Obituary of Stephanie Rae Dupuis

Bakers Mills: Stephanie Rae Donohue Dupuis was born January 3, 1969 in Raleigh, NC. She and her parents Valerie and Mike moved to Wheatridge, CO in February 1969. The family then moved north to Arvada in 1974, where Stephanie attended elementary and middle School and developed a passion for equestrian activities and art. She acquired her first horse at the age of 12. Through the mentoring of several trainers, Steph obtained excellence in riding, jumping, barrel racing and showing in Western and English disciplines, ultimately competing in the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO. Her cousin Marcy also had a lifelong love of horses after watching Steph ride with such beauty and finesse. She moved again with her family to Berthoud, CO in 1985, where she graduated high school. She spent her summers working at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO, where she met her first husband, Robert Kralovec. She continued to pursue her love for riding while attended CSU in Fort Collins, CO. She received a Bachelor’s of Science in Equestrian Science with a minor in Business, intending to pursue a career in high end horse breeding. After graduation she moved to Chicago, IL to start a life with Robert Kralovec. In 1994 they were married at the Chicago Athletic Association and in the fall, Steph and Rob moved west to Colorado. A few months later, tragedy struck when Rob died in an auto accident north of Fort Collins, Co. Steph then spent the summer of 1995 studying at the Art Institute of Chicago and later moved to Montana and received a Master’s of Architecture at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT. She spent several years working as an architect in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. After a summer trip to North Creek, NY, she decided to stay and work for Pete Burns and Lauri Arnheiter, and made many friends in the area. One of those friends was Bill Dupuis, whom she met at Basil and Wicks and fell in love with. They were married in 2012 and their beautiful twins, Savannah & Shelbie, were born in 2013. Steph’s whole life she kept in constant communication with her mother, Valerie, who was one of her closest friends and supporters. Steph was a loyal daughter, sister, wife, mother, hiker, skier, equestrian, artist, excellent judge of character, smart (Mensa), hard working and much more. Her ability to stay positive in almost every aspect of life no matter what was thrown at her was one of her most impressive character trait. She is predeceased by her grandparents, Raymond and Dorothy Donohue (Newcomb, NY), John and Clara Holmberg (Denver, CO), sister Shelley Ping (Bozeman, MT), and her late husband Robert Kralovec (Chicago, IL). She is survived by her parents, Valerie and Michael Donohue (Bozeman, MT), her brother Shawn Donohue and daughter Sarah Donohue (Bozeman, MT), her husband Bill Dupuis and her daughters Savannah and Shelbie (Bakers Mills, NY), as well as numerous uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews, and in-laws. A celebration of her beautiful life will be held from 11 am to 1:30 pm, Sunday, Janurary 8, 2017 at Basil and Wicks. Anyone is welcome to stop by. Please visit www.alexanderfh.net for online guestbook, condolences, and directions.