Joseph A. Fournier

With great heartache, we wish to inform you of the death of Joseph Andre Alphonse “Red” Fournier. Died Sunday, December 25, 2022 in Evans, GA at the age of 80.

His family includes his wife, Lorinda, his children, Elizabeth, Michael (Kim), Michelle (Cal), and Eva. Joe’s grandchildren are Jessica, Michael, Megan, and Anna.

Joe lived in Baltic, Connecticut the son of Alphonse and Eva. He is predeceased by his parents and his half-sisters, Agnes, Blanche, and Celia. He attended Norwich Free Academy, Class of 1959. He was orphaned by the age of 17 and joined the Army.

The Army took him to Georgia, Italy, Germany, Belgium, England, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and South Korea. Joe had a talent for learning languages and spoke French, Italian, German, Korean, and SOUTHERN! He was recognized by General Alexander Haig and awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal. Joe was also awarded the Army Commendation Medal. He was awarded by the Italian government for his work at the flood in Vajont, Italy in 1963.

Upon retiring from the Army in 1979, Joe attended the Medical College of Georgia to become a Registered. Nurse. Lorinda was in the same graduation class. Joe worked in the Emergency Room, the Burn Unit, and the Psych Unit at the Medical College of Georgia. Joe continued his education getting his Master’s degree from the University of Georgia and becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. He worked at the Veteran’s Administration as Chief of the Homeless Veterans Program, at the medical College of Georgia as an Employee Assistance Professional, and at Fort Gordon/Eisenhower Hospital at the Warrior Transition Battalion.

He was a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus.

Joe filled his life with more than work. He saw a need for shelter for the families of adult patients and created Comfort House. For this volunteer work, Joe was named the 79th Point of Light by President George H. W. Bush in 1990. He was Social Worker of the Year in 1993 for Augusta and for the State of Georgia. In 1995 he was given the Volunteer Service Award by the Red Cross for serving as a founding member of the Augusta Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Response Team. Joe was awarded a NASW Life Time Achievement Award in 1996.

Joe’s volunteer work with the Red Cross took him to the Iowa/Illinois flood 1993, South California Earthquake 1994, North Georgia Tornadoes 1994, Savannah, Georgia flood 1994, North California Flood 1995, Northern Coastal California Flood 1995, South Louisiana Floods and Tornadoes 1995, West Virginia Floods 1996, Arkansas Tornadoes 1997, Central Florida Tornadoes 1998, Oklahoma tornadoes 1999, 9/11 Pentagon Attack 2001, West Georgia Floods 2003, and Hurricane Ike 2008.

Joe loved music in many forms. He attended the Augusta Symphony, especially enjoying the percussion and kettle drums. Tuesday Music Live at St. Paul’s Church. Harry Jacobs Chamber Music, Pops at the Bell, Columbia County Music Series, North Augusta Music in the Park, Appleby Gardens “Music in the Garden”, and Bluegrass wherever he could find it. He loved Dixieland and had it at his Wake back in 2017. Joe missed going to the Augusta Opera.

Joe really loved to travel. He went to Japan, Hawaii, all over Europe, Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific (Rocky Mountaineer, Calgary Stampede, Banff, Lake Louise, Vancouver, and Carnival Quebec), the Western United States National Parks (Glen Canyon, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Salt Lake, Jackson Hole, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, Black Hills, Crazy Horse, and Mount Rushmore), Washington D. C. and Washington State, up and down the Mississippi River, the San Diego Zoo, Norway, the Snake and Columbia River, Columbia, the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, New Orleans during Mardi Gras, Florida for three Space Shuttles, Bermuda, St. Croix, Roswell New Mexico to check out the UFOs, Taos, and Holland. The LOVE of Lorinda’s life is now traveling again, this time without Lorinda

He was a judge at the Atlanta Wine Festival and attended many wine tastings. Sadly he had to stop drinking wine after his many treatments.

What you may not know - Joe was a comedian. He loved to say sly jokes that would take a minute to understand. Lorinda would see people with wide eyes and Lorinda would tell them “Joe thinks he is a comedian” and then they would understand that he was pulling their leg.

Joe loved his family. He loved good food and good wine and good company. He loved being with his friends.

Joe loved life and made every effort to live it with every breath he took.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Comfort House, 317 Telfair Street, Augusta, GA 30901, or to Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, 14500 Bustleton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19116 -1188, or to the Order of St. Helena, 414 Savannah Barony Drive, North Augusta, SC 29841.

The funeral Mass will be Thursday, December 29, 2022, 2:00 P.M. at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church with Fr. Theodore Agba celebrant. Interment will follow in Westover Memorial Park. A live stream of the funeral Mass may be viewed at https://www.st-teresa.com/funeral

The family will receive friends on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 from 6:00 until 8:00 P.M. at Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com

A life tribute video for Joseph A. Fournier may be viewed by clicking on the following link: https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/MMGZG9YB8LGPYPQW .