Have you ever been to a butterfly tagging party? If so, you probably already know the DuBois family. If you have no idea what that means, keep reading. You are about to find out.

Don and Chris DuBois have lived in Lake Windcrest since 2002, after moving here from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chris was born in Haskell, Texas, while Don grew up in Macy, Indiana. 

They have two grown children, their daughter DeLin and their son Paul. DeLin, is married to Ben, and Paul is married to Anita. They are also proud grandparents to four grandchildren and one great grandchild. Around the neighborhood, Don has earned the nickname “The Butterfly Man” for his passion for monarchs and his dedication to tagging them each season as part of national migration research efforts.

Before we talk butterflies, we have to start at the beginning. Long before Lake Windcrest, the DuBois duo’s story quietly began at McMurry University in Abilene. Don came to Texas to attend McMurry and Chris was already a student there. She first noticed him at a basketball game. During the game, the ball became lodged in the rim, and Don didn’t hesitate. He climbed up the goal and freed it, instantly capturing Chris’s attention. But their real courtship began later. “It’s a silly story…a funny story,” they share. Their university had a tradition where freshmen were required to wear green beanies known as “slime caps.” The upperclassmen got to “harass” the incoming freshmen by stealing their beanies. The stolen beanies would then be returned at chapel each week. Chris, older than Don, stole Don’s hat “three times before he took the hint.” After all the hat stealing, Chris and Don became part of the same friend group. “Well then she just became my favorite,” Don says. They were married the next year in December of 1962.

Don doesn’t remember exactly when he first got interested in butterflies. “My mom would take us out into the woods and let us find our way back,” Don says. “So I was always interested in bugs, and if I hadn’t gone into chemistry, I would have probably studied them.” In 2000, they started tagging butterflies in Pennsylvania. “Tagging” monarch butterflies means placing a tiny, lightweight sticker with a unique code on their wings, like giving each butterfly its own little passport. This lets scientists track their migration, monitor populations, and learn about their lifespan and breeding patterns. What started as an interest has become a tradition that they share with neighbors and friends. Don and Chris have turned conservation into connection by hosting an annual butterfly tagging party each fall.

Outside of tagging butterflies, Don volunteers at Mercer Botanic Gardens every Wednesday, and Chris leads the Hearts and Hugs Bear Ministry at Wildwood United Methodist Church, designing teddy bears that become reading buddies for kindergarteners. Chris also delights friends and family with her intricate, handmade cards. For the DuBois family, life is about slowing down and celebrating the small wonders. Whether it’s a handcrafted teddy bear, a thoughtful card, or a butterfly tagging party, they make sure kindness always takes wing.