Marcel Montcalm Dursin, Jr.

Marcel Montcalm Dursin, Jr., 90, of Jerry Brown Farm and Wakefield passed away peacefully on Tuesday, 23 November, 2022 at Westerly Hospital. He was the beloved husband for 54 years of Leonora A. (Gilson) Dursin. Born in Woonsocket, R.I. he was the son of Marcel M. Dursin and Blanche E. “Yvonne” Salvas.

Marcel was a graduate of Assumption Prep, attended Yale University and received a BS in Textile Engineering from Lowell Technological Institute. Following a two year tour of duty in a U.S. Army Signal Corps research unit in Germany, he worked for E.F. Dupont Co. Returning to R.I. he founded the Duraplax Co. before becoming President of M.Dursin and Sons, Inc., one of the last top wool dye houses and invigoureux printers in this country. His Dursin family had come from Roubaix, France at the turn of the last century to establish and manage textile mills for their French owners.

As a young man Marcel enjoyed skiing, flying and sailing. A member of the Twenty Hundred Club, onboard his Tartan sloop, “Hibou,” he cruised the New England coast with family and friends. In later years he became an expert windsurfer sailing from his cottage on Salt Pond. His passions in life were jigsaw and crossword puzzles, Providence College Hockey, and music (Carmina Burana to Paint Your Wagon). He was a supportative member of the American French Genealogical Society and the Willow Dell Historical Association.

Marcel was the proud father of his beloved son, Andre M. Dursin and his wife Joanne of Jerry Brown Farm. As “Boppa” he will be forever remembered by his grandson, Theo George Dursin, whose love and activities were the light of his life.

Marcel was the brother of Eugene G. Dursin (Suzanne) of Captain Cook, HI. and Michele Lilly (William) of East Greenwich. He was predeceased by his sisters, Jacqueline M. Gannon and Suzanne M. Cross. He is also survived by a plethora of nieces and nephews whom he loved like they were his own children.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at 10 AM at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Providence. Visiting hours Monday, November 28, 2022, 4-7PM at the Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia St., Wakefield. Burial will be private.  Expressions of sympathy may be made in Marcel’s memory to Monsignor Clarke School, 5074 Tower Hill Rd., South Kingstown R.I. 02879.