He was born in Brunswick on October 17, 1942, a son of Camille E. and Laurence Theberge Gagne.
Gene was educated at St. John’s School graduating in 1957 and graduated from St. Dominic’s High School in Lewiston in 1961. In 1963, he graduated from Auburn Maine School of Commerce.
His work ethic started at an early age as a paperboy for the Times Record and later worked at Hub Furniture, Tondreau’s Market, and Rudy’s Market, all in Brunswick. In 1974 he went to work for the town of Brunswick as a bus driver, which developed into overseeing the department as well. He transitioned to director of Buildings and Grounds for the town, retiring in 2004. Following his retirement he continued as a substitute bus driver until 2017.
He was a communicant of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and served as a collector for many years.
A longtime volunteer, Gene oversaw the Brunswick Miss Teen Queen Pageant from 1960 to 1999 and served on the Miss Maine board of directors, was past president of the board from 2013 to 2017 and currently served as an advisor. Gene attended Miss America Pageant for the past 50 years. He was also a member of the Jaycees in Topsham; served on the CYO board of directors and helped write the manual for the State of Maine; as well as a 4th degree member of the Brunswick Knights of Columbus.
Gene is predeceased by his parents; brothers, Richard Gagne and Camille Gagne; and an aunt, Adrienne (Theberge) Lord.
Surviving are two brothers, Louis M. Gagne and his wife Ann of St. Augustine, FL and Omer E. Gagne of Brunswick; a sister in law Charlene Gagne of Topsham; Nieces, Christina Gagne, Michelle McMullin and her husband Robert and their children, Emily and Caitlin, Kallie Maney, Catherine Gagne, Jen Lerson and her husband Mike and their daughter Ava; and nephew, Nathan Gagne and wife Barbara and their children, Chloe and Chase.
Visiting hours will be Friday 4 to 7p.m. at Demers- Desmond Funeral Home, 34 Cushing St., Brunswick. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. on Saturday at All Saints Parish, St. John the Baptist Church, 39 Pleasant St., Brunswick. Burial will be in St. John’s Cemetery at a later date.
Memorial donations in Gene’s memory may be made to Miss Maine Pageant Scholarship Fund at www.missmaine.org.
The family wishes to extend special thanks to the doctors and nurses at Mid Coast Hospital and Winship Green for the care they gave Gene. To express your thoughts and condolences to the family, please visit www.desmondfuneralhomes.com.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less