Dr. Arthur Michael Fournier, M.D., passed away on Sept. 24, 2026.
He was born on Dec. 20, 1947, in Lynn, Mass., to Napoleon and Florence Fournier. He grew up in neighboring Peabody and attended Bishop Fenwick High School.
He went on to attend Merrimack College and Tufts Medical School, and he completed his medical training at the University of Miami. While in medical school, Art met his future wife Janet (née Golden), to whom he was married until her passing in 2007.
Art was a commissioned officer in the National Health Service Corps, which brought him to the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
He joined the faculty at the University of Miami in 1978, where he served as the vice chair of the Department of Family Medicine and associate dean for Community Health. While there, he worked on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, cared for the homeless and other underserved communities, and co-founded Project Medishare.
Through his work with Project Medishare, he fell in love with Haiti and made over 250 trips bringing medical students and establishing a sustainable healthcare model for the Central Plateau.
After retiring, Art moved back to his beloved Eastern Shore of Virginia. He valued the community of the Eastern Shore and gave back by serving on a number of boards, including those of Eastern Shore of Rural Health, the Historical Society, the Literacy Board, and the Library Board, for which he raised substantial funds for the development of a new library.
His interests, hobbies, and talents were many. Art was a self-taught guitarist and enjoyed playing and singing folk songs. He loved sailing and would go out on his sailboat whenever he could. He was also a writer and published four books.
Art was a teacher, a mentor, and an inspiration to so many. He was unwavering in his commitment to doing good and helping others. He prided himself on being left-handed and his ability to think outside of the box and solve problems by connecting dots in different ways. His optimism and faith in humanity were unwavering. Art’s awards and accomplishments are too vast to list, but the impact he had on others is well known.
He is survived by his two daughters, Adrienne Fournier (Michael Budd) and Suzanne Fournier (Chris Van Dervort); his grandchildren, Lauren Budd, Alice Budd, and William Van Dervort; his partner of 19 years, Ruth Tyler, and her family, Alison Tyler (Brian Pruitt), Andrew Tyler (Sarah Tyler), Conner, Pearce, and Florence; his mother, Florence Fournier; and his siblings, Robert (Linda), Mary, Donald (Lori), John, and Michael (Vicki); along with many beloved nephews, nieces, cousins, colleagues, and neighbors.
If you would like to honor Art’s memory, please consider making a donation to Project Medishare, www.projectmedishare.org or The Center for Haitian Studies, www.centerforhaitianstudies.org/donate
A celebration of life will be held at a future date.
Memory tributes may be shared at www.williamsfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements are by the Williams-Onancock Funeral Home.
