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 The necrologies are historical documents and may contain errors, including variations in spellings and incorrect dates.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.
Mary Ellen McCarthy was born on November 21, 1919 the eldest of 7 children. She entered the Novitiate of the Sisters of Providence on February 12, 1941 and made profession on March 19, 1943. After her First Profession, she was missioned to the House of Providence,...
Sister Jean was born in Carmangay, Alberta, on January 23, 1925, and entered the Novitiate on January 30, 1947. During her religious life, Sister Jean worked as housekeeper in the convents in Perth, Picton, Prescott and Edmonton. Her longest and best loved ministry...
Isobel Marie McConville was born in Trenton, Ontario on April 14, 1914 to Sara Shoniker and Harry McConville, the eldest of three Girls. Sister M. Agnes Clare received her elementary education (Grades 1 - 10) at St. Peter's School, Trenton and Grades 11 and 12 at...
Patricia Margaret Kelly was born in Bancroft, Ontario on August 24, 1920, the eldest of six children of Patrick Kelly and Ada Annie George. Her father’s parents were Irish Immigrants who came to Canada around the time of the potato famine in Ireland. Her father was a...
Mary Evelyn O’Grady was born in Montreal on May 2, 1931, the second child of Mary Margaret Meehan and Stephen Edward O’Grady. Along with her older sister and three younger brothers, she grew up in a very close and loving family. Her maternal grandparents as well as...
Helena Bernice O’Neill was born in Marmora, Ontario on November 6, 1912, the eldest of four girls. Although she was baptised Helena Bernice, she inherited the name Ellen which was an old family name on both sides of her family. She entered the Novitiate of the Sisters...
Grace Maguire was born on April 22, 1923 in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, Ireland, to Francis Maguire and Rose Burns, the tenth in a family of six boys and five girls. The family immigrated to St. Brides, Alberta in 1927 when Grace was four years old. The older members...
Marguerite Marion Farnand was born on February 9, 1908 in Buckingham, Quebec, a town located in the foothills of the Laurentians about twenty miles from Ottawa. She was the eldest of ten children born to Mary Ellen Lavell and Anthony Farnand. Her parents owned a farm...
Helen Maloney was born at Mount St. Patrick on August 4, 1926, the middle child of nine children born to Margaret McDonald and John Maloney. Her mother, being a teacher, taught the children many things before they went to school. Both parents taught the children...
Agnes Isabella McCulloch was born in Whitewater, Manitoba, on October 14, 1908. She was the 6th of 8 children born to Edgar McCulloch and Alice Aindow. Her parents had emigrated from England around 1902. There was no school in Whitewater so she did not attend school...
Frances Piasecki was born in Hamilton, Ontario on March 30, 1926, the eldest of six children. When Frances was very young her family went to Winnipeg in search of work. But when that failed they returned to Hamilton. Frances began working in a cotton mill when she was...
Mary Irene Angela Goodwin was born in Toronto on May 12th, 1914 to Augustus Goodwin and Anastasia Riordan. When she was two years old, her mother died and a few months later her younger sister died of whooping cough. Her father was in a dilemma as to what to do with a...
Alice Ann Downey was born on September 19, 1916 in Bainsville, Ontario, the sixth of 11 children born to John Joseph Downey and Mary Catherine Cameron. She grew up in a loving family where she experienced, as expressed in her own words, “God’s unconditional love from...
Kathryn Blanche LaFleur was born in Kingston on October 16, 1940 the youngest of 4 children of Evelyn Blanche Wiskin and George LaFleur. She attended St. John’s and St. Patrick’s Elementary Schools where she was taught by the Sisters of Providence, and Cathedral...
Sister Mary Teresa was born at St. Francis Hospital in Smiths Falls. The eldest daughter of Patrick and Helena (Sloan) Cole, she was baptized Zelda Anna Camella Cole. Sister grew up in Smiths Falls and attended elementary and secondary school there except for two...
Sister Marian McCallum was born in Montreal on May 11, 1948 and attended St. Malachy’s School and Marymount High School. Following her graduation, she entered the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul on September 8, 1965. After graduating from the Ottawa...
Mary Collins was born in Tweed, Ontario, the second eldest of six children of Joseph and Harriet LaJoie. She grew up on the family farm just outside of Tweed and attended the St. Carthagh’s Separate School where she was educated by the Sisters of Providence. Her...
Kathleen Maguire was born on January 18, 1910, the fifth of eleven children. All eleven children were born in the family farm house near Moyglass, Ireland. When Ireland was divided in 1922, Mr. Maguire, not wanting to raise his children in a divided county and...
Marie Jean Estelle Dumont, born in Chauvin, Alberta, on March 29, 1922, was the only daughter of Joseph Amedee Dumont and Anastasia Jane Dwyer. She grew up on the family farm with her five brothers until drought forced them to move to Edmonton. The family then moved...
Caroline Josephine Kramps was born on March 28, 1907 at home, the second of 13 children born to Caroline and August Kramps. Her parents were immigrants from Europe. Her father, born in Germany went to the United States in 1889 at the age of 17 and later came to...
