Wayne Perreault

Wayne A. Perreault

Wayne A. Perreault, 68, longtime resident of Nashwauk, passed away on September 1st, 2020. Wayne Allan Perreault was born on May 31st, 1952 to Vern and Merlyn (Fredrickson) Perreault in Crookston, MN. He attended school in Red Lake Falls, MN until 1966, when the family relocated to Nashwauk, MN. Wayne graduated from Nashwauk-Keewatin High School in 1970, from Hibbing State Junior College in 1972 and from the College of Forestry at the University of Minnesota in 1974. Throughout his high school and college years, he excelled in football receiving All Conference and Tri-State honors. He was also one of the lead singers for the band, The Incredible Ides, from 1967-1970 (who opened once for The Monkeys!), and later for the band, The Clock Struck Six.

Wayne was united in marriage to Patti Clusiau, whom he often referred to as "The sunshine of his life," on June 8th, 1974. The couple spent a summer in Avery, Idaho before moving back to MN, eventually making their home on beautiful O'Leary Lake in 1976. Wayne worked as a District Forester for Itasca County for 34 years until retiring in 2014.

Those who knew Wayne will remember a fun, compassionate and hard-working man, who loved to make people laugh, loved the outdoors, animals, wildlife and music, but above all else, he loved his family. His children could hardly leave the driveway without having their cars checked for safety and being told, repeatedly, to be careful. Wayne had an unrivaled work ethic, often working late into the moonlit hours, perfecting the beautiful trails that channel the 20 acres of land that he was so very proud of, or tinkering with some other project from his never-ending 'to-do' lists or just basking in the beauty of what he always called his "wilderness experience." Of all of the honors Wayne had in his life, we are quite certain that being "Papa Wayne" to his two beautiful granddaughters was his most esteemed.

Wayne is survived by his wife: Patti; children: Nicole (Grant) Perreault Bygd, Jolene (Jake) Casey and Aaron Perreault; granddaughters, Sophia and Evie Casey; siblings: Dennis (Debra) Perreault, Lyle (Diane) Perreault, Mary (John) Kleven, Lori (Dan) Wavra, Bruce (Gwen) Perreault; countless relatives and friends. Wayne is preceded in death by his parents, Vern and Merlyn.

Funeral services for Wayne will be 11:00 am, Saturday, September 5, 2020 at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church in Nashwauk, MN. The Rev. Fr. Joseph Sobolik will celebrate the Mass of Christian Burial. Visitation will be from 6-8 pm, Friday, September 4, 2020 at St. Cecilia’s. The visitation will then continue one hour prior to the funeral Mass at the church on Saturday.  In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made at: alivingtribute.org., where you can plant a tree in his honor. Arrangements are with the Dougherty Funeral Home of Hibbing. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit us at; www.doughertyofhibbing.com.