Esther Dion

Esther Dion, of Centennial, Colorado, passed away peacefully on June 19, 2026, at the age of 99.

Esther was born in Taftville, Connecticut, and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. She moved to Denver in the late 1950s, carrying her family's New England roots with her.

Esther devoted her career to nursing and nursing education, earning her bachelor's degree from Syracuse University and her master's and Ph.D. degrees from Colorado State University. She became a respected clinician, educator, and mentor to many over her years of service. To the many students, colleagues, and family members she guided over the years, she was far more than a teacher -- she was a steady, generous presence who led by example, both in her profession and in her personal life.

Esther was preceded in death by her parents, Raphael C. and Bertha (Gemme) Dion; her sisters, Olive McDermott, Lynn McCafferty, and Gertrude "Trudy" Dion, with whom she shared an unbreakable bond throughout their lives; and her brothers, Ambrose Dion, B. Ralph Dion, and CDR Laurent N. Dion, USN. She is survived by many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, great-grandnieces, and great-grandnephews scattered across Colorado and the East Coast -- all of whom she provided loving support to throughout her life.

A viewing will be held at 10:30 a.m., followed by a funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 27, 2026, at Horan & McConaty Chapel, 5303 E. County Line Road, Centennial, Colorado. Esther will later be laid to rest in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, alongside her parents and sister Trudy.