GUILDERLAND — Michael J. Dansereau was a sweet and nurturing person who would bring his wife a cup of tea and fluff up her pillows whenever she didn’t feel well, recalled Barbara J. (née Speers) Dansereau.

Mr. Dansereau died on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018, “with his loving family by his side,” his family wrote in a tribute. He was 63.

He was born on June 7, 1954 in Aurora, Colorado, the son of Raymond and Therese (née Blanchard) Dansereau.

He graduated in 1972 from Guilderland High School, where he was on the football and wrestling teams.

Mr. and Mrs. Dansereau first met when both were working in Star Plaza, he at Boardman’s and she as a cashier at the IGA supermarket. “He used to come in all the time and would always come to my register,” Mrs. Dansereau said. One day, he asked her out to the movies, and both were hooked. They were married for 38 years.

Mr. Dansereau retired in 2015 from the State of New York where he worked in Higher Education Services Corporation in Albany. Before that, he worked for the Department of Civil Service. Previously, he had worked at St. Peter’s Hospital.

The couple started their married life in Clifton Park, then spent 25 years in East Berne. They then moved first to North Bethlehem and then to Guilderland.

A history and military buff, Mr. Dansereau enjoyed reading books about World War II, the Civil War, battleships, and aircraft carriers, his wife said.

He was fond of painting by numbers, which he found relaxing. He liked surfing the internet and he liked watching movies of all genres, including war dramas like “Saving Private Ryan.” He enjoyed cooking and often made soup and made dishes using a crockpot, his wife said.

He was a devoted Red Sox and Patriots fan, said Mrs. Dansereau, and had been looking forward to seeing the Patriots play in the Super Bowl LII game.

He used to love going hunting and fishing with his father, especially hunting, Mrs. Dansereau said. He told her it wasn’t so much about getting a deer as “about the camaraderie with his father and being out in the open nature.”

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Michael J. Dansereau is survived by his wife, Barbara Dansereau, and by his parents, Raymond and Therese Dansereau.

He is also survived by four of his five siblings: Robert Dansereau and his wife, Colleen; Nancy MacDonald and her husband Rick; Mary Molander and her husband, Mark; and John Dansereau.

One sister, Catherine Patten, died before him.

Mr. Dansereau was the uncle of Sarah Prunier, Matthew Dansereau, Michael Dansereau, Maxwell Molander, and Lucas Molander. Cousins, aunts, and uncles also survive.

Relatives and friends may call at New Comer Cremations and Funerals at 343 New Karner Rd. in Colonie on Monday, Feb. 5, from 4 to 7 p.m.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. at New Comer Cremations and Funerals with interment to follow at Memory Gardens in Colonie. Mourners may leave condolences at www.NewComerAlbany.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.

— Elizabeth Floyd Mair