Jeffrey Edmond Fournier

October 17, 1946 - July 21, 2021

Obituary For Jeffrey Edmond Fournier

Jeffrey E. Fournier, age 74, formerly of Niagara Falls, NY, passed away on July 21, 2021 at his home. Jeff was born in Niagara Falls on October 17, 1946 and grew up on his beloved 68th Street. He was a graduate of Bishop Duffy High School (now Niagara Catholic) Class of 1963. He received a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Niagara University. Jeff was a Veteran having served in the US Navy Reserves.

He is survived by his sister, Mary Warne of Sanborn, NY; sons, Glen Fournier of Raleigh, Phillip Fournier and his wife, Mallory of Mason, MI, and Keith Fournier of Raleigh, NC; granddaughter, Harper Fournier of Michigan; former wife, Jill Miller; and several nieces, grandnieces, nephews and grandnephews; and, numerous friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Camille Fournier, mother, Madalen (LaMar) Fournier; brothers, Camille (Sonny) and Joe; and sister, Doris.

Jeff was an avid collector of many things but especially books, music, movies, and particularly cars and car memorabilia. He also loved collecting and valued mementos of his father’s work at International Paper. Jeff’s true passion was automobiles. He was a self-taught auto body painter and restorer. He became well-known and sought out throughout the western New York area for his flawless and impeccable motorcycle and auto painting. After moving to Raleigh, Jeff worked at several vocations: auto painter and body man for Sanders Ford and other shops, salesman for Cablevision of Raleigh and then for Mechanics Choice, and lastly production debugger at IBM Manufacturing in the Research Triangle Park starting in 1987 from which he retired in 2003.

One of Jeff’s favorite things in life was to visit with friends and family at coffee shops where they swapped endless stories on anything and everything, but mostly about the automotive industry. He loved to play cards and board games with his friends and sons. He will long be remembered as a good friend, a caring neighbor, and above all a loving father.

A Memorial Service is planned for August 6, 2021 at 2:00 pm at the Renaissance Funeral Home, 7615 Six Forks Road, Raleigh NC 27615. He will be interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Lewiston, NY.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation for Veterans. Please visit www.garysinisefoundation.org/donate

Services

6 Aug

Memorial Service

02:00 PM

Renaissance Funeral Home 7615 Six Forks Road Raleigh, NC 27615 Get Directions »

by Obituary Assistant

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Condolences

August 06, 2021

Hamilton Sherertz

Received obituary today; My deepest condolences to all the family and be assured that Jeff will be missed by me, a longtime Raleigh friend. Hamilton Sherertz Hamilton
August 01, 2021

TJ Kattermann

In his heart Jeff Fournier was a mechanic. Last time I checked he still had the obligatory small block Chevy Engine of gearheads everywhere squirreled away under the basement hallway steps attached to the garage in his house. A garage was the main residential feature required everywhere Jeff lived. In his bachelor days he rented a house out on Wade Avenue in Raleigh which he shared with a rotating cast of sublet room renters, but the attached garage was solely his domain where he restored various clunkers he bought to working street legal condition and resold as student transport marked up to reflect his value added labor. Honest and necessary work in a time before "right to repair" was even an issue, let alone a "controversial" topic. This, of course, was also a time when car inspection laws required working windshield wipers on every vehicle but windshields themselves were unnecessary and optional. Jeff was a member of the extensive population of American males who spent their teenage years tweaking some junkyard automobile into street legal condition and for them the small block Chevy Engine was a mandatory symbol of commitment to some hotrod conversion project to be named at a future date. In Jeff's case his mostly likely dream was to install said small block engine into a Ford Pinto. He never clearly outlined any of his plans for the engine to me, but he was obsessed with the Ford Pinto. In the days before the Mini Cooper so popular now, the little hatchback Pinto was something of a breakthrough car which Jeff staunchly maintained was terribly underrated and unfairly villified in the press and popular opinion. When he married and moved into a house with a generous lot the yard slowly filled up with various semi derelict vehicles more than few of which were some form of Ford Pinto. Some of my fondest memories from those early days of married life came from weekend visits when I was allowed to roughhouse with his three awesome and energetic youngsters. Even as an energetic 30 something myself the combined BTU output of those kids could leave me exhausted in a surprisingly short amount of time. They were good times and Jeff was a good guy. We shall not soon see his like again.
July 29, 2021

Maura Bodo

Jeff and I grew up together on 68th street in Niagara Falls. I remember a summer when all of us kids on the street spent most of the summer playing Canasta. He was facebooking just a few weeks ago! I'm utterly shocked. I'm sorry for your loss! Maura McMahon Bodo