Gerald Dufrenne, affectionately known as “Jerry,” went home to begin eternal life with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Saturday, September 11, 2021 at the age of 85. He passed away peacefully with family members by his bedside, at his home in La Verne, California. He was born May 27, 1936 in Salt Lake City, Utah to parents Anthony J.B. and Ruth (Minson) Dufrenne. Jerry’s family moved to Montebello, California in his youth, and lived there for many years. After graduation from Montebello High School, he attended Pasadena City College to pursue his passion in Electronic Engineering, a career in which he excelled and truly enjoyed until his retirement in 1998.
In 1956, he met and fell in love with Judy Snyder, and the two were married in November of that same year, they went on to have 4 children together. In 1965, they purchased a brand new home and moved to La Verne, California, the place that Jerry would call home for the remainder of his life. Sadly, in the early 1970’s, Jerry and Judy parted ways and began new lives, but always remained very good friends. Jerry would later go on to meet the love of his life, Lorene, who had 2 children, at a “Pomona Valley Parents without Partners” event. It didn’t take him long to discover that Lorene was someone very special. They were married on February 2, 1974 at Westmont United Methodist Church in Pomona, California, where Lorene had been a long time member. Once united, they became a new family of 8.
A few years into their marriage, He and Lorene found their spiritual home with the believers at Puente Valley Fellowship. Their church family will forever be remembered and greatly appreciated for their demonstration of genuine Christian love and servants hearts. Where many church bodies would allow you to simply fade away from memory once you are no longer able to attend, Jerry and Lorene continued to enjoy regular, meaningful visits from their church family, who continued reaching out to them at home. They blessed them with words of encouragement, help with errands, sharing in the elements of communion together, and so many prayers! They demonstrated the true definition of “Christianity” and ”Family,” not just in words, but also by their deeds. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matthew 7:20
Jerry’s faith in Jesus Christ was always steadfast and unshakable. He faced numerous health issues throughout his life that would have caused men of weaker faith to have lost hope, but not Jerry - these trials only served to strengthen his resolve. Jerry retired on his 62nd birthday, sharing concerns that he wanted to take advantage of early retirement in order to enable the opportunity to enjoy as many years as possible in pursing his love for the outdoors with his wife, before poor health might take an early toll and cut that time short. Unfortunately, his concerns became a reality sooner than he expected, but not before they managed to squeeze in many adventures together, traveling to many scenic destinations where they would camp, hike, fish and take in all of God’s created beauty. Jerry loved working in the soil and was an avid gardener. He will be especially remembered for his amazing skill at producing delicious tomato crops, year after year.
Jerry will be deeply missed and is survived by his devoted wife, Lorene; and their six children, Chris (Laurie) Dufrenne, Lori Keala, Jenny (Paul) Bonar, Tim Dufrenne, Lisa Heumann and Rick (Stephanie) Heumann; his brother, Harvey (Cheryl) Dufrenne; 17 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to “Door of Faith Orphanage.” www.dofo.org.
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