Conrad Arthur “Jack” Fournier died at his home in Coupeville on Aug. 7, 2010 at the age of 85. He was born Jan. 28, 1925 in Holyoke, Mass., to Arthur and Florida (Nadeau) Fournier.
Jack was raised with a very close extended family. He had relatives who owned a very large section of apartments in Holyoke and his family and all of his aunts, uncles and cousins all grew up on the “block.” Jack’s family did everything together, including parties, picnics and holidays. Jack had wonderful memories of his youth. Jack was always smiling and his friends gave him the nickname of “Smiling Jack” which he carried for the rest of his life.
Jack was in high school when World War II began and before he was able to graduate, Jack was called to active duty with the U.S. Army. He was trained as a pilot aboard the L-4 Piper Cub, flying spy missions in the European Theater. He later transferred to the artillery.
Following the war, Jack returned to the U.S. aboard the H.M.S. Queen Mary, along with 10,000 other soldiers. The ship was extremely overloaded and each soldier was restricted to a specific area to prevent the ship from sinking. Jack was assigned to the ship as a cook and unlike the thousands of other servicemen, his assignment allowed him freedom to move about the ship.
Following the war, Jack returned to civilian life. He was married to Anne M. Pekich on June 2, 1951 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and they moved to Westfield, Mass., where Jack began work for Sickles Electronics. Jack’s brother-in-law found work in California, moving Anne’s sister and parents and Jack and Anne soon followed them West. He and Anne settled in San Jose in 1965, when Jack began his career with Applied Technology, which eventually became Northrup Grumman.
Jack retired in 1987 and in 2002, he and Anne moved to Coupeville to be near their daughter. Jack was an active member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and was a very proud, active Fourth Degree Knight and a member of the Knights of Columbus, Bud Dorr Council 13422.
Jack loved dancing of all types, including ballroom, square and round dance and for many years, was a teacher of round dance. He enjoyed traveling, including many ocean cruises. He loved sitting on his balcony, watching the world go by, enjoyed building model airplanes and as the result of a recent cruise, decided to take up the ukulele.
Survivors include daughter Dianne Binder and husband David of Coupeville; daughter Laura Lingen and husband Scott of Dublin, Calif.; son David Fournier and wife Mercy of Redding, Calif.; seven grandchildren, Joseph Espana of Redwood City, Calif., Brody Binder of Salt Lake City, Utah, Harmony and Daniel Lingen of Dublin, Calif., and Daisy Vergara, Jeremiah Fournier and MaryGrace Fournier, all of Redding; and two great-grandchildren, BrookLynn and Aislinn Binder, both of Salt Lake City.
Jack is also survived by two sisters, Gloria Lajoie of South Hadley, Mass., and Janice Ryan of Dothan, Ala. Numerous nieces and nephews also survive. He was preceded in death by one sister Connie Gloster and two brothers, Bill Fournier and Bob Fournier.
A Vigil Service with recitation of the Rosary led by the Knights of Columbus was held Aug. 11 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. A Funeral Mass followed Aug. 12 at St. Mary’s Church with Rev. Philip Raether as Celebrant. Committal Prayers followed at Sunnyside Cemetery, Coupeville with Military Honors provided by the U.S. Army. A reception for family and friends followed at the Parish Hall. Memorials may be made to the Knights of Columbus, PO Box 1181, Coupeville, WA 98239. Arrangements entrusted to Burley Funeral Chapel, Oak Harbor.
