Renee (Fortin) Man

Renee Fortin Man, 46, passed away at home on Saturday, June 5, 2021 after a lengthy battle with a brain tumor.

Originally from Cohoes, NY, Renee grew up attending Cohoes Catholic schools.  After receiving her Bachelor’s degree from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY, Renee earned two Masters Degrees in the Blindness field, working as a Vision Rehab Therapist at Perkins School for the Blind and Carroll Center for the Blind.  Renee spent fifteen years working with older adults, teaching adaptive daily living skills.

Inspired by her work, she spent a year puppy-raising a future guide dog, who went on to successfully serve for eleven years.

Renee’s greatest accomplishment was raising her three children to embrace and celebrate their uniqueness.

During the 2020 pandemic, Renee and her children contributed to the Natick/Sherborn Sewing Support Group community project, where they made headbands that enhanced the comfort of face masks for front line workers.

Renee is survived by her beloved children, Evan (11), Josiy (9) and Nate (7), their father, Brian Man, and Renee’s sister-in-law, Diana Man, who was a source of constant support to the family.  She is also survived by her parents, Ronald and Frances Fortin; her brother Michael Fortin, his wife Amber, and their children Max and Emma Jayne; her sister Avery Fortin and their husband Jason Chura; her brother Timothy Fortin and his wife Allie; her father-in-law and mother-in-law Jason and Theresa Man; her sister-in-law Anna, Anna’s husband Paul, and their son Jackson; and her brother-in-law Christopher, his wife Tram, and their children Sabrina and Xavier.

Renee would like to thank the Natick community for all the support they generously provided to her family over the past few years.

She is also appreciative of the care from her medical team at MGH, and hopes that the donation of her brain for study will lead to improvements in meningioma treatments.

And finally, Renee is proud of her ability to sing every single word of “Guns and Ships” from Hamilton—much to her children’s chagrin—right up until the end.

Visiting hours in the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park Street, NATICK COMMON on Friday June 11, 2021 from 10 AM – 12 PM, with a memorial service at 12 PM.  Interment private.

In lieu of flowers, Renee has set up an email account for her children, and has asked that you share good memories, funny stories or special moments you’ve had with her over the years.  Please send them to: RememberingReneeMan@gmail.com

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