“Eugene” Thomas “Eugene” Oates
February 14, 1943 – June 30, 2020
“All I know about death is it seems to take everyone by surprise. I don’t know why because it is literally the only thing that is in the contract” – Richard From Texas, Eat Pray Love
Eugene (Gene) passed peacefully away at the Health Science Centre in St. John’s. He was predeceased by his father Robert Oates, mother Rita Oates (nee Coady), daughter Gina Oates, sisters Mamie Learner and Marian Clements.
He leaves to mourn his wife of 53 years, Maureen Francis Oates (nee O’Leary), daughters Lori Lee and Linette (Bob Simon), and his precious grandson Parker Simon. He leaves a loving sister, Irene Chaytor (Wayne); brother-in-law Daniel O’Leary (Anne); and nieces and nephews in Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, and in the United States. Eugene will also be missed by friends and neighbours on Della Drive in the Goulds, where he lived for 43 years. He was grateful for their care in his final years.
A retired correctional office, he will be missed by many colleagues from across the provincial correctional service, that he started working with at 22 years old. One of his proudest days was doing security for Pope John Paul II’s visit to Newfoundland and Labrador in 1984. In his later years with the service, he would make deliveries to the Department of Justice at Confederation Building and greatly valued his relationship with then Justice Minister Lynn Verge. He was also honoured to attend funerals as part of the HMP honour guard. Eugene prided himself on his relationship with prisoners and believed in compassion. He completed two Tely-10s, each in approximately 70 minutes. He enjoyed running with his HMP colleagues and was proud of the fact that he could run Signal Hill twice on his lunch hour. An avid political watcher, he never missed the evening news and was particular about the difference between the NTV and CBC coverage. He told his daughters, “You should watch the news because it is important to know what is going on in the world”. In his final days, he never missed Prime Minister Trudeau’s Covid-19 briefings and knew every dollar that was being spent across the country. Eugene worked on political campaigns for Jean Payne, Loyola Hearn, Loyola Sullivan, and Keith Hutchings. He was also actively involved in NAPE and would silently cheer for strikers, even though he could not strike himself as an essential worker. He gleefully helped Lori print signs for her first student protest, at the NAPE headquarters in St. John’s. He did not finish high school because there was no high school in Fermeuse in those days. However, he had the mind of a constitutional lawyer and could frequently be found winning arguments with Dr. Lori Lee Oates. He said that there would always be money for his daughters to go to school, as long as they wanted. Eugene bragged that his car could find its own way to Memorial University, both the St. John’s Campus and to Sir Wilfred Grenfell Campus in Corner Brook, because he spent so much time driving his daughters to the university. His proudest days were when Lori received her Ph.D. and when his grandson Parker was born. He could never hide the fact that he always wanted a boy.
A huge thank you for the compassionate care given by the staff of Emergency Services at HSC. Special thanks to Dr. Kathie Thoms, the Reverend Francis Roche, the nurses, and emergency medical technicians. Thanks to the staff at Fahey’s Funeral Home in Fermeuse. Thanks also to Dr. Alison Hillman and Dr. W. Shane Williams for their medical advice over the years. He was a terrible patient and rarely took any of it but appreciated the thoughts none the less. You may leave a thought in the memorial page at Fahey’s Funeral Home (www.faheysfuneralhomes.ca ) in Fermeuse or on a family members’ social media pages.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday, July 7, at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Fermeuse, 11: 00 a.m. (pre-registration required, maximum of 50). Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Alzheimer’s Society in lieu of flowers.
SERVICES
Funeral Service
Tuesday, July 07, 2020
11:00 AM
St. Charles Borromeo
Port Kirwan Road
Fermeuse, NL A0A 2G0
Pre-registration required, maxium 50 people
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Eugene Thomas Eugene Oates February 14 1943 June 30 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Fermeuse, Province: T-N