Denise Carmel Gagne

It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the unexpected passing of Denise Gagne. Denise fought bravely until her peaceful passing on the morning of February 23rd in Red Deer, Alberta, surrounded by her family.

Denise, born on November 10th, 1956, in Campbell River, British Columbia, was the sixth child of Leon and Naomi Gagne. She was introduced to music at an early age by her father, who led the family in singing at community halls across Vancouver Island. Following her father’s early passing, her mother, Naomi, raised the children, supplementing income by playing the church organ at weddings and funerals.

Denise graduated high school at 16, earning a music scholarship to the University of Victoria. During her university studies, Denise earned a Rotary Exchange Scholarship, enabling her to study at the University of Auckland in New Zealand for one year. Her first job was as a music teacher in Macklin, Saskatchewan. As the new girl in town, Denise caught the eye of a local farm boy, Ken Mildenberger. The two began dating and were married on July 19th, 1980. They welcomed three children, Allyson, Stacy, and Bryan. In 1991, they made the move to Red Deer, Alberta, where Denise began teaching with Red Deer Public Schools. 

Denise had a passion for travel, relishing the role of planning family vacations and creating cherished memories from their journeys. She also took joy in supporting her husband, Ken, in his passion for sports, frequently joining him to watch the Saskatchewan Roughriders play. Together they loved to go on walks, especially the trails of Kerry Wood Nature Center and Heritage Ranch. Denise found immense joy in her six grandchildren – Carter, Hunter, Isabella, Sophia, Elle, and Pryce. She loved taking them to the Collicutt Center, teaching all her grandchildren how to swim. She lovingly wrote many personalized songs for each grandchild. She enjoyed watching their sporting events and cheering from the stands, picnics at the park, cooking family meals, baking “Reindeer” cookies at Christmas with lots of sprinkles, and playing games at the house. Denise was the cornerstone of her family, straightforward in her approach, and consistently ensured that her loved ones had what they needed. Her family will miss her delicious turkey dinners. 

Denise’s distinguished career left a significant impact on numerous students and teachers alike. For over 40 years she taught band, choir, and classroom music from pre-school to college levels. Her musical ensembles achieved numerous accolades at Music Festivals, performed for local and international sporting events, on national radio and even for the Queen. Denise’s dedication led her to establish her publishing company, “Themes and Variations,” producing teaching resources. Denise was an innovator in her field – the first Canadian curriculum with CD recordings, the first North American publisher to include PowerPoints or Projectable PDFs with products, and the first Canadian online curriculum resource. She evolved into a sought-after clinician, presenting internationally and creating her own music curriculum, now known as “Musicplay Online”. With over 15,000 schools worldwide subscribing to educate millions of students, her impact resonates across the globe. Musicplay has since been nominated for a Western Canadian music award, won the Telus Business challenge in 2014, and won the Canadian College of Teacher’s award for project of the year. Denise was the winner of the Women of Excellence award for Entrepreneurship by the Red Deer Chamber of Commerce in 2018. Unbeknownst to Denise, she was nominated for the Order of Canada award in recognition of her significant contributions to the field of music education. 

She was predeceased by her parents Naomi and Leon Gagne and her brother in law Steve Bryant. She will be lovingly remembered by her husband Ken; daughters Allyson (Nick), and Stacy (Curtis); son Bryan (Rebekah); grandchildren Carter, Hunter, Sophia, Isabella, Elle and Pryce; brothers Dalton (Kit), Darwin (Barb), and Dale (Shirley); sisters Twila (Randy), Carmen (Steve), and Michelle (Steve); nieces, nephews, and many friends.

A funeral service to honor her memory is scheduled for March 9th at 10:30AM at St. Mary’s Parish in Red Deer. (6 McMillan Avenue, Red Deer, AB)

Reception to be held at the Harvest Center Marquis Room in Westerner Park at 12:30PM. (4847A 19 Street, Red Deer, AB)

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Musicplay Foundation are welcomed, honoring Denise’s legacy.

 

http://the-foundation.musicplay.ca/

• Date : 2024-02-23
• Location : Eventide Funeral Home