It is with great sadness that the Sisters of St. Joseph announce the death of Sister Nona Dennis (Sister Alma) on Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at St. Joseph’s Motherhouse, North Bay.
Sister Nona was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital, North Bay, on September 11, 1936, the second youngest of six children. She attended St. Mary’s elementary school and St. Joseph’s College in North Bay.
Nona entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie on September 2, 1954. She enrolled in the Registered Nursing Program at St. Joseph’s Hospital, North Bay, in 1957 and graduated in 1960. She then went to Port Arthur (Thunder Bay) as head nurse on the medical floor. From there she was assigned in 1961 to the Sudbury General Hospital of the Immaculate Heart of Mary where she served as Supervisor of Obstetrics until 1965, followed by being named Supervisor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Emergency until 1966.
In June 1966, Nona studied Spanish at the Latin American Institute, St. Mary’s, Ontario, in preparation for her ministry to the people of Guatemala in 1967. For the following six years Nona operated a nursing clinic, taught courses in health and nutrition, and visited and cared for the sick in the mountains. She returned to Canada in 1972 and resided in Elliot Lake where she established the first Pastoral Care Department at St. Joseph’s Hospital and served as Director until 1976. She returned to North Bay in the fall of 1976 and served in Pastoral Care at St. Joseph’s Hospital, until 1979. Sister Nona studied Theology and Pastoral Studies at St. Paul’s University, Ottawa and in 1980 returned to North Bay as Director of Pastoral Care at St. Joseph’s Hospital, until 1990. The next five years Sister Nona served as Bereavement Coordinator at the Pro Cathedral of the Assumption. In 1995, Sister Nona responded to the Congregation’s request to assist in the retreat and prayer ministry program at the Motherhouse, a ministry she fulfilled until her retirement.
Sister Nona is predeceased by her father, James Joseph Dennis and her mother, Marie Alma St. Pierre; siblings Mae (Bill Caswell), Rose Marie (Paul Mannion), Catherine Dennis and John Dennis. She is survived by her cherished sister Patricia Ann Dennis, her sister-in-law Madeleine Dennis and many loving nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews.
Sister Nona will be remembered as a woman who loved and celebrated life in its fullness. Nona loved people. This was reflected in all of her relationships: new mothers and their babies, people in the missions, the sick, the elderly, the dying, the bereaved, as well as her family, friends, staff members and her sisters in community. Nona’s gifts of hospitality and her expertise in the culinary arts earned for her the endearing name “Big Mamma”. She gifted all with special home-made treats; she made mitts, hats and scarves for students and other fortunate recipients. Nona’s heart knew no limits, she was a faithful friend to all. All of Nona’s gifts came from a God-centered life.
The body of Sister Nona will be received at the Motherhouse at 2:00 p.m. and a prayer vigil will be held in the Sacred Heart Chapel at 7:00 p.m. Friday, October 9, 2015. The Mass of the Resurrection will be
Celebrated in the Sacred Heart Chapel at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, October 10, 2015. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, North Bay.
May Sister Nona Rest In Peace