Obituary of David Fougere
David Fougere
September 24, 1944 - February 12, 2025
It is with great sadness that he family of David Fougere announce his passing on the morning of Feb. 12, 2025, at the age of 80 years old. He died of natural causes, very swiftly and peacefully.
His leaves to mourn his daughter Nicole Fougere, his brothers Frederick Fraser (Josephine Fraiser nee Skinner) and Ross Fraser, his sister Pauline Fraser and his nephew Ryan Fraser. He was married for 25 years to Anne Fougere, the mother of his daughter. He is predeceased by his mother Agnes (Whitcombe) Fraser and Frederick (Fougere) Fraser .
In lieu of flowers, his daughter is asking for donations to cover funerary costs and the costs associated with his recent return from Gutemala. Donations can be made here:
David was a unique soul. He appreciated living lightly on planet earth with very few possessions. He was a wanderer, an alternative-thinker, a humble helper and a father. He often struggled with being himself, and yet, for many who loved him, he was such an original and creative being, that he has been an inspiration to others especially in moments of their lives when they needed to see something from a different perspective.
David was a traveller. He had travelled to Central America and from coast to coast across Canada many times, sometimes even making such journeys by bus or hitch-hiking. He absolutely needed to be close to nature and loved the boreal forests of northern Ontaro as well as his friends who lived there. He often enjoyed summers in the north and then jouneyed south during the winters. He loved the sun and the warm disposition of the communities he visited. In particular, he enjoyed a lot of time in San Pedro La Laguna, a beautiful Mayan town on an ancient caldera and looking out over a sacred lake. Very recently, he had come back to Canada to live in Newfoundland where his daughter Nicole now resides. He had moved into a beautiful personal care home named Lanes Irishtown, set close to the ocean, surrounded by forest and hillsides.
David was a musician. As a young man, David was bass player with the Canadian band The Stormy Clovers. Their music was used in a Derek May film called “The Angel" and in another Canadian National Film Board short film called “Amethyst Harbour”. David and friends also created the music for Ryan Larkin's animated film “Walking” which was nominated for an Academy Award. The Stormy Clover's often worked with Leonard Cohen and played his music in Montreal and Toronto, on television shows such as Adrienne Clarkson's “Take Thirty”. David also created is own album of original music entitled “Somewhere in the Milky Way” which can be found on music streaming platforms. The movement in his soul was felt in his music. His songs ring of long dry roads and wide open stretches of undamaged land. Unique and meaningful, these songs deserve to be sung generation after generation around campfires. He did four performances with his daughter Nicole most notably “The Letter I Didn't Send” in Haliburton, Ontario and “Half A Harmony” in Brussels, Belgium. He even wrote a book, unpublished, entitled “The Hobostarship Book”, with travel stories from 1963 until his death and the lyrics to forty-two of his songs.
David was a “fix-it man”. David made a living by being able to fix things. He often joked, "I've fixed over 20,000 televisions in my life.... and I'm sorry I did that." He looked back with fondness to the friendships he made when fixing things at “Jonas TV” and “Camp Kandalore.” He fixed everything from stereos to tape decks, medical equipment, radionics instruments, water pumps, and computer monitors as well as building buildings and doing woodworking. He always fixed his own car.
David often tried to “fix” himself. He believed that we all have the power to grow, change and heal. He struggled with this throughout his life but he often aspired to release and let go of old patterns and to practice at just “being”.
“Oceans of Light” by David Fougere
Listen to this song here:
https://youtu.be/msffwfJrXEg?si=Nmnu6XKgnzgCPEYl
Somewhere in the Milky Way
Where the stars are bright
You and I were dancing on a lonesome night.
Sparks rising from the fire,
Moons and planets whirling in the night.
We are on an island in an ocean of light.
And oh, I love the way you dance
You gave my heart a second chance
To be free.
And oh, I love the way you keep on being true.
No matter what life brings to you,
You just keep on being true
Ocean of light
Ocean of light
We are on an island
In an ocean of light
You and I are still dancing
It's a star-filled night
And looking into your eyes
I see oceans of light
Oceans of light
Oceans of light
And love will never leave us
There are oceans of light
You said, "Let's stay until the stars come out."
Till the stars come out.
Then carry me through the darkness
In my father's arms
To my father's house.
David's memorial was held on Sunday February 23rd.
Please be welcome to watch the video of this event online here:
In Loving Memory
David Fougere
1944 - 2025
