Jacques Francois Michel Dubois

Jacques Francois Dubois, 79, of Cedar Falls, passed away at home on February 4, 2021, following an illness of lung cancer. He was born on March 12, 1941, in Megeve, France, son of Gabriel & Janine (Billard) Dubois. Jacques was born and raised in the French Alps before immigrating to the United States at the age of 15 by ship across the Atlantic. He graduated with his bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska-Kearney and with his master's degree from the University of Lincoln. Jacques began his career at the University of Northern Iowa in 1966 as a French professor. He then established his lifelong career at UNI for 37 years before retiring as professor emeritus. Jacques returned to France every year with the university & students.

Jacques was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 24 years, Kathy; his mother & step-father, Janine & Darrell Bayles; father, Gabriel; and his brother, Jean-Claude. He is survived by his sons, Bradley (Judy) Dubois of Waterloo and Kevin (Barbara) Dubois of Grovetown, GA; and daughter, Nathalie (Robby) Tucker of Des Moines; grandchildren, Jennifer (Steve) McGill of Waterloo, Julie (Tony) Ball of Cedar Falls, Christopher (Alisha) Dubois of Waterloo, Adam (Chelsea) Dubois of Harvey, IA, and Taylor (Pete) Nieland of Marshalltown; and 11 great-grandchildren with a 12th on the way.

Jacques' funeral service will be held at 4:00 PM on Friday, February 12, 2021, at Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran Church of Cedar Falls with visitation from 2 - 4 PM. Attendees must bring and wear a mask and practice social distancing. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to: UNI Panther Wrestling Program; Iowa Heartland HFH (Habitat for Humanity); or to Nazareth Global and U.S. Missions.

Jacques was an avid skier, learning the sport in his home of the French Alps. One of his biggest passions in life was sports of all kinds, especially UNI athletics & the wrestling program. Jacques & Kathy bought season tickets for many of the UNI teams and loved spending their time cheering on the Panthers. Jacques was also a passionate soccer fan including playing, coaching and refereeing. He was very proud of his French heritage and loved sharing the culture, food & traditions with his friends and family. He received the Palmes Academic from the French government, wrote a French textbook and translated a war memoir. Jacques loved being social and maintaining his friendships by traveling the world. He was a very outgoing and social person, always wanting to share a joke and laugh with others. Jacques loved spending time with his children and grandchildren and will be so missed by many.