Sr. Cecilia Paganessi, age 105, a Sister of Providence for 84 years, died on December 27, 2025, at St. Joseph Residence, Seattle.
Sr. Cecilia was born Cecilia Rose Paganessi on July 9, 1920, in the coal-mining town of Centerville, Montana. She was the fourth of five daughters to northern Italy immigrants John Paganessi and Catherine (Bernini) Paganessi, where she enjoyed “carefree and happy” childhood days.
A pivotal event in Sr. Cecilia’s life came at the age of seven, when her mother suddenly died. Her father felt he could not properly care for his daughters while working in the mines and sent them to live at St. Thomas Orphans Home in Great Falls, Montana, for the remainder of their school years. It was here that the Sisters of Providence made a strong impression on young Cecilia, who said while recalling the era that, “I got to like the Sisters very much, and felt I wanted to be one.”
Sr. Cecilia answered her calling a year after graduating from St. Thomas High School, in Great Falls, in 1939. She entered the Sisters of Providence community as a postulant in 1940, becoming a novice in 1941, and professed Final Vows in 1946.
She also earned a B.A. in English from the College of Great Falls (CGF; now University of Providence) in 1951, an M.A. in Religion from University of Notre Dame in 1953, along with teaching and principal credentials from Great Falls College of Education in 1944, and a 1976 diploma in bookkeeping from Kinman Business University in Spokane, Washington.
Sr. Cecilia’s 31-year legacy as an educator helped broaden horizons for countless young people. Her ministries included tenures at St. Francis Xavier Grade School, Missoula, Montana (1943-46, 1948-49); St. John Parochial School, Colfax, Washington (1946-48, 1956-58); Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, Wallace, Idaho (1949-50); St. Raphael School, Glasgow, Montana (1950-56); St. Gerard School, Great Falls (1958-64); St. Patrick School, Walla Walla, Washington (1964-65, 1968-69); St. Rita School, Kellogg, Idaho (1965-68); Central Catholic Middle School, Walla Walla (1969-71); and Assumption School, Walla Walla (1971-74).
Following her three decades in education, Sr. Cecilia ministered as a filing clerk and a bookkeeper for her religious community and for CGF through 1990. She then embarked on what she would call “her best years” — living in her own apartment in Walla Walla, where she became involved in projects for the poor, tutoring, volunteering in the church and parish, baking delicious desserts to share with her neighbors and immersing herself in painting.
Sr. Cecilia continued to positively impact the lives of her fellow Sisters and her community after retiring in 2000 to Emilie Court in Spokane. She moved to St. Joseph Residence in 2022, where she was cherished for her kindness, intelligence and wit — and for sharing her affinity for Bingo. She lived a full, beautiful life that brimmed with love for children and the poor. She will be deeply missed.
She is preceded in death by her parents and her four sisters. She is survived by her friends and by the Sisters in her community.
Memorial contributions may be made in her honor to the Sisters of Providence Retirement Fund, 1801 Lind Avenue SW, M1-C, Renton, WA 98057-9016.
To view Sr. Cecilia’s obituary and picture, and to sign her memory book, please visit the website for Bonney-Watson Funeral Home.