Obituary of Jacques Doyon

Jacques Doyon, 73, of South Fallsburg, NY passed away on Sunday, April 30, 2023 from a pulmonary embolism after a five-year battle with Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Jacques was born on September 24, 1949 to Jeannine Perreault and Gerard Doyon in Montreal, Canada. He was the oldest of four siblings, followed by Jocelyne, Pierre, and Jean-Francois. As a child, Jacques loved going to the country to spend time in the woods, go fishing, and play with his dog. After graduating from College Sainte Marie in 1969, he went on to study a year of economics at Universite de Quebec.

In 1971, Jacques married Nicole Guénette and in December 1975, their son, Emmanuel, was born. In the early ’70s, Jacques began practicing Transcendental Meditation, which took him around the world and launched a lifelong commitment to meditation and path of being a spiritual seeker.

In December 1978, Jacques took his first intensive in the Siddha Yoga Ashram in Oakland, and the teachings and practices of Siddha Yoga soon became the central focus of his life. In 1981, he joined the full-time staff at Shree Muktananda Ashram in South Fallsburg, NY. Two years later, in 1983, he met Guylaine, or Sabita, Boisvert while she was visiting the ashram on spiritual retreat. They fell in love quickly and were married within six months of meeting. They wed in May of 1984, joining their lives together along with their shared commitment to the Siddha Yoga Path. They went on to have two daughters, Rani in 1985 and Marie in 1990.

For three years after their marriage, Jacques ran the Siddha Yoga Meditation Center in Montreal. In March 1988, the family of three moved to Gurudev Siddha Peeth ashram in the town of Ganeshpuri in rural India. In 1990, their second daughter, Marie, was born in Mumbai, India.

In the summer of 1992, the family moved back to Shree Muktananda Ashram in South Fallsburg, where Jacques and Sabita continued to serve as full-time staff members of the SYDA Foundation for more than 20 years. Jacques worked in many departments over his decades of service including the kitchen, shipping and receiving, purchasing, finance, live event translation, and hospitality.

He was very proud of Rani and Marie and always tried his best to support them. Jacques was also passionate about swimming, taking walks, being in nature, reading books back to front, watching movies, fine cashmere sweaters, and the ocean—particularly Cape May.

Anyone who knew Jacques knew that he was deeply committed to his spiritual path, welcoming of newcomers, and devoted to his wife. Jacques was predeceased by his father, Gerard; his mother, Jeannine; and his sister, Jocelyne. He is survived by his wife, Sabita; his son, Emmanuel; his daughters, Rani and Marie; and his grandsons, Eric and Nico.

The family requests that all flowers and notes are sent to Colonial Memorial Funeral Home at 396 Route 52, Woodbourne, NY 12788. There will be a memorial service at Colonial Memorial Funeral Home on Saturday, May 13, 1-3pm.

The service will also be livestreamed via Zoom (with French subtitles). A recording can be made available afterward upon request. Join the zoom here. (Meeting ID: 825 1874 1869; passcode: 12345)

Arrangements under the care of Colonial Memorial Funeral Home, for further information call 845-434-7363 or visit www.colonialfamilyfuneralhomes.com