The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada, London Neighbourhood, announce the death of our dear Sister Eveline Gagner at the Residence of the Sisters of St. Joseph at 485 Windermere Road in London. Sister died on Monday, June 15, 2020, accompanied on the last part of her journey by our loving Care Centre Staff and from a distance, by the Sisters, and her family.
Sister Eveline (Marie Anne Eveline) was born in 1917 in Chatham, Ontario, and joined the Community of the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1938. She is remembered with affection by all her CSJ Sisters as well as her sister, Yvonne Nugent, numerous nieces and nephews, and many former students, colleagues and parishioners. Predeceased by her mother, Marie Helene (Caron), father Dieudonné Gagner; sister, Sister Yvonne, CSJ (Viola Marie), and brothers, Raoul (Irene Daniel), and Roland (Therese Martin), and brother-in-Law Percy Nugent.
Sister Eveline lived the first years of her life in Pain Court, Ontario, an area rich in her French cultural and linguistic heritage. She trained as a teacher at the University of Ottawa Normal School, and spent the next forty years as a teacher, Principal and Religious Education Consultant in elementary and secondary schools in Belle River, Windsor, London and Sarnia. After a course in Catechetics in Brussels, Belgium, she devoted herself to adult faith education and pastoral ministry. Her passion for education in faith development made her untiring in her willingness to help others to learn and to understand "the reason for the hope that is in you" (1Peter 3:15).
Sister Eveline was a quiet woman, filled with faith, and conviction. Although she sought excellence, it was always tempered with gentleness, peace and a quiet sense of joy. In planning her funeral, she wrote: "It is my wish to have a joy-filled celebration of God's unconditional, bountiful, merciful love manifested throughout the universe, in all creation, in the gift of Jesus, in all people, in all aspects of our lives, especially mine. I am deeply grateful to my God."
Due to the current pandemic, there will be no public services. A private burial service will be held, with a memorial Mass and celebration of her life to be scheduled at a later date. O'Neil Funeral Home in charge of arrangements . Online condolences & Guest Book at www.oneilfuneralhome.ca