|
3.20.2003
Mark Fontaine, 22; hoped to become police officer
Mark Fontaine made others happy just by being around them.
His large circle of friends often gathered at his home on Country View
Drive, in Johnston, where Mark, 22, went out of his way to make adults
-- even those a lot older than his friends -- feel comfortable.
"He always had a hug for you, even when his friends were around,"
said his grandmother Pauline Fortier. "His friends saw it and they'd
hug you too."
Even though Mark weighed only 115 pounds, he was the peacemaker when
arguments broke out among friends, his mother, Chris, says. "All
of his friends respected him because of the kind of person he was."
About eight of Mark's relatives and friends went to the concert at The
Station together. Two others, Stephen M. Libera of North Kingstown and
John M. Longiaru, of Johnston, were unable to escape the fire. Mark's
sister Melanie, who was engaged to John Longiaru, was hospitalized.
Growing up in Johnston, Mark was his mother's "ray of sunshine"
because he was always smiling. His desire to grow his hair long occasionally
got him into trouble at school. When he was a student at St. Rocco's,
he tried to hide his long hair, his grandmother recalls. But he was sent
home, and the hair was cut, she said.
Mark graduated from La Salle Academy in 1999 and took a year off before
enrolling in law-enforcement courses at the Community College of Rhode
Island. He hoped to be a police officer.
Because he was short and thin, he was working out to build up strength
for the police physical exam. As a youngster, Mark had studied karate
and earned a second-degree brown belt, but he did not pursue the sport
after earning the belt.
Thanks to his grandfather Edmond Fortier, he discovered other sports:
fishing and golf during visits to Florida.
His grandfather taught him to fish in the waters of Sarasota Bay. They
went after snook, sea trout and redfish. "He was my fishing buddy,"
his grandfather says.
Mark was known for his generosity. "He'd give you his shoes and
walk barefoot," his grandfather says.
Mark worked for three years at the Bickford Family Restaurant in North
Providence, starting as a cook and working his way up to assistant manager
on the night shift.
When Mark started school, he became a shift supervisor so he could work
fewer hours. As shift supervisor, he was responsible for a crew of about
10 cooks, dishwashers, waitresses and others.
"He was always late" for the start of his shift, but he was
always dependable, said Vicki Kettle, general manager.
"We're devastated," she said. "We still can't believe
it. He was such a fantastic person. We haven't stopped crying."
-- Bob Jagolinzer
Share
your thoughts and condolences for all of those lost
|
