John Emery Tousignant

Jack Tousignant, 87, passed from this life on April 1, 2024 to be with Our Lord. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 year, Rositta, his parents, Emery and Esther Tousignant, and his brother Thomas Tousignant. Jack is survived by his 3 children, Sharon L. Mustin (Robert), Pamela E. Tousignant, and Jeffrey J. Tousignant (Molly), 5 Grandchildren, John Mustin (Sherry), Shannon Dickinson (Chris), Shaun Tousignant (Mike), Kelly Chappell (Nate) and Katie Roan (Christopher), and 4 Great Grandchildren, Devin McCormick, Natalie Dickinson, Lydia Roan, and Emerie Roan.

Jack was born on October 9, 1936 in Faribault, MN and was the oldest of 9 children in the Tousignant household. During his childhood, Jack established the hard work ethic that he carried with him throughout his life and enabled him to succeed in so many efforts and tasks. After having a budding athletic career sidelined by a bout with Polio his senior year of high school, Jack entered the U.S. Air Force at the age of 17 and was assigned as a Crypto Analyst in Germany, where he met his future bride, Rositta. After the birth of their daughter Sharon, they moved back to the U.S. and bounced between Nebraska, where Pam was born, and Texas, where Jeff was born, and Washington D.C., before finally settling in Montgomery in 1970. Jack retired from the Air Force in 1975 at the rank of SMSgt and after a brief period, was hired into Federal Civil Service at Gunter AFB, AL where he put in another 18 years and eventually retiring with a combined 40 years Federal Service as a GM-14 in 1994.

“Coach T”, as he was known throughout the city of Montgomery, began his 31 years of voluntary coaching in the Montgomery School System in 1977 at Goodwyn Junior High. Over those years, he coached at Goodwyn, Brewbaker, and then back to Goodwyn, touching the lives of thousands of young men and budding coaches; never once asking for a dime of compensation. It was a rare day when we did not run into someone who recognized him and somehow, he always remembered them. He spanned at least three generations of athletes, and he always measured them based upon their character and not their circumstances. He held no bias if you were willing to listen and work. In addition, when their coach was fired part of the way into the 1979-1980 season, he also voluntarily took over coaching the Central Alabama Academy High School basketball team, leading them to a State Championship.

Jack was an active member of St. Bede’s Catholic Church and a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 893. He enjoyed a tremendous relationship with the St. Bede’s Clergy.

A visitation will be held at 9:00 AM, followed by a funeral mass which will be conducted at St. Bede’s Catholic Church in Montgomery, AL, on April 13, 2024 at 10:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make donations to Navarre Youth Sports Association in Navarre, FL. https://www.nysasports.com/Default.aspx?tabid=1348876

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.AlabamaHeritageFH.com for the Tousignant family.