Jesse Fortin

Irene was born in Centralia, Illinois, January 5th, 1923. She lost her father at an early age and was raised by her mother, Lena Ann Watkins, who never remarried. She spent her school years in Murray, Kentucky, where she was head majorette with the high school marching band for three years (1939 to 1941). After graduating she attended Bowling Green Business University (BU) where she met her husband to be, George Fortin. They were married in Lexington, Kentucky on December 11, 1942. During WWII the Army moved them to several places, mostly in Florida, which they learned to love. After the war George returned to BU to teach. They were both very active with the students and faculty there and established a number of lifelong friendships. In 1950 they returned to Florida where George taught at the University of Florida while getting a Masters in Accounting. In 1953 they moved to Tallahassee where George took a position with the Florida State University administration, eventually rising to the office of Comptroller. In 1970 they moved to Gulf Breeze, Florida where George worked in the University of West Florida administration until retirement in 1986. They travelled extensively in those years until George passed away in May, 1997. Irene was a mother and homemaker and was very good at both of those things. She had two children, Michael and Georgianne, and three grandchildren, Jennifer, Diana and Matthew, who will miss her greatly. The many houses she lived in over the years were always the essence of taste and elegance, but more importantly they were always "home" to all of us. We are ever grateful for the wisdom and creativity that she passed to us. Throughout her life and ours she has been a beacon of intelligence, humor and guidance that we can now only hope to carry on in her absence. For the last several years Irene has waged a brave battle with a number of health problems, including over a year on kidney dialysis. We are grateful to her for her courage in staying with us during this difficult time so that she could continue to grace our lives. Irene passed away on May, 9th, 2009. She was a beautiful lady, inside and out, and will be deeply missed by all of us who love her.