Eugene Edward Dionne

Eugene Dionne passed away on March 6, 2026 at Shuswap Lake General Hospital, his wife, Sandra, and his daughters, JoAnn and Jana, by his side.

Eugene was born in Radville, Saskatchewan on June 3, 1942. He grew up on a farm where—if his stories are to be believed—he spent his childhood picking rocks in his family’s wheat fields. He moved to Saskatoon in 1960 to attend the University of Saskatchewan, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in 1964 and a Bachelor of Education degree in 1966.

After teaching in Uranium City for a few years, he moved his young family to Salmon Arm in 1970 to take a teaching position at Salmon Arm Senior High. There, he taught drafting and coached the school curling team. He transferred to A.L. Fortune Secondary in Enderby in 1985, returning to SASH in 1989 to teach chemistry.

A self-taught carpenter, Eugene could build everything from footstools to dressers, boats to barns. But his favourite things to build were houses. In the 1970s and 80s, he would spend his summers turning the house plans he’d drafted all winter into reality. By the time he retired from teaching in 1992, Eugene had built an apartment block, three homes for his family, numerous houses in Salmon Arm, and the retirement condo complex, Florence Grove. He then went into construction full-time, building more houses in Salmon Arm and Armstrong, and the retirement condo complex, Alcide Place.

In his free time—yes, he had free time!—in his younger years, Gene loved to curl and ski in winters, and boat around the Shuswap in summers. A lifelong gardener, he took great pride in the fruit and vegetables he grew, especially his beloved raspberries. As he wound down his construction business, Gene and Sandra began spending their winters in Arizona then California, where he enjoyed playing cards and shuffleboard. In recent years, he got a kick out of hosting “the guys” for morning coffee in his garage at home.

Eugene was predeceased by an infant son; his parents, Alcide and Florence Dionne; his parents-in-law, Alvin and Sophea Clarke; his brothers, Dale Dionne and Alan Dionne; and his brothers-in-law, Delmar Brothen and Glenn Walker. Eugene is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sandra Dionne; his daughters, JoAnn Dionne and Jana Dionne (Del); his sister, Sharon Walker; his sister-in-law, Elaine Dionne; his brother, Donald Dionne; his brothers-in-law, Ron Clarke (Joyce), Dave Clarke (Cheryl), Greg Clarke (Tammy), and Dale Clarke (Joyce); dozens of nieces and nephews; and three grand cats.

Eugene’s family would like to thank Gordon Biesbroek, Randy and Penny Burgess, and Lisa Garnham for their dear friendship and support, especially in Eugene’s final month. We would also like to thank home-care assistant, Harsh; paramedics, Jacqueline and Corbin; nurses, Jennifer, Madi, and Linda; and physicians, Dr. Weicker and Dr. Bell for the care and compassion they gave Eugene.

A public celebration of Eugene’s life will take place on what would have been his 84th birthday—Wednesday, June 3, 2026—at 3:00pm in The Sanctuary at First United Church, 450 Okanagan Avenue SE in Salmon Arm.