Obituaries

From the first member of the congregation to pass away in 1870 to recent deaths, all the obituaries of deceased Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul are accessible and searchable. You can search by name, or use the birth date, death date and location filters.

These are not typical obituaries, in fact in the world of consecrated life we refer to them as necrologies. These biographical sketches are written by the General Secretary of the congregation shortly after the death of each individual sister. The necrologies are historical documents and may contain errors, including variations in spellings and incorrect dates. The necrologies are presented here as they were written.

If you would like more information about a deceased sister please contact the archivist.

Sister Julia Hamilton

Sister Julia Hamilton

Sister Julia Hamilton was born on January 20, 1922 on a farm at Elgin, Ontario, the third of six children of John Hamilton and Margaret Scanlan. She received her elementary education in a one-room rural school and her secondary education at Notre Dame High School in...

Sister Monica Laton

Sister Monica Laton

Monica and her twin sister, Veronica, were born on April 6, 1919 in Queensboro, Ontario, the last two of seven children of Agnes Genereaux and Alexander Laton. In 1940 she graduated as a Registered Nurse from St. Vincent de Paul Hospital in Brockville. She then did...

Sister Stella Szybisty

Sister Stella Szybisty

Stella Szybisty was born on July 19, 1926 in Janatowica, Poland, the second of two daughters of Elizabeth Cisto and Joseph Szybisty. Her family immigrated to Canada in 1930 and settled on a farm in Polonia, Manitoba where she and her sister attended the local schools...

Sister Mary Fidelis Cunningham

Sister Mary Fidelis Cunningham

Mary Elizabeth Cunningham was born on May 11, 1920 to Elizabeth Black and Bernard Cunningham in Kingston Mills, Ontario the second of two children. Her brother, Bernard, died suddenly at the age of 15 of acute appendicitis. While she was attending Notre Dame High...

Sister Jean Higgins

Sister Jean Higgins

Margaret Jean Higgins was born on August 21, 1943 in Belleville, Ontario, the third oldest of thirteen children of Edith Dempsey and John Higgins. She trained as a Registered Nursing Assistant at St. Vincent de Paul Hospital in Brockville graduating in 1960. On...

Sister Monica Gannon

Sister Monica Gannon

Monica Gannon was born on September 29, 1922 on the family farm in Greenview, Ontario, the fifth of seven children born to Elizabeth Cassidy and Joseph Gannon. When Monica was four years old, her father moved the family to Prince Edward County to take up farming once...

Sister Loretto Boland

Sister Loretto Boland

Loretto Boland was born in Toronto on June 5, 1917, the second of seven children of Josephine Bulger and George Boland. She attended St. Helen’s Elementary School where she was taught by the Loretto Sisters and then Loretto High School on Brunswick Avenue for two...

Sister Peggy Flanagan

Sister Peggy Flanagan

Margaret Josephine (Peggy) Flanagan born on February 27, 1938 in Newmarket, Ontario was the second youngest of five children of William Flanagan and Alice Bell. She grew up in the small community of Schomberg, Ontario. After graduating from Toronto Teachers’ College,...

Sister Miriam Lawless

Sister Miriam Lawless

Miriam Lawless was born in Kingston, Ontario August 2, 1917 to Irene Belanger and Patrick Lawless the eldest of four children. She was baptized and received her first Communion and confirmation at St. Mary’s Cathedral. She received her early education at St. Vincent’s...

Sister Rose Bekar

Sister Rose Bekar

Sister Rose Bekar was born in Bayard, Sask., November 21, 1918, the twelfth of thirteen children born to Joseph and Ludvina (Maierhoffer) Pekar. Her parents immigrated to Canada in 1913 from Austria and settled on the vast prairies of Saskatchewan. She attended the...

Sister Eunice Sugars

Sister Eunice Sugars

In the little village of St. Andrews East, Quebec, Eunice Sugars and her twin brother, Gerald, were born on July 28, 1924 to Maria Rayson and Allan Sugars. Since her father had to move to different towns and cities to seek employment during the depression of the...

Sister Mary Joan LaFleur

Sister Mary Joan LaFleur

Sister Mary Joan, baptized Marion Doreen LaFleur, was born on August 12, 1930 in Kingston, Ontario, the eldest of four children of Evelyn Wiskin and George LaFleur. She received her elementary education at St. John’s School and her high school at Notre Dame Convent....

Sister Gertrude Casey

Sister Gertrude Casey

Mary Gertrude Casey was born in Tweed, Ontario on October 6, 1914, the youngest of five children of Mary Murphy and Peter Casey. She attended St. Carthagh’s Separate School and even though she wanted to attend high school for some reason she said that she didn’t. She...

Sister Mary Ellen Killeen

Sister Mary Ellen Killeen

Mary Ellen Killeen, born in Timmins, Ontario, on March 29, 1921, was the fifth of seven children of Daniel Killeen and Anne Lennon.  She grew up in Timmins attending Holy Family School and Timmins Secondary and Vocational School. She learned hairdressing as an...

Sister Marlene Schuster

Sister Marlene Schuster

Sister Marlene, baptized Valentine Rose Schuster, was the youngest of five children of Theresa Ritt and John Schuster. She was born on May 5, 1931 in Heisler, Alberta where she grew up surrounded by loving parents of deep faith. When her father became ill and was...

Sister Rose Healy

Sister Rose Healy

Rose Healy was born on April 29, 1924 in Smiths Falls, Ontario, the second of six children of Edmund Healy and Isabel Smith. She grew up on the family farm which her father had inherited from his parents. She received her elementary education in the rural school close...

Sister Mary Alberta Gallagher

Sister Mary Alberta Gallagher

Mary Marguerite Gallagher, the eldest for nine children of Fergal Aloysius Gallagher and Mary Alberta O’Toole, was born on September 24, 1921 in Yorkton, Sask. She attended Mapleside School for Grades 1 – 9 and Sacred Heart Academy, Yorkton for Grade 10. Her Grade 11...

Sister Sara MacDonald

Sister Sara MacDonald

Sister Sarah MacDonald, of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, died peacefully following a brief illness on January 6, 2014 at Kingston General Hospital in the 71st year of her religious life. She was born in Trenton, Ontario on May 28, 1923, the fifth...

Sister Nancy Wilson

Sister Nancy Wilson

Sister Nancy Wilson (Sr. M. Theresa Anne), former General Superior of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, died at Kingston General Hospital on November 14, 2013 in the 62nd year of her religious life. She was born in Perth on July 22, 1932 the fourth of...

Sister Nancy Hunter

Sister Nancy Hunter

Sister Nancy Hunter (Sr. M. Margaret) of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul died peacefully at Providence Motherhouse on November 12, 2013. She was born on March 13, 1932 in Brockville, Ontario one of twelve children of Margaret Black and Bernard Hunter....