Joseph Fortune

Joseph Fortune, 90, died Monday, April 17, 2017, at Woodside Village at Valley Memorial Homes in Grand Forks, ND. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Church of Corpus Christi Bismarck at 1:30 PM on Friday, April 21, with Father John Guthrie presiding. Burial will be at the North Dakota Veteran’s Cemetery in Mandan, ND. Joseph Benedict Fortune was born on October 30, 1926, in Bismarck, ND. He was the ninth of ten children born to Hugh and Anne (Weldon) Fortune. Joe grew up in Bismarck and attended Saint Mary’s Grade School. From being a Saint, Joe became a Demon in high school competing in football, basketball, and track at Bismarck High. After graduation, he enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Germany as part of the Allied occupation at the end of World War II. After his military service, Joe worked at various jobs in Bismarck, Minneapolis, and Colorado. While in Colorado, he studied political science at the University of Denver. He eventually settled in Palo Alto, CA. Suffering from dementia, he returned to North Dakota in 2000. He lived with his sister, Dolly Fracassi, in Bismarck before moving to Reynolds, ND, to stay with his niece, Peggy McMenamy, and then Grand Forks to stay with his niece, Mary Seaworth. With her assistance, he was able to live independently in an apartment in a housing facility for seniors. In 2010, when his dementia progressed to the point where he needed care, he became a resident of the Hearthstone Neighborhood in Woodside Village at Valley Memorial Homes in Grand Forks. He lived there until his death - maintaining his Irish sense of humor to the very end. Joe was the last surviving member of his family. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Mary Van Meter, Margaret Seaworth, Rosaleen Fortune, Rita Mulloy, and Eileen “Dolly” Fracassi; and his brothers, Hugh, Tom, John and Leo. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Jean (Mrs. Leo) Fortune and several nieces and nephews. The family is deeply grateful to all the staff at Woodside Village for providing Joe with excellent and compassionate care during his final years. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer memorials to Ministry on the Margins in Bismarck.