A former Vankleek Hill mayor and long-time politician has died.
Aurèle Fournier passed away on Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at the age of 92 years, at the Prescott-Russell Residence in Hawkesbury.
Fournier was active in politics for 39 years as a school board trustee, and enjoyed a long career in Vankleek Hill municipal politics when Vankleek Hill was an incorporated town and had its own mayor and municipal councillors. He served as a municipal councillor, reeve, and also served 19 years as mayor after being elected to that post in 1979.
Active in local service clubs, and supportive of many sports initiatives, Fournier saw the town through the construction of the water main from Hawkesbury to Vankleek Hill (circa 1997), was involved in the construction of the Lions’ Club Medical Centre on Mill Street, was involved with the fundraising and building of the Vankleek Hill Community Centre and was a strong advocate of building local housing for seniors. As mayor, he was a vocal proponent of the construction of the Vankleek Senior Citizens Manor. He was also a businessman and for decades, was the owner of the Salvador Restaurant (now the site of Theoret-Martel Insurance at the corner of Highway 34 and Higginson Street) and was always proud of his community. In 2003, he was the recipient of Her Majesty the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award.
Current Champlain Township Councillor Paul Emile Duval served as a councillor while Fournier was mayor.
“He always gave everyone their chance to speak and he was a good listener,” Duval recalls, adding that he liked working alongside him. “He cared a lot about the community and supported sports,” Duval added.
Former Vankleek Hill mayor Gary Barton, then a councillor, likewise worked alongside Fournier. “I enjoyed working with him. He always had the best interests of the town at heart,” Barton recalled.
Former Reeve of the Town of Vankleek Hill Lynn St. Denis remembers working alongside Mayor Fournier for decades. “He was a real gentleman and a good businessman,” St-Denis recalls.
He leaves to mourn his two sons, Gilles (Johanne Roy) and Lynn (Rachelle McCoy), as well as four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, Blanche (née Currie).
A funeral service will be held at Saint-Grégoire de Nazianze church, 137 Higginson Street, Vankleek Hill on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 11 a.m. The family will be present at the church from 10:00 a.m. to receive your condolences. Interment will be in the spring at Saint-Grégoire Cemetery, Vankleek Hill.
You can read the complete obituary here.
