy to Ben, Colin, Morgan, and Jeffrey DuPlessis, and Erin and Meg Johnston. They will always remember his constant interest in the happenings of their lives, his seemingly endless font of knowledge on all things agricultural and woodsy, his sweet tooth, the mischievous glint in his eye when he played cards, and his everlasting patience.
A visitation will be held in Dale’s honour March 21 at 7PM at Fergusons Funeral Home in Moncton, NB. A ceremony of remembrance will be held on March 22 at 2PM at St. Paul’s United Church. Dale will be interred at Mactaquac Cemetery next to his wife, Pat.
The family is forever indebted to Dale’s neighbours, including Stephanie, Brian, Nolan, and Xavier Lewis, who watched over him from across his garden. He was a man whose routines and independence defined his golden years, and his family was much relieved and reassured by the Lewises’ presence. Their children in particular were a joy for Dale, who spoke of them as fondly as his own grandchildren.
In memory of Dale and in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in the name of Dr. Dale DuPlessis to St. Paul’s United Church or the charity of your choice. Online condolences for the family may be shared on the Fergusons Funeral Home Facebook Page or at
www.fergusonsfuneralhome.com.
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May 2 1927
March 17 2023
Death notice for the town of: Moncton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick
death notice Dr Dale DuPlessis May 2 1927
March 17 2023
obituaries notice Dr Dale DuPlessis May 2 1927
March 17 2023
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Dr Dale DuPlessis May 2 1927
March 17 2023 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
