Robert 'Bob' Dussault

Robert Gerard Dussault, our beloved father, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully on Saturday, December 6, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. He goes to join his beloved wife of 54 years, Karlene, who passed in September 2023. Robert was a friend to all. His kindness, affability, and sense of humor made him a favorite in any setting that he found himself in.

Robert was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on October 8, 1942. He graduated from St. Johnsbury Academy in 1961 and married Karlene (Skinner), also of St. Johnsbury, on September 6, 1969.

Robert, better known as “Bob,” was also affectionately referred to as “Red” by those who knew him long enough to remember his red hair and ruddy complexion when he was a boy. (His younger brother, Paul, or “Pinky,” made for a matched set.)

Robert poured himself into his work and family. He was an automobile enthusiast who could detail a car as well as the best of them and an avid outdoorsman who loved working “up ta the land”– his brother, Clement’s, property in Danville, pruning apple trees to attract wildlife and mowing the roads to provide unfettered access to everyone who explored the woods there. Most importantly, though, Robert was a devoted husband and father who loved his family more than anything. Whether cooking hearty meals for supper (like Shepard’s Pie), telling evocative stories about the St. Johnsbury of his hardscrabble youth, taking his boys on meandering backroad evening drives through the Northeast Kingdom (often advising us how to think of others before ourselves so we could better navigate life’s complexities), loading his family in the car to spend a Saturday or Sunday at Uncle Pete’s and Aunt Denise’s camp in Island Pond (invariably catching several fish to cook on the fire), or ministering Chris and Mat on the fine art of checkbook balancing and Christmas Club investing, Robert created meaning in all he did. But what many will remember most about Robert was his playful sense of humor. Indeed, he possessed an uncanny ability to find humor in all aspects of life, and he generously and unassumingly shared it with others—always with a coy smile and twinkle in his eyes.

Robert was predeceased by his parents, Albert, in 1985, and Noella, in 2012; a sister, Denise Caron, in 2016; his brother-in-law, Pete Caron, in 2017; and his sister-in-law, Janice Dussault, in 2025.

Robert’s survivors include his children: Christopher and his wife, Amy Huang, of St. Johnsbury; and Mathew and his wife, Beverly Lauchner, of Randolph. Robert leaves four brothers: Andre and his wife, Gertrude, of St. Johnsbury; Paul, of Greensboro; Clement and his partner, Judy Welling, of Glen Burnie, Maryland; and Eugene and his partner, Toni Morris, of Waterford. Robert is also survived by his three favorite people in the world, his grandchildren: Brody, Frankie, and Sawyer, as well as his many beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

We would like to thank Marilyn O’Connor and her dedicated staff for serving as Robert’s home care provider in his final year. We are also appreciative of the contributions of Caledonia Home Health and Hospice, St. Johnsbury Health and Rehabilitation Center, as well as the many health care professionals who cared for Robert in his final years.

A funeral mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at 10 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Church with Father Lance Harlow as celebrant. Visiting hours will be Monday afternoon from 4 to 6 at Sayles Funeral Home. A private burial will be at Mount Calvary Cemetery in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Good Shepherd Catholic School, 121 Maple St., St. Johnsbury, VT 05819.

Memories and condolences can be shared at www.CaledoniaLifeServices.com