Estelle was the youngest of the four children of François Johnson and Marguerite Babineau. Sadly, little Estelle never knew her father, as he died in a work-related accident before she was born. Her grandfather lived nearby and offered the family a great deal of help. Her mother was a woman of deep faith who encouraged her children to pray daily and to attend Sunday Mass.
Estelle did not know that her older sister, Roberte, was considering entering the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. One day, at the age of eleven, Estelle went to church alone. She later recounted that “the Lord came to visit her inwardly”; this was a moment of great grace for her. She felt that, from that day forward, she became calmer and wiser, animated by a very strong desire to please Jesus. Meanwhile, her sister Roberte — with the assistance of the Salesian Fathers — had already departed for the United States, where she was to begin her formation program with the Salesian Sisters in North Haledon, New Jersey.
In 1952, the Salesian Sisters arrived in Pointe-Verte — a small village not far from Estelle’s home — to establish a community there. Mother Antoinette Pollini, the Provincial, came to visit this first Canadian community and took the opportunity to call upon Sister Roberte’s family. During this visit, Estelle expressed her desire to join the Institute of the FMA herself. Mother Antoinette accepted her, with the consent of Estelle's mother, and the young woman departed shortly thereafter for the United States.
She made her first profession on August 5, 1960, after a brief pause in her formation due to health issues. Throughout her years of profession, Sister Estelle served as a cook and seamstress in various communities with love and apostolic zeal. She worked as an educator at the “Garderie” in Montreal, always finding time to dedicate herself to new apostolates with younger girls. Sister Estelle taught them liturgical dance, catechism, singing, and even piano.
Wherever she went, Sister Estelle brought her “joie de vivre” and good humor; she loved to see the sisters happy. Despite the health struggles that accompanied her throughout her life, she left behind an unforgettable memory of a fervent religious sister, filled with apostolic zeal. She passed from this Earth on March 11, 2026.
Thank you, Sister Estelle, for your courage and your fidelity, despite all the difficulties you encountered along your path. In Heaven, we trust that you will intercede for many holy vocations — vocations capable of persevering, just as you did, in the face of adversities. Rest in peace!