Jim Dupuis, a beloved Hanover delivery man known best for his time working at Gusanoz Mexican Restaurant, died on May 5 in Montreal most likely of natural causes, though the autopsy report has not yet been released, according to his sister, Cathy Dupuis. He was 56 years old.
Jim Dupuis was born in Maryland and lived in Baltimore and Florida before moving to West Lebanon. He was unmarried and did not have any children.
At the time of his death, Dupuis was planning a move to the Bay Area, according to Bing Guan '14, who intended to profile Dupuis for a journalism class.
"It's kind of poetic in a way," Guan said. "He was so much to so many people at Dartmouth, and he died while he was getting ready to leave."
Cathy Dupuis described her brother as personable and friendly.
"He was full of personality and very social, very outgoing," she said. "I'm getting all these emails and texts from people I don't even know."
Prior to his work at Gusanoz where he acquired the nickname "Jim Gusanoz," by which he was known to many students Dupuis delivered food for Everything But Anchovies. Most recently, he worked for Ramunto's Pizza in Hanover.
In the time between his jobs at Gusanoz and Ramunto's, Dupuis often sold Gusanoz burritos to students on Webster Avenue. Using Facebook, he would alert students to the dates and times during which he would sell food from his car.
Dupuis enjoyed working in Hanover, his sister said.
"He loved his time at Dartmouth," Cathy Dupuis said. "It seemed like the happiest he'd been in his life, delivering pizzas ... and living in the college town. I remember him saying it was a joy being around the kids because it kept him young and how wonderful [the students] all were for accepting him into [their] world."
Students interviewed by The Dartmouth said they were saddened to learn of Dupuis' death.
"It's sad," Jayne Caron '14 said. "He was kind of a Dartmouth institution."
Benjamin Ludlow '12 said he met Dupuis by ordering food frequently from Gusanoz. Ludlow also helped him with deliveries, he said.
"Jim was one of the kindest people I have ever met in my life," Ludlow wrote in an email to The Dartmouth. "He cared for Dartmouth and its students as much as anyone I can imagine, and I hope he's found peace."
Guan said he believed Dupuis considered Dartmouth students as more than just customers.
"My recollections of him are uniformly positive," Guan said.
Cathy Dupuis said she has heard from dozens of people looking to express their condolences and sadness in the days since her brother's passing.
"He had a way with names and people's faces," she said. "Apparently he touched an awful lot of lives up there."
Dupuis will be cremated and buried at a family plot in Rollinsford, N.H., according to Cathy Dupuis. Members of his family will hold a private memorial service next Saturday and are in the process of planning a public memorial service in the future, possibly at the College on June 9.
He is survived by his parents Ray and Jeanne, his older sister Debbie, younger sister Cathy and younger brothers Ray and Joe, as well as a niece, nephew and two grandnephews, according to Cathy Dupuis.
