Judy Tournier's Obituary
Mrs. Judith Tournier, age 76, of Grand Haven passed away Sunday, December 19, 2021, at home. She was born May 9, 1945, in Oak Park, IL to Albert and Anne (Peters) Krueger. On August 16, 1969, she married Richard Tournier in Downers Grove, IL.
Judy played an important role in so many people’s lives. She was a teacher, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and advocate. Throughout her life she showed her ability to adapt and prosper at anything she wanted to do, including a wide variety of careers, including high school Biology teacher, designer for paper samples at Carpenter Paper, but her passion was found when she started working at a flower shop. Whether in her backyard gardens or at her own nursery, Judy loved plants and horticulture and excelled at growing anything and everything. She was also an adventurous cook, never afraid to explore a new cuisine, expand her palate, create her own recipes or carry-on family traditions like her famous date swirl Christmas cookies that have been made by a Tournier every year for more than 150 years. Judy was a talented textile artist that worked with diverse mediums such as stained glass, painting, quilting, rug hooking, flower arranging, and many others. Judy found a love of quilting later and through her amazing talent developed quilts that commemorated friends and loved ones, always creating cherished keepsakes that were both beautiful and uniquely personal. In her time in Grand Haven, Judy became a friend and advocate for many of her co-workers and their families. Judy spent decades working in agriculture with migrant workers from Mexico and Central America, many of whom became family to her. Judy learned Spanish so she could be a more effective co-worker and, ultimately, connect more deeply with the people in her life. She had a passion for helping people, spending countless hours assisting with medical appointments, government filings, developing financial independence and countless other issues. Judy wanted to help people who might not be familiar with “the system” to navigate their way through to get the help and benefits they deserved. She took great joy in caring for everything around her and that shows in the way she could grow anything she touched from relationships with people to her amazing gardens.
Judy is survived by her husband of 52 years, Richard; two sons, Brian (Laurie) Tournier of St. Louis, MO, and Adam Tournier of Kankakee, IL; and three grandchildren, Lily, Stuart, and Sylvester.
A visitation to celebrate the life of Judith will be held 3-5 PM Saturday, April 2, 2022 at The VanZantwick Chapel of Sytsema Funeral & Cremation Services, 620 Washington Ave, Grand Haven, MI 49417. Memorial contributions in memory of Judith may be given to Southwest Indian Foundation, Gallup, New Mexico. Please sign the family’s online guestbook at http://www.sytsemafh.com.
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