Obituary of Ray Gagné

Raymond Alain Joseph Gagné of St-Pierre-Jolys went to his eternal home on Thursday, May 13, 2021 after a very short battle with cancer. 

Dad was born January 29^th, 1953 to Leon & Edmée (nee Prefontaine) Gagné. He is predeceased by both of his parents, his sisters Yvette (Bill) Kereluk, Lucille Rivard and his brother Jean-Pierre. He is survived by his wife Anita (nee Braun), daughters Trish (Mike) Braun and Carrie (Jeff) Funk, brother Miguel and brother-in-law Ray Rivard along with numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Left to miss their Pepere are his grandchildren: Nash, Ryker, Pierce, Quinn, Nixon, Niko, Tavie, Piper and three additional soon-to-be-adopted children. 

Mom and Dad met in 1977. They married in 1978 and went on to have their two girls. He spent the majority of those early years building highways and crushing gravel around Manitoba; first with Gagné Gravel and later with Nelson River Construction. He had his Dad’s unique ability to assess what kind of gravel was under the ground without even digging a single hole. Dad has always been a work horse- often moving the younger workers aside so he could show them how things needed to be done. He would often be gone for several weeks at a time but always came back with a kiss for mom and small treats for his girls. He demonstrated a work ethic that few others could achieve but above all would remind us that our jobs needed to be places we loved going each morning. He hired both his girls in the scale shack and on the highway where we got to see him in action.

Mom and Dad always loved to travel. Whether it was a road-trip in their motorhome to help out after Hurricane Katrina, trips to his parents vacation home in Florida, an Alaskan Cruise with friends, a condo on the beach in Mexico, golf weekends with friends, or a cabin in the woods at Elkhorn with all his kids; the world was best explored with those he loved. Our family’s most cherished trips were those to Disney and most recently our Gagné family Disney Cruise in 2018 celebrating Mom and Dad’s 40^th wedding anniversary. It was on this trip where Dad’s eyes sparkled brighter than ever watching his grandkids have the experiences of their lives. 

Dad had several hobbies that he enjoyed with so many of his friends over the years; from curling to golf, to camping and car-tinkering- Dad never sat still. Even after retiring in 2018, he took less than a few months “off” before joining town council for the Village of St. Pierre. He poured himself into committees and councils helping in countless ways contributing to the town and people he loved so much. The friendships and partnerships built during these last years were incredibly special and meaningful to him.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to see his vision for much of that work finalized but we trust that the foundation he had laid will help bring those ideas to fruition.

Friends and family use many incredible words to describe Dad: solid, steady, extravagantly generous, hospitable, kind, devoted and loyal. As a family, we know him as our rock- strong, solid and dependable. He was always eager to help with any project and then be the first to race us to the till to pay for our supper afterwards. He could always tell us the road conditions no matter where he was in the province and he was always the biggest pest to his grandkids. 

Dad’s life was fueled by his quiet faith in Jesus. He was very quick to relate our decisions back to our foundation of faith and spoke often in his last days about going home.  He often used the phrase “on the way by” when offering to help someone claiming nothing was ever really out of his way since he spent so much time driving. What we know to be ultimately true is that his time with us on earth was just a quick stop “on his way by” to his heavenly home.

Our family is thankful for the amazing care and support received from everyone during this difficult time. Your demonstration of support with all the painted rocks along their driveway is a testament to the impact Dad has had near and far. Due to restrictions, a private family ceremony will be taking place. To all those grieving alongside our family, we ask that you celebrate his life the way Dad lived his by loving your family and friends extravagantly and having “zero regrets”.

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” James 2:14

Thank you Dad for always demonstrating your faith through your actions. We can only hope to live up to that example.