Marie Therese Fortunat (Manman as she was affectionately known) lived a full life. She married, had four daughters and five grandchildren. We celebrate her life while remembering great memories that she experienced with everyone who had the opportunity to know her. She was loving, caring, and wise. She’s best known as a wife, a mother, and a grandmother. As a wife, she was a loyal and loving companion. As a mother, she helped to raise four strong successful professional women. As a grandmother, she was playful, witty, and a source of love.
She was quite the storyteller and if she began recalling a past event, make sure you grab a seat because it most likely will take up your morning or afternoon. What most people in our family will remember her for was her love of God. Prayer was especially important to her. She prayed multiple times a day and put God in everything she did. She was able to pass on those values to the rest of the family. Some might know her for her cooking. If you were fortunate enough to have her food daily or only during special occasions like holidays, birthdays, and get-togethers, you were in for a treat.
During the time where she was unable to care for herself, family stepped up and tried to make the last several years of her life comfortable. It’s what God would have wanted us to do. Though it’s easy to feel sad and maintain a state of disbelief that she’s no longer here physically, knowing that she’s no longer suffering puts things at ease. Ironically, the values she instilled in us regarding our faith in God are the same values that are allowing all of us to cope and celebrate her life properly. She has not left us; she is here.