Emily Mary-Evelyn Fournier

FAIRFIELD – Emily Mary-Evelyn Fournier, passed away on July 11, 2020, at the age of 32. She died in a whitewater rafting accident wherein, according to the game warden, she rescued a child who had been ejected from the raft. While her passing was sudden and tragic, her friends and family take comfort in knowing that she acted heroically and bravely. Emily was born in Waterville on Dec. 26, 1987 and grew up in Fairfield. She graduated from the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in 2006 and received her Bachelor of Arts from St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. in 2011. On June 25, 2011 she married the love of her life, Joshua Michael Fournier, whom she met at college, and they have resided in Fairfield with their dogs Sparta and Hastings. Emily had myriad artistic, literary, and theatrical interests. She was a lifelong student of dance, as well an accomplished poet and writer, and theatrical director, working with numerous organizations and publications until her death. Perhaps her best known accomplishment was the Recycled Shakespeare Company, based in Waterville. As a co-founder and executive director of the company, Emily became a leader in making Shakespeare accessible to all who desired to participate, forming a troupe of performers drawn from all walks of life and social groups. The company, under Emily’s tireless leadership, was also an internationally recognized leader in ecologically sustainable theater practices, relying on the re-use of discarded materials for sets, props, and costumes, and repurposing existing spaces in the community to hold rehearsals and performances. Her approach to sustainability and community engagement is perhaps best exemplified by the company’s repeated engagement performing full length Shakespearean plays in a local pizza shop to the delight of dedicated audience members and casual customers alike. Recycled Shakespeare Company was her life’s work and its success was her overriding goal. Outside of her work in theater and the arts, Emily led an active life dominated by charitable and compassionate works. It would be impossible to list all of her accomplishments and distinctions, but she will be remembered by those who knew her for her preternatural ability to simply make the world more joyful, beautiful, and bright simply by being herself within it. Joy was an important word for Emily, and although her passing has left her friends and family bereft, she would want them to know that joy, not sadness, defines her life. She is survived by her husband, Joshua; her parents, Lyn and Joe Rowden; her mother-in-law Joanne Fournier, her father-in-law Gerard Fournier; her brothers, Aaron and Christian Rowden; many uncles, aunts and cousins on both sides of her family; and by her sisters- and brothers-in-law whom she loved equal to all other members of her family. Her family requests that those who wish to do so make a donation to the Recycled Shakespeare Company, 4 Cottage Street, Fairfield, ME 04937. Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, July 15, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Lawry Brothers Funeral Home, 107 Main St. Fairfield. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, July 16, at 10 a.m. at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 116 Silver St., Waterville. An online guestbook may be signed, and memories shared at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com. Arrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral & Cremation Care, 107 Main St., Fairfield.