Hector David Gagné

1936- 2026

Hector David Gagné passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Wednesday March 11, 2026, in the palliative care ward of WRHN Chicopee in Kitchener, surrounded by the love of his family. He was 89 years old.

Born on June 29, 1936, in Saint-Bruno, Québec, Hector was one of twelve children raised on a family farm in the Lac-Saint-Jean region during lean and demanding times. Those early years shaped him into a man of quiet resilience; resourceful, warm, and deeply curious about the world beyond the farm.

He met the love of his life, Marie-Anna Laberge, in Jonquière, and they married on July 4th, 1959. This July would have marked 67 years together, a partnership that weathered hardship, celebrated joy, and never stopped.

Hector was a man who loved music and dancing. He played the harmonica, the accordion, and fiddled with the guitar which he really did want to play. He loved the outdoors, long drives, and above all, people. He was the kind of man who could talk to anyone. That made his later hearing loss particularly hard on him. He was genuinely, endlessly curious, delighting in the lives and adventures of those around him, and in the remarkable world he had worked so hard to be part of.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Marie-Anna; his children Marcel (Sally), Christine (Jody), Guylaine (John), Lynda (Tom), and Michael (Steve); his grandchildren Stephanie, Paul, Matthew, Sebastian, and Tristan; and his great-grandchildren, Xavier, and Ryker. He is also survived by a legacy of courage, music, and an open heart.

Dear brother of Rita, Paul-Aime, Jean-Real, Rose-Irene, Jean-Emma, Marie-Odile, Richard, Rozare, Lizette, Andre & Michel.

Predeceased by his parents; Napoleon and Marie Rose Gagne (nee Bedard)

Repose en paix, Papa.

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