Lorraine Marie Gertrude Fournier

Born on Friday the 13th to parents Victor and Emelie (Cyr) Martin in St Basile, New Brunswick, Canada, Lorraine overcame obstacles in her young life. Her father died when she was still a child and her mother donated the family’s farm to the St Basile convent in exchange for their promise to board and educate Lorraine so she could make her own way in the world. She grew up in the convent, seeing her family only on holidays. Despite being born left-handed, she learned to write with her right hand to avoid the nuns’ watchful gaze.

She studied hard, played on the school’s basketball team and was one of three women in the very first graduating class at the new college program for women, where she was somewhat of a local celebrity.

She became a teacher in mathematics and geography at the convent’s school and, later in life, Lorraine would volunteer at school libraries and church gift shops, always keeping close to her roots.

She met Roger Valentine Fournier in Madawaska, Maine in 1944 and married him on July 29, 1952. While raising five children, she developed a knack for making pies and a special buckwheat crepe known only to the locals of Northern Maine. She was devoted to her children, always singing to them and tucking them in at night. She loved jigsaw puzzles, playing games and was avid at texting, owning not one – but two cellphones.

Lorraine and Roger resided in New London, Connecticut; Branchburg, Somerville and Flemington, New Jersey; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Lewiston, Maine; Schaumburg, Illinois and, in 1977, made their final home in Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2015, Lorraine finally became a US citizen, proudly sporting a red, white and blue scarf.

Lorraine is survived by her five children: John, Catherine, Emily, Roger and Andre. She is also survived by one of her siblings, Lawrence, and by eight wonderful grandchildren: Emily Ann, Thomas, Daniel, Michelle, Nicholas, Natalie, Renee and Danielle. She will be much missed.

A funeral mass will be held on Friday, July 29th at 3:00pm at the Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church at 11300 N 64th Street in Scottsdale, with a reception immediately afterwards at the church.

For those who wish to make a donation, please donate to one of two organizations very dear to Lorraine: Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church in Scottsdale or Westminster Village Foundation.