Raymond Joseph Gualbert Fournier

Raymond Joseph Gualbert Fournier, 76, loving husband, father, brother and grandfather passed away February 9th, 2017 in the Bethany Care Centre, Calgary.

Raymond was born the 10th of 14 children in La Broquerie, Manitoba to Adélard and Irène (née Tétrault) Fournier on August 25th, 1940. On June 9th, 1959, Raymond went to work as a line-man with Canadian National Railway (CNR) which took him across northern Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. On October 26th, 1963, he married Angèle (née Boily) Fournier also of La Broquerie, MB. Raymond and Angèle moved to Saskatoon,  then to Winnipeg, and then to Sioux Lookout, ON before settling down in Maryfield, SK, in 1968, where they raised their daughter (Diane) and two sons (David and Joey). In 1988, Raymond and Angèle moved to Winnipeg and then on to Calgary in 1992. Raymond's career evolved from maintaining telegraph lines with the CNR, to working as a cable splicer with CNCP, then to changing modems with Unitel, before finally finishing with RV Anderson where, as an inspector, he helped lay fibre optic cable across Canada. He was diligent and steadfast with his work and a good provider for his family. Following Raymond’s retirement in 2000, Raymond and Angèle travelled across Canada and the United States in their RV. They also ventured around the world visiting Japan, Indonesia, Cuba, Mexico, Switzerland, France, and Germany.

Raymond is predeceased by his parents, three brothers (Henri, Louis and Paul), four sisters Lucille, Yvonne (Boulianne), Rita (Theriault), and Simone (Carrière), brothers-in-law Léon Nadeau, Isidore Dandonneau, Raymond Theriault , and Armand Gendron, sisters-in-law Simone (Lamoureux), Marie (Boulianne), Lina Boily and Eva Boily and in-laws, Émile and Lucienne Boily.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Angèle; his three children, Diane (Daryl) Fowler, David (Yoshimi Kagiyama) and Joey (Karen Elander); six grandchildren (Daniel, Benjamin, Zacharie and Anna Fowler, Hudson and Sarah Fournier); his siblings Annette (Dandonneau), Jeanne (Gendron), Cécile ( Clément Bisson), Guy (Cécile Cyr), Irène, and Hélène (Napoléon Langelier), brothers-in-law Dollard, Léon, Hubert, Armand and David Boily, sisters-in-law Gracia (Bédard), Odile (Boulianne), and Jeannine Boily as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Raymond will be remembered for his fun-loving nature, his card playing skills, his love of mountain biking, his passion for skiing, and dancing a mean polka! Raymond was a competitive game player and he never backed down from a challenge. He enjoyed spending time with his family, and as a grandfather, Raymond cultivated special relationships with his grandchildren, leaving them with many unique “grampa-isms”. He attended many of his grandchildren’s events and spent hours taking them for walks, bike rides and excursions to the playground.

A memorial service will be held for Raymond at the St. Norbert Community Centre in St. Norbert, Manitoba at 11:00 AM on August 25th, 2017 to mark what would have been his 77th birthday. Friends and family are welcome to join us at that time to celebrate Raymond’s love for life.

Funeral Home:

Pierson’s Forest Lawn Chapel

4121 – 17 Avenue SE

Calgary, AB

CA T2A 0T1