Teresa Mary Fournier, age 97 of Vacaville, CA was received in the arms of Jesus on Aug 1, 2025. Teresa was born on May 16, 1928 in Detroit, MI, to John and Emma (Sullivan) Moran. She resided in Vacaville since 1972.
She graduated from Dominican High School, which was an all-girls school in 1947. As a young teen, she worked at a local soda shop scooping ice cream for customers. She later worked at Packard Motor Car Company for eight years in Detroit, prior to marriage. She had fun going out weekly to the local dance halls (polka, waltz, jitterbug) with her girlfriends. On June 25, 1955, she married the love of her life, Thomas Joseph Fournier in Detroit, MI. She traveled with her husband and children to numerous Air Force bases throughout the United States and Asia. While stationed in the orient, she learned how to: dress Japanese dolls, cook oriental food, paint, work with pottery and decorate cakes. All this was enjoyed and balanced with her busy schedule as she raised her many children. After her husband’s retirement at Travis AFB, she worked at various jobs: housekeeper for a local priest, working in the Nut Tree Bakery, assisting at local voting stations, and working for an Ad Change company at local grocery stores. Her most fulfilling job was loving and supporting her husband and children/grandchildren.
In the mid 1970’s, Teresa accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior. Good friends shared their testimonies with her planting the seeds that led to her salvation. She shared her faith with her husband leading him to the Lord. Together they sought out a Bible based church to attend and fervently shared their faith with others. She was on fire with the Holy Spirit, hosting Bible studies and prayer groups within their home, and attending weekend Bible retreats and seminars. She read hundreds of books that helped strengthen her faith and understanding of the Scriptures, a true Berean. Teresa found joy in listening to praise and worship as well as gospel music.
She was faithful to pray for those on her extensive prayer list. Her favorite ministries were sharing the gospel and the love of Jesus with anyone. She participated in Woman’s Aglow International and Bible Study Fellowship, sponsored missionaries and orphan children. She volunteered in the chapel at David Grant Medical Center on Travis AFB, and at numerous Air Force organizations. She encouraged and influenced her family to serve others.
Some of her pastimes were reading, and canning jams/jellies. In addition, baking hand kneaded bread became one of her passions. Her bread making became legendary and she cranked out hundreds of loaves of bread to share with family, friends, neighbors, businesses and special events. She was a gifted hostess to anyone who visited her home. Some of her fun addictions included watching YouTube videos (particularly yard renovations), York Peppermint Patties, and Vernors Ginger Ale. Listening to audio books brought her comfort. She enjoyed RVing with her husband and friends from their church groups.
Teresa was a devoted mother in every sense of the word. She stayed up late assisting with homework. She was a Cub Scout Den mother. She made sure that each of her children learned to swim, especially knowing that she couldn’t swim herself. Teresa taught her children how to play card games, dominos, crochet and encouraged their enjoyment of puzzling. She continued the tradition of making sour cream roll-out sugar cookies from her mother’s recipe. This tradition was passed on to her children and grandchildren. When she was young, she learned to play the piano. Her love of music carried through to motherhood when she made sure all nine of her children took piano lessons. It was also evident when she would encourage her children and grandchildren to play the piano for her listening enjoyment, even if it was the same song played over and over.
Teresa was honest, hardworking, and generous with her talents, time and the resources God gave her. She was highly respected by those who knew her. She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and friend. "I love you," was always enthusiastically replied with "I love you more!"
Teresa is survived by her nine children: Mary Fournier, Ann Fournier, Margaret (Tom) Banks, Mike (Janet) Fournier, Suzanne (Steve) Ainey, Rita (Bob) Dillon, Jenny Fournier, Eugene (Tonya) Fournier, and Trish Fournier, 24 grandchildren and 40 great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband Thomas, her parents John and Emma Moran and 13 siblings. She was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by all of us.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to: https://onrealm.org/newhopevv/-/form/give/now for Amy Azar or New Hope benevolence fund. Call New Hope Christian Fellowship, in Vacaville for assistance.
