Estelle (née Auger) Dugas, 83, of Amherst, died peacefully on May 7, 2021, at the Hospice of the Fisher Home, for whose tender care her family is profoundly grateful. She was the daughter of Annette (née Saint-Pierre) and Philias Auger, Sr. of Woonsocket, RI.

Estelle was blessed to have been educated by the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, with whom she shared an enduring bond. She earned a high school diploma from Presentation of Mary Academy in Hudson, NH, and a BA magna cum laude from Rivier College (now Rivier University) in Nashua, NH, with a Music major and a French minor. After earning certifications in Music, French, and History, she taught all three subjects in the public high schools of Blackstone, MA, and Windsor Locks, CT.

In 1960, she married Donald Dugas of Woonsocket, RI. Although they divorced in 1986, the relationship they forged continued to serve as a source of mutual comfort and support in their later years.

Estelle’s vocation was motherhood, family her guiding star. She loved to sew, but music was her passion. Few things gave her as much joy as combining her art and her faith as a member of a church ensemble. The years she spent directing the wonderful friends she made in the choir of Saint Stanislaus Church in South Deerfield were especially happy ones, ending only when macular degeneration robbed her of the ability to read a score.

The majority of her professional life was spent working as a real estate agent, first with Town & Country Realtors, then with Jones-Town & Country. She derived real gratification from finding just the right home for clients as well as from welcoming newcomers to the Pioneer Valley.

Estelle worshipped at the Newman Catholic Center from 1973, when her family moved to Amherst, until her death. Her devotion, love of liturgy, simplicity, humility, thoughtfulness, creativity, adaptability, courage, and strength will be greatly missed.

Estelle was preceded in death by her parents; brother Philias Auger, Jr.; sisters-in-laws Theresa (née Lague) Auger and Diane (née Dugas) Burke; brothers-in-law Harold Robinson, II, and Robert Dugas; and nephew Harold Robinson, III. She is survived by sisters Colette Auger of Manchester, NH, and Madeleine Robinson of Manchester, CT. She is also survived by daughter Colette Dugas and her partner, Richard Brunswick, of Northampton, MA; son Don-John Dugas and his partner, Ruth Gilligan, of Akron, OH; and former husband, Donald Dugas, of Warwick, RI. And she leaves behind many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews whose love, lives, and achievements were an unending source of joy.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30am on May 13, 2021, at the Newman Catholic Center, 472 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01002. Estelle will be laid to rest with her parents, brother, and sister-in-law Theresa at Saint John the Baptist Cemetery in Bellingham, MA.  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary (495 Mammoth Road, Manchester, NH  03104) or the Amherst Survival Center (https://amherstsurvival.org/donate/). Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com