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 The necrologies are historical documents and may contain errors, including variations in spellings and incorrect dates.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 Mary Dunstan Woods

Sister Mary Dunstan Woods

William John Sainsbury-Woods, a Hampshire man, and Elizabeth Barnes, a Dorset girl, met in college in Winchester England. After their graduation they decided to pool their educational resources and start teaching school, he as principal or master, and she as assistant...

Sister Catherine Ryan

Sister Catherine Ryan

During the summer of 1917 the Reverend John S. Quinn, pastor of St. Carthagh’s Tweed, together with his parishioners, prepared the former Queen’s Hotel which they had purchased to be a convent home for the Sisters of Providence. One of the first tasks the Sisters took...

Sister Mary Desmond Cote

Sister Mary Desmond Cote

On February 17, 1909, in St. Peter’s Church, Parry Sound, Ontario, Joseph Emedie Cote took Ellen (Nellie) Mary Foley to be his wife. Of this most loving union, in the space of five years, three children were born. The first offspring, Marie, was to be her father’s...

Sister Mary Dolores King

Sister Mary Dolores King

On January 13, 1902, to Lambeth West, England, Eileen King was born - the second child of Herbert King and Julia Nano Weldon. Her brother, Gerald was the first born, and after Eileen, in quick succession, there followed three more sisters and three brothers. The...

Sister Loretta McAndrews

Sister Loretta McAndrews

“Have you a place in your Community for a girl like me?” with this question Hilda McAndrews began her letter of inquiry addressed to the “Reverend Sister of Novices” at Heathfield. We did, indeed, have a place for her! In fact, she fitted in very well, having in good...

Sister Mary Petronilla Goulah

Sister Mary Petronilla Goulah

On February 18, 1983, God called to her eternal home another of our senior sisters, the second within two months. Sister Mary Lidwina died on August 22nd and now we record the death of Sister Mary Petronilla. Sister was ninety-four years of age and in the...

Sister Mary Lidwina O’Dowd

Sister Mary Lidwina O’Dowd

On August 22, 1983, the feast of the Queenship of Mary, one of Our Lady’s devoted clients surrendered her soul to God. During her sixteen years of retirement at the Marian Infirmary in the Motherhouse, until she was no longer able to leave her room, Sister Mary...

Sister Evelyn Noonan

Sister Evelyn Noonan

The whole Community of Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul suffered a shock on May 5, 1983, when word was received that Sisters Evelyn Noonan had died. But most distressful was the experience of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Edmonton, who found Sister...

Sister Mary Paula Sturgeon

Sister Mary Paula Sturgeon

On March 29, 1983, which was Tuesday of Holy Week, Sister Mary Paula died at Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston, Ontario. The oldest member of the Community, Sister had observed on December 6, 1982, her ninety-sixth birthday, having a few months earlier, commenced her...

Sister Mercedes Leahy

Sister Mercedes Leahy

The second month of 1983 brought the second death of the year to our Community, the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul. Just two weeks after Sister Mary Edna’s death, Sister Mary Mercedes slipped quietly away. Of her sixty-eight years of religious life,...

Sister Mary Edna O’Meara

Sister Mary Edna O’Meara

On January 22, 1983, the oldest member of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul was called to her eternal reward. Three months had elapsed since Sister Mary Edna passed her ninety-sixth birthday and seventy-five of these years she had spent in religious...

Sister Mary Everildis Whalen

Sister Mary Everildis Whalen

On the first day of the month of Our Lady’s Rosary, Sister Mary Everildis was called by God to her eternal reward, a few weeks after her eighty-ninth birthday. Almost sixty-nine of these eighty-nine years was spent in religious life as a member of the Sisters of...

Sister Rosaleen Sullivan

Sister Rosaleen Sullivan

On August 24, 1982, Sister Rosaleen Sullivan died at Hotel Dieu Hospital, Kingston. She was the eldest member of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, having reached the age of 96 years and 7 months. For the last sixteen years of her life she had been a...

Sister Mary Edward Quinn

Sister Mary Edward Quinn

On May 27, 1982, the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul gave back to God one of their eldest members, Sister Mary Edward, aged ninety-four years and seven months. Sister Mary Edward (Rose Mary Quinn) was a descendent of one of the pioneer families who...

Sister Mary Mildred Boyd

Sister Mary Mildred Boyd

On May 6, 1982, Sister Mary Mildred died at St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital at the age of 93 years and 9 months. Retired at the Marian Infirmary, Heathfield, since 1973, Sister suffered a severe stroke in August, 1981. After a few weeks at Hotel Dieu Hospital, she was...

Sister Mary Sheila Quinn

Sister Mary Sheila Quinn

St. Joseph’s month had nearly ended when God called Sister M. Sheila (Rose Helen Quinn) to Himself. A devoted client of St. Joseph, Sister had been born in Tweed, Ontario, on August 17, 1896, the daughter of James Quinn, of Armagh, Ireland, and Catherine Collins of...

Sister Mary Sheila Quinn

Sister Mary Sheila Quinn

St. Joseph’s month had nearly ended when God called Sister M. Sheila (Rose Helen Quinn) to Himself. A devoted client of St. Joseph, Sister had been born in Tweed, Ontario, on August 17, 1896, the daughter of James Quinn, of Armagh, Ireland, and Catherine Collins of...

Sister Mary Faustina Mattimoe

Sister Mary Faustina Mattimoe

On February 23, 1982, at Kingston Psychiatric Hospital, Sister Mary Faustina died after many months of painful illness. She was 79 years of age and in the 59th year of her religious life. In October, 1978, Sister had undergone heart surgery, absolutely necessary, her...

Sister Mary Paulinus Rashotte

Sister Mary Paulinus Rashotte

“There is frequently significance about the date on which a person is called by death.”  Monsignor J.G. Hanley spoke these words in his homily at the funeral Mass of Sister Mary Paulinus on September 18, 1981. This Sister of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul died at...

Sister Mary Leo MacDonnell

Sister Mary Leo MacDonnell

In the rural community at Dalkeith, Glengarry County, Ontario, one of the outstanding families was that of Alexander MacDonell and his wife, Isabella. Twelve children blessed the home, five boys and seven girls. The eldest girl, Margaret, after completing her...