Wilfred J. "Stump" Proulx

Wilfred Joseph (“Stump”) Proulx passed peacefully on March 4, 2024. A legend of the Croghan community, Stump was a hard-working man who, over the course of his life, ran several businesses, built countless homes and buildings throughout the region, and loved spending time at the pond on the Prentice Road with his wife of 67 years, Ellen “Kee” (formerly Monnat).

Born to Wilfred and Imelda Proulx on April 27, 1934, Stump was born in the house that he and Kee lived in for the last 7 years, 9902 State Rte. 812 in Croghan.

Stump was the 6th of Wilfred and Imelda’s 10 children, and grew up with plans of becoming a farmer. Then, at the age of 17, he went to enlist in the U.S. Army. The Army recruiter was not in the office when he arrived, so the Navy recruiter made his case and that began one of the most exciting periods of Stump’s life. He traveled the world, based on the U.S.S. Miller (out of Newport, Rhode Island), and was a proud veteran of the Korean War. For decades, Stump kept the friendships he made in the service and, with Kee, would travel to join other veterans of the U.S.S. Miller at their annual “ship reunion.” He would often share stories of hitchhiking from Croghan to Albany when he needed to arrive for service; a lover of dancing and live music, while in Newport he would hitchhike every Saturday night to see his favorite band, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and other bands perform.

Upon returning to Croghan, he married Kee on December 1, 1956 at St. Stephen’s Church. In 1970, they became the owners and operators of the Croghan Inn on Main Street until it was lost to fire in 1978, after which they purchased what would become Stump’s Tavern which they ran until 1988. A skilled carpenter, Stump worked throughout his life and after the sale of Stump’s Tavern doing carpentry work in some capacity until he was nearly 80 years old—often working on projects alongside his sons. They also operated Stump’s Liquor, Laundry and Video from 1992 to 2006.

Stump enjoyed listening to music. In his younger days, he would be one of the first people on the dance floor. Stump always enjoyed spending time with his brothers and sisters and hosted the Proulx family reunion each year. A great cook, Stump is known for making the best tomato soup, BBQ chicken, and coffee cake around. He was never too far from the sweets table, and he hated liver no matter how many ways Kee would try to feed it to him.

In recent years, his favorite pastime was riding around with friends, sharing stories, and pushing the limit on how many cans of Genny Light his doctor would allow.

In addition to his wife, Stump is survived by his children: Allen and his partner Teresa (Croghan), Mark and his wife Kelly (Croghan), Karryl Lehman (Castorland), Kay Gerow and her husband Kenneth (Croghan), Linda Kloster (Harrisville), Steve and his wife Michele (Carthage), and Scott and his partner Emily (Lowville). In addition to his children, Stump and Kee had 23 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild.

He is also survived by his siblings: Betty Ann Leonard (Harrisville), Simone Ward (Florida), Patricia Bramhall (Croghan), Kenneth (Castorland), as well as many Monnat in-laws and nieces and nephews.

Stump is predeceased by his daughters Kim Pominville and Jessica Proulx, his son-in-law Todd Kloster, and siblings Paul, Teresa Rosiczkowski, Donald “Frenchy”, Mary Ann Reed, and Janet Mathys.

The family would especially like to thank Steve Brown and Jim Purcell for their friendship with Stump and for traveling the North Country with him, as well as Adriana and Krista who gave Stump exceptional care at home. The family would like to thank the staff of Lewis County General Hospital, Lewis County Hospice, and Wally Balash for their efforts and kindness in making Stump’s passage peaceful.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 10:00 am at St. Stephen’ Church by Father Donald Manfred. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery.

Memories and condolences may be shared online at www.scanlonfuneral.com. Arrangements for Wilfred J. “Stump” Proulx are under the care and direction of the Scanlon Funeral Home, Croghan.

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