November 23, 1938 – September 19, 2025

In the evening of September 19, 2025, our beloved mother passed peacefully into the arms of our Lord. Mom was born in Devlin Township on November 23, 1938, and was the sixth of seven daughters born to John and Fanny Bowman.

Mom met our Dad, Emile DeGagne, in 1955 and they were married in 1957, starting their life together in Crozier, Ontario. There, (in the country, as Mom would like to say), they raised a family of five children born over a period of just under five years and four months. She would refer to us as her “Five Steps.” In the late 60’s, Dad spent much time away from home during the summer obtaining his university degree, leaving Mom to figure out how to keep five kids occupied. We spent a lot of time with our many cousins and swimming at Point Park in Fort Frances. Once we were all of school-age (mid 60’s), Mom became part of the first group of employees at the new Shop Easy in town.

In 1970, we moved to Kenora where Mom worked at a number of businesses over the years; Woolworth’s, Loving Thoughts, Aqua Viva Restaurant, and the Greyhound Bus Depot in Norman. In 1978, Mom and Dad bought the Grandview Motel on Tunnel Island, which they owned and operated until 1988. Our parents checked in many guests at the Grandview who became more than just guests, some even becoming close lifelong friends. Mom took pride in making sure every guest was met with a big smile and enjoyed a restful stay in a clean, comfortable room, after their day’s trip. Through all their years living in Kenora they made so many friends. Their closest friends were Sid and Sophie Neill and Myron and Louise Bowen, and the food, fishing, card games and laughter were treasured by Mom. Another favourite time for Mom was having the ladies over to play bridge, which was always a special occasion. Of course, she always made time for family her top priority. Mom and Dad always welcomed our friends into our home, and she considered them her own personal, close, and lifelong friends. May-Long weekends usually meant that many relatives would come to Kenora for a BBQ and gathering. Mom was adored by her many nieces and nephews whom she welcomed with hugs and her beautiful smile. Some would always greet her with “bonjour ma tante” (Mom loved hearing those words). We will miss her great sense of humour that she exhibited right to the time of her passing.

When Dad retired in 1989, and after they had sold the Grandview, it was time to start travelling. Every year around late November they would drive to warmer climates in California and Arizona. Mom kept detailed journals of every trip, and they would return with some great pictures and better stories. Mom would tell us of their friends at Wagon West Park in Brenda, Ariz., and it was no shock that they would have made so many close, enduring friendships during their travels. However, she wasn’t content with just relaxing, so she took advantage of her U.S. citizenship to take on a part time job at a restaurant, working as a hostess. Mom was always a very sociable person, so this type of job suited her quite well.

Mom loved enjoying time with her family playing cards and board games; we learned how to play numerous card games in our younger years. As our family got larger and grandkids became old enough to add, Mom saw this as a chance to mentor a new generation of Canasta players into the fold. We would spend many late nights playing Canasta which is where her grandkids learned to stay up past bedtime, along with the phrase ‘card laid is card played.’ Mom kept her treasured perpetual calendar on her coffee table which included birthdays and anniversaries. We could always expect a phone call from her on our anniversaries or her singing Happy Birthday to us. In 2007, Mom achieved a lifelong goal of hers by obtaining her High School Diploma at the age of 69, making us all so very proud of her determination and achievement.

It seemed that Mom and Dad couldn’t stay in one place for more than an eight-to-ten-year period, moving from the Grandview, to Lakeside Beach, to Sandy Lake, to Keewatin, and then to Paradise Village, in Ste Anne, Manitoba. In Paradise, they enjoyed meeting new neighbours and spending their time in relaxation with family who would stop and visit as they passed by on the Trans Canada Hwy. Paradise Village became a special place for our parents. After Dad passed away Mom would spend time on her deck waving at friends who were walking or driving by and inviting them to come in for a visit. It is from Paradise Village that Mom moved into the Personal Care Home in Ste. Anne in July 2024. Mom passed away peacefully knowing that she made a positive impact on so many loving, personal lifelong friends as well as her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mom was predeceased by her loving husband Emile in 2015, and her daughter-in-law Colleen in 2011. Mom was also predeceased by her father John Nels Bowman (1946) and her mother Fanny Dorothy Bowman (nee Kallstrom, 1973); and her six sisters Norma DeBenedet (2012), Lena Klepatz (1988), Ruth MacMillan (2014), Mary Frederickson (1999), Bella Weppler (2012) and Beverly Bowman-Inoue (2023).

Mom is survived by her sons Rick (partner Sheila), Pierre (Marilyn), Tony (Betty) and Adrien (Patricia), and daughter Angie. Her 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren adored her and miss her dearly. Also left to grieve are Elsie DeGagne, Claudette DeGagne, Mona DeGagne, Kathy DeGagne, Lillian Bodnar, Maurice and Patti DeGagne and Laura and Ron Tausandfrende; along with many nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly.

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to the staff at Villa Youville Personal Care Home in Ste Anne who provided much care and comfort to our mother.

A Celebration of Life will be held in Kenora in the spring of 2026.