Obituary of Marcel Vernon Fournier

FOURNIER, Marcel Vernon - born June 13, 1925, died peacefully at the Saint John Regional Hospital after a brief illness. Born in Saint John to Edward and Rose (Wallace) Fournier, who both died at a young age, Vern was raised by his adoptive family and inherited two loving brothers. Known by many friends as "Peanut" or "Wee" because of his diminutive size, Vern grew up both in West Saint John and Lorneville and never ceased to refer to himself as a "Westsider". Like many of his peers, Vern sacrificed education for the need to support himself and family. He began work as a teen and stopped only after retirement in 1989 from the Maintenance Dept. of the Saint John Regional Hospital. Along the way he found himself employed in various jobs including J. Clark & Son Motors, Atlantic Neon Signs and the Saint John Dry Dock. He held particular fondness for his career in maintenance at "the old General" and was well thought of by his co-workers and many of the staff. Blessed with a sense of humor and calm demeanor, Vern enjoyed many Saturday evenings with his wife and friends at the Sgt.'s Mess sharing a quart of beer or two. Vern was an avid amateur photographer for many years and proudly shared and displayed his ample collection of photos. In his later years until his death, Vern chose Pepsi as his one and only beverage. Vern was a long time member of St. Pius X Church and quietly raised his family with humility and responsibility. He celebrated each and every one of his grandchildren and would reward them with a toonie or loonie, but only after they listened to one of his many stories of, among others, Blue Rock Hill or the General Hospital dome. Vern is survived by his wife Olive (Sweeney) of 57 years, his son, Dr. Tom Fournier (Sheri); daughters, Brenda Hewey (Ron); Linda O'Hara (James); Barbara Kinnear (Rob), all of Saint John; and Donna Lohnes (Peter) of Grand Bay-Westfield; his brother Charles (Bud) Clarke (Mary); and grandchildren Thomas, Julie, Philip, Jeffrey, Bradley, Sarah and Renee Fournier; Marc and Matthew Hewey; Leanne, Kate and Joey Kinnear; Angela, Ryan, Justin and Emily Lohnes; great-grandchildren Breana Biron-Fournier and Noa Scott-Hewey; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two brothers, Wallace Fournier and Cecil Clarke. Resting at Brenan’s Select Community Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John (506-634-7424) with visiting on Saturday, September 2nd from 7-9 p.m. and Sunday, September 3rd from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Pius X Church, Somerset Street on Monday, September 4th at 11:00 o'clock. A private family interment will occur at a later date. Remembrances to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or the charity of one's choice would be appreciated by the family.