St. Charles woman had family, 2 careers

Frances "Jean" Fortwenwengler was known for her independence as well as her adaptability and joy of life.

Although Mrs. Fortwengler lived much of her life in an era when most women chose family over careers and didn't mix the two, she managed to raise three children and have successful careers in nursing and graphic arts. While her husband retired at age 62, she kept working into her late 60s.

She died Monday at Brighton Gardens in St. Charles at age 80 following a long bout with Alzheimer's disease. She and her husband, Joseph, moved to Brighton Gardens from Prospect Heights in 2006.

Mrs. Fortwengler became interested in graphic arts after the family moved to Prospect Heights from Kentucky more than 40 years ago.

"She came to conventions with me," her husband said. "She was hired quickly and became the convention manager. I was the sales manager. We traveled all over the world.

"She was also a top-drawer nurse for about 20 years," Fortwengler said. "She worked in surgery. "

"She enjoyed nature, she enjoyed bird watching," said her daughter, Nola Martellotti of Geneva. "She took care of all the pets and the birds at Brighton Gardens."

"She was the greatest," said her son Joseph "Tim" Fortwengler of Prospect Heights. "She was a nurse, a businesswoman, and she was a good cook. She dealt with people around the world and she could stand up to anyone."

She was born Feb. 19, 1927, in Louisville, Ky., but as a child, Mrs. Fortwengler lived in several states. Her father operated a bulldozer and worked on road construction. The family settled in Tennessee.

At age 16, Mrs. Fortwengler returned to Louisville and enrolled in Kentucky's first school of nursing at the John Norton Memorial Infirmary. She later furthered her medical training at Johns Hopkins Nursing School in Baltimore.

According to her daughter Nola, Mrs. Fortwengler credited her maternal grandfather for teaching her to read at an early age, and to value education.

Mrs. Fortwengler met her husband in Louisville while she was a nursing student and he was a student at the University of Louisville on the G.I. Bill. They were married in 1949.

Joseph Fortwengler worked for Ulano, a silk screen printing manufacturer. He moved the family to Prospect Heights because much of his work was in Chicago.

Mrs. Fortwengler did not return to nursing after the move. She joined Ulano to work with her husband and traveled extensively. She received the Industry Training Connection award for Ulano, Midwest in 1990.

Although she was in deteriorating health, she became very active at Brighton Gardens.

"She turned every resident into her family," said Sylvia McGee, assisted living coordinator at Brighton Gardens. "She will definitely be missed."