Florence “Flo” FOURNIER

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our dear mother. Florence died peacefully on September 5, 2015, in Edmonton AB at 98 years of age. Florence was born in Hodgeville SK, the middle child of 13 born to John and Mary Gross. Growing up on the farm shaped her character but she was not fond of the prairie. After becoming a nurse she headed to Prince Albert, where she met and married J. Albert Fournier on June 17, 1943. They were blessed with 6 children and worked side by side in the family business. Albert was taken all too soon, leaving her a widow with 5 children still at home. She went back to nursing and worked many years in Prince Albert. Family and work were her first priorities, but community was never far behind. She took on various volunteer duties at Sacred Heart Cathedral. She was involved in the Catholic School Board, serving at the local, provincial and national levels. She had a long list of volunteer contributions and was well known for her knowledge and abilities. Never one to sit idle, she almost always had knitting needles in hand. Her knitting and petit point skills were legendary and there are hundreds of her blankets, sweaters, doilies and pictures in the care of family and friends. Although Prince Albert was her home, she spent summers at Waskesiu where there was always a cribbage board and jigsaw puzzle on the go. She loved to travel and made trips from coast to coast in Canada as well as New Zealand Nicaragua, Hawaii, Costa Rica, Rome and Alaska. As her mobility began to fail, she started making an annual trip to Victoria to avoid the cold winter and spring thaw. She would stop in Edmonton and Vancouver on the way to spend time with her children and grandchildren. When living on her own became too difficult, assisted living in Edmonton was the solution and Riverbend became her home in 2000. We are so grateful for the loving care and respect that she received there for the last 15 years. Flo is survived by her children, Sr. JANICE, Sisters of the Presentation of Mary; RAYMOND and his children Paul (Nancy; Nathan and Lily) and Karin (Shaun Ashworth; Carter and Brady); MARY ALICE Boyer and her children Denis (Jenn; Eli, Dominic and Claire), Suzanne (Walter Mack; Ayden), Ben (Joanna) and Eric; SIMONE and Bill Mahon and their children Scott (Myrna; Connor and Ava), Sara (Warren Stein; Ethan and Owen) and Bruce (Lynsay; Emily and Eliza); MILES and Kathy and their children Erika Almendros Mitschrich (Ismael Almendros; Juan) and Michelle Mitschrich; and RITA and Bill Stark and their children Adam, Megan, Emma and Hayley. She is also survived by sisters Ad Gross, Irma Dighans and Edith Corrigan and sisters-in-law Bea Gross and Norma Gross. She was predeceased by her husband, Albert, in 1964, 9 brothers and sisters and their spouses, Albert’s 5 siblings and their spouses, son-in-law Julien Boyer, daughter-in-law Bonnie and numerous nieces and nephews. Florence touched everyone she met with her kindness, intelligence, compassion, wisdom and energy, and lived her life with her faith to guide her. In lieu of other tributes, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Alzheimer Society. A prayer service took place on September 12, 2015 in Edmonton AB. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, September 25, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 1401 - 4 Ave. West, Prince Albert SK. Interment will be held at South Hill Cemetery. To send condolences, please visit: www.connelly-mckinley.com and www.grays.ca.