Sr. Helene Gagnon, PM (Sr. Ste. Irenee), 86, of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary died December 24, 2012 at St. Joseph Residence in Manchester.
She was born in Somersworth on July 16, 1926 to Andre and Aurore (Vallee) Gagnon. She entered the Order of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary in 1945, made her first profession in 1948 and her final profession in 1953.
She earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Rivier College in Nashua.
Sr. Helene was a zealous educator and basketball coach in parochial elementary schools in Berlin and West Stewartstown and Coventry, RI. She also was principal at Guardian Angel School and St. Regis School, both in Berlin, and St. Albert School in West Stewartstown.
After retiring in 1997 she did community services for the Marie Rivier Community in Hudson then transferred to St. Joseph Community in Manchester in 2009.
The family includes four siblings, Andre Gagnon and his wife Jeannine of Nashua, Jeannette Dumont and her husband Nobby of Somersworth, Rose Hopkins of Somersworth and Andrea Houde and her husband Alfred of South Berwick, ME; a sister in law, Jeanie Gagnon of Dover and several nephews, nieces and cousins. She was predeceased by her brother Bob Gagnon, her sister Irene Gagnon and brother in law Ed Hopkins.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Monday, December 31, 2012 in the Resurrection Chapel of St. Marie Residence, 495 Mammoth Rd., Manchester. Burial was in Presentation of Mary Cemetery, Hudson.
Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, Manchester assisted with arrangements.