Dionne attended teacher's college and taught in a variety of locations, including Baie-Comeau, Quebec, where he met his future wife, Precille.
Dionne moved to the Miramichi to become principal of Millerton High School.
During these years out of office, he worked in the forestry industry in a consulting capacity.
In 1992, Dionne called a press conference to announce that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
This was one of the first occasions that a public figure made such an announcement, and it helped to create understanding of the affliction.