Prominent Medford attorney, Francis J. Fortunato, entered into eternal rest on Sunday, September 18, 2011, at the age of 99 years. Francis J. Fortunato, Esq. was born on January 21, 1912, in Chelsea, MA, the oldest of 9 children born to Carmine and Linda (Aratto) Fortunato. He is predeceased by his wife, Leonilda (Bosio) who died in 2004, at the age of 92 years.
Francis was the beloved father of Attorney Paul Francis Fortunato and his wife, Terri of Tewksbury, and Mary Dorman and her fiance, Joseph LeFave, of Medford. He was the cherished by his 6 grandchildren: Sheila Dorman, Brian Dorman, Joseph Che Fortunato, Anthony Fortunato, Tara Fortunato, and Peter Francis Fortunato as well by his 8 great-grandhcildren.
He is survived by his sister, Marion Visconti, of Medford, and his brothers, George Fortunato of Lexington and William Fortunato of Saugus, and numerous nieces and nephews, including John Flanagan, with whom he shared a special bond. He was predeceased by his siblings: Eleanor Flanagan, Paul Fortunato, Carmine Fortunato, Arthur Fortunato, and John Fortunato, as well as his son-in-law, Roy H. Dorman.
Francis graduated from Medford High School, class of 1930, then attended Suffolk University and Suffolk Law, part-time, while he worked as a roofer, a newspaper deliverer for the Boston Globe, and several other jobs. He was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1939, and opened a law practice in Medford Square. Except for the period of time that he served in the military during WWII, he actively practiced law in Medford Square for 72 years. He worked 5 or 6 days a week until June 29, 2011. Dr. John Gentuso stated that there were 2 things that you could count on in life, “every weekday morning the sun will come up and Francis Fortunato will be in his office at Zero Governors Avenue”.
During WWII he served in the army, with the 38th Combat Engineer Regiment. He landed on the beach at Normany, France on D-Day. He often said “We lost a lot of good people that day.” He and his six brothers all saw action during WWII and the corner of Stanley Avenue and College Avenue in Medford is dedicated as “Fortunato Brothers Corner”.
Francis was a member of the Medford Housing Authority for over 20 years, serving as the Chairman for 4 of those years. He was instrumental in building the first two elderly housing developments in Medford, as well as in the planning and building of the South Medford and Riverside Avenue housing developments. The City of Medford honored him for his service to the city by naming a street after him, Fortunato Drive, which is located at the Walkling Court Housing Development.
Attorney Fortunato was a long-time member and past president of the First Easter Middlesex Bar Association. He was, for many years, a certified land examiner for the Massachusetts Land Court. His legal specialties were real estate and probate law. In July 2006 he was featured in a Boston Globe story because, at age 94, he was practicing law full time, 6 days a week, and in February 2007 he was featured on WBZ news and in an article about him on their web site. He was, also, contacted by Jay Leno and Jimmy Kimmel about appearing on their television shows, which he declined.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Elks. He was very active and his favorite hobby was bowling. He bowled in the Medford church league until his 99th birthday. Until June 29, 2011, he lived independently, continued to drive and do his own grocery shopping, among other activities. He was, also, a big fan of the Boston Red Sox, never missing a game on either TV or radio. He fondly remembered their World Series victory of 1918 and and was happy to finally see them win the series, again, in 2004.
In recent years, his goal was to celebrated his 99th birthday with dinner at the 99 Restaurant with his children, which he did on January 21, 2011.
His funeral was held from the Beals-Geake-Magliozzi Funeral Home, 29 Governors Avenue, Medford on Friday morning, September 23, 2011, at 10 AM, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial, celebrated in St. Joseph Church, 118 High Street, Medford at 11 AM. Many relatives and friends respectfully attended. Visiting hours were on Thursday, September 22, 2011, from 2 to 5 & 7 to 9 PM. Interment was in Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford. In lieu of flowers, donations in Francis’ memory may be made to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) 11781 Lee Jackson Hwy., Suite 160, Fairfax, VA 22033, or to the charity of your choice.