LIANNE FOURNIER

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LIANNE FOURNIER
1964 - 2021

Lianne Thérèse Hélène Marie Fournier was born March 20, 1964, and passed on September 28, 2021 in Winnipeg, MB. She joins her mother Marie (née Boulianne); her father Paul; and brother Robert.
Lianne was the youngest of five siblings. She is survived by her husband Richard Denesiuk; her sisters, Jocelyne Liivamagi (Harri), Lucille (Daniel Pelletier); her brother Gilles (Carolyn Basha); sister-in-law Sandy; and her nephews, nieces and grandniece.
Lianne was raised in a large French-Canadian family. Her parents had many brothers and sisters and many, many cousins. She was raised in the Windsor Park and the St. Boniface areas of Winnipeg and attended French schools. She took piano lessons when she was six years old, developing her talents, hoping to become as great a pianist as her mother. Her vocal skills were obvious at a young age. She learned to play guitar in high school where her musical adventures really took off. She was grateful to her brother, Gilles, who made her play right-handed since she was left-handed.
In her youth, many opportunities were offered to her through such organizations as The Wilderness Corps, Winnipeg Parks and Rec., Jeunesse Canada Monde, and Katimavik. This is where she gained her great love for the outdoors and travelling to all sorts of places like Morocco, Belgium, France, Nepal and India. She got the travelling bug out of her system and came to the realization that Canada is one of the best places in the world to be.
Lianne learned to cook while abroad and was an excellent cook. She was a big foodie and enjoyed developing her culinary skills. She was also a very active person. She enjoyed volleyball, swimming, and cycling. Cycling was her favourite mode of transportation. Once, from Victoria, she decided to cycle back to Winnipeg! Upon her return, she moved into a co-op with several friends. She loved to have a good time and was often the life of the party.
Lianne decided to follow Gilles and attend the four-year jazz program at St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. She became very proficient in jazz and found jazz stimulating. She enjoyed learning about the incredible music of jazz and its history. While on the east coast, she worked in dinner theatres in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and had many adventures with her friends.
Upon her return to Winnipeg, she began her career in the music scene. She worked with her own groups Trivocals and Pearl Drivers, as well as the Welfare Starlets and proved to be extremely innovative and astute as an arranger and composer. She worked with other groups, such as The Wyrd Sisters, Camarata Nova, Manitoba Opera Chorus, and played with musicians and masters like Gilles Fournier, Gerry Atwell, Glenn Buhr, Larry Roy, Daniel ROA, Marc Arnold, Murry Pulver, Richard Moody, Ruth Moody, Rachael Moody, Honey Hill, Doug Wilson, Andrew Balfour, Angel Calnek, Darrell Sandmoen, Don Benedictson, Annette Campagne, Mike Thompson, Karen Marklinger, Dave Lawton, Jenny Robinson, Tammy Gutnik, Greg Lowe, Nancy Reinhold, Jeff Presslaff, Knut Hoagson, Rod Hussey, Sean Garrity, Ian Cameron, Karin Plato, Kathy Brown (Kiva), Kris Purdy, Solange Campagne, Marilyn Lerner, Cate Friesen, Michelle Grégoire, Louise Denson and Stefan Bauer, to name a few. Lianne loved the Wednesday night jams at Canada One, thank you Andy Ling.
To supplement her income, she was a substitute music teacher and taught private vocal lessons at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts. She even created a sci-fi character and made a go at stand-up comedy. She worked at SNACC (the St. Norbert Arts and Culture Centre) and as an animator at Lower Fort Garry. She received a commission through SNACC to write a 20-minute composition. The result was a piece called Spirit North Suite for eight voices in three movements.
Lianne began to settle in and bought a small house on Ashburn where she lived awhile with her cat, Virgil, who she loved and cherished for 17 years. He was her "little poopoohead". She went back to university and graduated April 2011, with a degree in Education. She found herself working for the Seven Oaks School Division and taught music at Weston School, Riverbend School and finally, West St Paul School. She sold her tiny home and moved to West Kildonan. She continued to gig and to compose and arrange and joined and sang with The World Village Gospel Choir (Neil Weisensel and Rachael Landrecht).
"The Gift", Lianne's latest project, is an album of her original music, done in 2018. It is the keystone to a legacy of music that Lianne leaves us. She loved nothing more than jamming and laughing with friends and family.
Lianne married Richard Denesiuk in 2021. He became Lianne's guiding light over their five-year relationship. She found her soul mate and the family gained a brother and true friend.
Lianne passed away peacefully, surrounded by love, at home, on September 28, 2021, after a short time of living with cancer. Thanks to the angels at Palliative Care.
A celebration of her life is in the planning stages and will be announced once all is ready.
In lieu of flowers, Lianne's favourite charities are: any soup kitchen, homeless shelter or wildlife organization, and the "Fonds de bourses Yvonne Boulianne" or "Yvonne Boulianne Scholarship Fund" at the Université de St. Boniface.
Condolences for the family may be left at www.alternacremation.ca.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 02, 2021