Stuart Stu Thibodeau

Stuart 'Stu' Thibodeau February 25, 1924 - May 6, 2012

Stuart E. "Stu" Thibodeau, age 88 of Faribault, passed away Sunday, May 6, 2012 at his home following an extended illness. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. at Divine Mercy Catholic Church in Faribault, 139 Mercy Drive. Interment will be held at St. Lawrence Cemetery, Faribault with military honors provided by the Rice County Central Veterans Association. Visitation will be held at the Parker Kohl Funeral Home & Crematory of Faribault on Tuesday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. and at the church on Wednesday for one hour prior to services. The family prefers that memorials be directed to Divine Mercy Catholic Church or to Bethlehem Academy High School in memory of Stu. Stuart Emanuel Thibodeau, the son of Edward and Josephine (Caron) Thibodeau, was born on February 25, 1924 in Faribault. He attended Faribault High School and graduated with the class of 1942. Shortly after graduating from Faribault High School, Stu was inducted into the Army at Ft. Snelling in May of 1943. After training at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, he was sent overseas to England. Since he was the only soldier in his company who could serve Mass with the Latin responses, he was chosen to be the Chaplain''s Aide. His posting was the Sixth Group, armored tank corps, in the First Army. The group was deployed from Birmingham, England, to Normandy, France, where they landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day plus 6. After the war, he returned home and married his high school sweetheart, Lillian Machacek on November 15, 1945 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Faribault. It might last. Stu later served as Trustee of Sacred Heart Church for some 30 years. After retirement, he was an adult server for daily Mass; he was also a 4th Degree Knight of Columbus. The local Rotary Club last year honored him for nearly fifty years of membership, including a term as president. Stu and Lill worked together tirelessly for 40 years in their business, Thibodeau Insurance Agency, (with a side of Western Union). Their office was headquarters for R ice County Families: Their History, Our Heritage, as they collected and Lill proofed its numerous entries. The book, 800 plus pages, was published in 1982. They''ve also helped plan numerous F.H.S. class reunions through the years. They enjoyed camping vacations and National Park sojourns with their young family. After the kids were grown, Stu and Lill expanded their traveling vistas on bus tours in America, and overseas trips to Austria, Australia, China, Germany,

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