M. Cyrille Dufresne

1919 - 2017

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Cyrille Dufresne, husband of the late Mabel Tremblay-Dufresne (deceased in January 2017) in Westmount on August 12, 2017, at the age of 97.

Cyrille and Mabel shared 67 magnificent years of marriage. He leaves to mourn his eight children; Marc (Élisabeth Tournier), Anne, Monique (Roland Côté), Thérèse (Richard Gravel), Paul (Gabrielle Collu), Jean-Louis (Véronique Pelletier), Marie-Édith (François Casgrain) and François (Heather), his 21 grandchildren; Patrick, Caroline, Suzanne, Guillaume, Margaux, Alexis, Christiane, Grégoire, Carl, Marieke-Noëlle, Saskia, Ariel, Stéphanie, Julien, Raphaëlle, Hugo, Laurence, Antoine, Pascale, Emily, David, and his thirteen great-grand-children; Daphnée, Iris-Miyabi, Joan-Sakura, Youri, Samuel, Johann, Charlotte, Sascha, Alicia, Adela, Léon, Rosalie and Édouard. He also leaves to mourn his sisters and his brother; Marthe, Pierre (Lise Beauregard), Sr Lise, and his sister-in-law; Andrée Pelletier, as well as many relatives and friends. He was predeceased by his brothers, Louis and Yves as well as his sister, Sr Thérèse.

Cyrille Dufresne graduated in mining engineering at Université Laval in 1943, and obtained his Ph.D. in Geology from McGill University in 1952. During the Second World War, he was a Lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers. A builder and pioneer, his career started at Labrador Mining & Exploration Co in 1948 before joining as a geologist in 1950 at Iron Ore Company of Canada.

He participated in the creation and construction of the town of Schefferville and from 1958 to 1963, as chief engineer at the Iron Ore Company of Canada, played a key role in the development of the Carol Project in Labrador City. Having participated in the creation of la société d’État Sidbec in 1963, he held many executive positions between 1964 and 1976. He held the presidency of la société Sidbec Normines from 1976 to 1983. In 1983, he joined the Canadian Executive Service Overseas (CESO) as a member of the Board of Directors, becoming chairman of the board, and eventually a member of the Advisory Committee until 1994.

In 1984, he became Director of Service–Évaluation au Centre d’innovation industrielle/Montréal (CIM) until 1985. Mr. Dufresne sat on many boards of directors; vice-President of the administration council of Resources Nova-Cogesco (1984 to 1993), member of the administration council of Cangold Resources Inc (1994 to 1995) and member of the retirement committee of Hewitt Equipement Ltee (1991 to 2008). A socially involved man, he was the founding president of two school boards in Schefferville and Labrador City. Among his volunteer activities, he was president of the Montreal Chapter of the Canadian Mental Health Association (1975-1981) and was, in the early 1980's with his wife Mabel, one of the founding parents of l’Association québécoise des parents et amis de la personne atteinte de maladie mentale.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Alzheimer Society in your region would be appreciated.