Jill Patricia DuFour's Obituary
Jill DuFour Obituary
Jill Schriner DuFour was born on February 19, 1947 in Kankakee, Illinois. She died on October 18, 2021 in Tulsa, Oklahoma while in hospice care at Clarehouse. She died holding the hand of her loving husband, of 27 years, Bill Dufour.
Jill was the youngest daughter of Philip and Doreen Schriner, of Kankakee, IL. Jill is survived by her husband, William DuFour, Jr. of Bixby, OK; her Step-Mother, Jean Schriner of Kankakee, IL and her sisters - Sandra Schriner Rooney of Stillwater, OK and Nancy Schriner Wulff of Kankakee, IL.
Jill is also survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Rich and Julie Ezell of Fayetteville, AR; daughter, Sara Hines of Lawrence, KS; step-son and daughter-in-law, Brandon and Meredith DuFour of Chandler, AZ. In addition, she is survived by grandchildren and their spouses; Ali and David Karr, Matthew and Natalie Ezell, Daniel and Kenadie Ezell, Will Dawson and Ryder DuFour.
Jill graduated from Bishop McNamara High School in Kankakee, IL in 1965. After graduation, she attended Northern Illinois University and The University of Arkansas obtaining both a Bachelors in Elementary/Special Education and a Master’s degree in Special Education. Jill became a well-known and beloved special education teacher in Springdale, Arkansas and carried on that legacy to San Antonio, Texas where she finished her teaching career. She loved her work with children with special needs and stayed in touch with many of them through the years.
Along with the love for her family and the children she taught, Jill was an avid animal lover. Throughout her lifetime she showed horses on local and national levels excelling in various forms of equestrian riding. She passed this love and skillset onto both her daughters, Julie and Sara and granddaughter, Ali. In addition to her love for horses, she had a special love for dogs. There was never a time in her life when a dog wasn’t part of it. Her most beloved dog, Katie, was trained as a service dog and accompanied Jill to hospitals and retirement homes on a regular basis. Their visits were always the highlight of everyone’s day.
The family would like to express their gratitude to Pam Kiser and the loving staff of Clarehouse and Kindful Hospice both of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
A Rosary and Celebration of Jill's life will be held at Bixby Funeral Home at 5:30 pm on October 22, 2021. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Clements Catholic Church in Bixby, OK at 9:00 AM on October 23, 2021.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association of America and/or Clarehouse of Tulsa, Oklahoma
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Jill Patricia DuFour, please visit our floral store.
Read More
What’s your fondest memory of Jill?
What’s a lesson you learned from Jill?
Share a story where Jill's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Jill you’ll never forget.
How did Jill make you smile?