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DEL.ICIO.USFamily, friends remember ‘rock’ of a man
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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No man’s perfect.
But if you ask, Kathleen Cunningham Fortson will tell you that Michael R. Fortson came pretty close to excellence. He was her husband and father to their two sons.
“He was a great family man,” said Fortson, talking about her mate of 16 years. “He was a rock.”
A co-worker introduced her to Fortson, who at the time was a Georgia State Patrol officer assigned to Gainesville. Fortson’s love for public safety resonated, but he never told Kathleen Fortson why, specifically, he chose that career.
Maybe it chose him.
“Sometimes I worried, but he always let me know [public safety] is what he wanted to do,” she told me. “There wasn’t one particular reason why. He took his job very seriously.”
Before joining the Georgia State Patrol, Fortson, 42, worked as a police officer for two years in the North Georgia city of Clayton. The 1984 grad of Rabun County High had been employed with the Georgia Department of Public Safety for 18 years. His most recent assignment was high profile — a member of the Georgia State Patrol executive protection unit that provides security for Gov. Sonny Perdue.
Sgt. Keith L. Collins, commander of state patrol post No. 15 in Perry, didn’t know Fortson personally. He just knew of him, the respect for him among the 750 troopers statewide.
“He was a jam-up guy,” Collins said. “He was one of those type troopers we all admire, and aspire to be like.”
Kathleen Fortson says her husband couldn’t have set a better example as a family man for sons, Maurice L. Williams, 21, and Michael T. Fortson, 14, to emulate. On his days off, she could count on three things when she came home from her customer service job with Georgia Power.
Dinner would be prepared. Their Buford home would be kept tidy. The boys would be attended to.
“He wasn’t a wimp by any means,” Kathleen Fortson told me. “Mike left a perfect example of how to treat your wife and your family. The Lord could not have blessed me with a better husband or father for my children.”
Fortson suffered from acid reflux, so he took medication to control it. He exercised faithfully, watched his carb intake and monitored his blood-sugar levels. His father, Willie Fortson of Clayton, is diabetic. His doctor had recently prescribed medicine for his cholesterol, something he disliked. So he exercised more rigorously.
On Thursday, Fortson was sitting at his computer. Before Kathleen left for work, he told her that he felt a burning sensation in his chest. She made sure he’d taken his meds.
Later that morning, her son called. The paramedics arrived in minutes. Fortson died of a heart attack.
The family received friends Sunday at Flanigan Funeral Home and Crematory in Buford. Perdue paid his respects, as well as Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. Kathleen Fortson and Collins, the state patrol commander, estimated that nearly 700 people offered condolences.
I didn’t attend the funeral held Monday at Union Baptist Church in Buford. But Collins told me the Georgia State Patrol would serve as honor guard. A U.S. flag would be presented to the family. The playing of taps would precede a 21-gun salute. And at Hillcrest Cemetery, three helicopters from the state patrol’s aviation division would perform a “missing man flyover.”
All this for a rock, a perfect man to those who knew him best.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Rick Badie
Comments
By WhoCares!!!
July 24, 2007 9:04 AM | Link to this
All of these blogs are sooooo lame!!!!!! And why is it that the most popular blog is not working?!!!!!! AJC IT DEPT SUCKS!!!!!! And stop with the dayum Vick blogs…………enough is enough!!!!!
By gwinngirl
July 24, 2007 9:55 AM | Link to this
I don’t personally know Mr. Fortson, but he did sound like a rock. My prayers are with the family.
By Lynn Williams
July 24, 2007 3:14 PM | Link to this
My friend emailed me from Atlanta concerning the death of Mr. Fortson. I read the article regarding his life and how he lived it. My sympathy goes out to the family. I say to the family, even with the loss of Mr. Fortson, he lived so the memory of him will linger forever.
By Dee Cab
July 25, 2007 8:34 AM | Link to this
Can I sell the Vehicles to the Department? I mean I know they’ll over pay! I’ll even throw in a service contract…..