Burlington 9/11 Responder Dies Of Cancer

BURLINGTON, MA — Ryan Fortini, 42, always wanted to be a police officer because he wanted to help people, his family said. After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Fortini put that desire into practice, working search and rescue with his New York State Police troop. On Jan 1., Fortini died from an illness stemming from his work at Ground Zero.

"He had a set of values he wanted to put into practice," said Fortini's mother, Doreen. "He had a longing to help others and be the good guy."

Fortini was born July 27, 1977, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Edwin and Doreen Fortini. He grew up in Burlington and graduated from Burlington High School in 1995.

Fortini wanted to be a police officer since he was very young, his mother said. Her father was a reserve police officer in Reading and the young Ryan always admired his uniform.

"Uniforms can be exciting when you're 5 years old," Doreen said. "I think the allure was the badge, the uniform, saving people, helping people. He very much liked the idea of being part of something bigger."

As a kid, Ryan was the youngest in the neighborhood, his mother said. He hung out with the "big boys," including his older brother, Matthew, and took the teasing that the baby of the neighborhood would inevitably get. He became comfortable hanging out with the adults in the neighborhood, when half-day kindergarten let out and he was the only kid at home.

"He also got into a little bit of mischief here and there," Doreen said.

Other than his grandfather, the first police officer Ryan got to know was the one who worked at his high school, his mother said. Ryan bought a red Jeep Wrangler and would leave during lunch break, when he wasn't allowed to, or slip into the line leaving school.

"He used to try to elude the cops, down at the high school," Doreen said. "I used to say, 'Why do you want to be a cop if you want to give them a hard time?' He said, 'Ma, you have no idea — there's a difference between a bad cop and a good cop. I'm going to be a good cop.'"

At 17, Fortini signed up for the Army National Guard — he thought it would help him become a police officer — and he joined the National Guard's military police. He studied criminal justice at UMass Lowell and graduated in 3 1/2 years.

Soon after, in 1999, he joined the New York State Police. After 9/11, the state police rotated groups of troopers into the city to help with search and recovery work for a few weeks at a time. They stayed in hotels, and dug through debris, recovering bodies and helping with cleanup. According to his mother, the camaraderie of the people around Ground Zero made an impact on Fortini. People who owned restaurants and cafes would serve first responders for free and clean their uniforms if they needed it.

"He was happy to do it; he never once complained," Doreen said. "The hours were endless — you went on and on."

Fortini was patriotic and appreciated the opportunity to do his part, his mother said.

Fortini spent more than a decade more with the state police, with Troop K and the Community Narcotics Enforcement Team in the Hudson Valley. He rose to the rank of investigator before he had to retire due to illness.

He lived in Wappingers Falls, where he met his fiancee, Caitlin McGuire. He loved his nieces and nephews. He kept in touch with Burlington friends and would hang out with them whenever he was in town. He also liked to fish and hunt, and was a lifelong animal lover.

Fortini bought the red Jeep was so proud of with earnings from Farmers Exchange as a teenager, his mother said. (He worked really hard, she added.) The family always had dogs, at Fortini's request, and he leaves behind four that he and McGuire had.

In 2014, Fortini became sick with testicular cancer, already very advanced by the time he was diagnosed. Doctors immediately believed the cancer stemmed from his 9/11 recovery work, given his age. He underwent serious chemotherapy and weeks of surgeries, but he ultimately was forced to retire in 2015 after 15 years with the police. He was never healthy again. Two years ago, Fortini and his fiancee moved to Delaware, where they lived on a single floor, so he didn't have to use stairs and there was no snow for him to shovel.

After he became sick, Fortini wanted to give back, his mother said. Every year, he and McGuire would buy hundreds of dollars worth of toys and bring them to the hospital's pediatric wing as Christmas presents. He loved to pay people's checks at the grocery store or in the drive-thru line.

"He had the money to give back, and he did that. That made him happy," his mother said. "He was a great kid."

From Ryan Fortini's obituary via Sullivan Funeral Home:

Those left to cherish Ryan’s memory are his parents, Edwin and Doreen Fortini; his fiancee, Caitlin McGuire; his brother, Matthew Fortini (Neela); his sister, Joy Wilson (Brian); and nieces and nephews, Isabelle Wilson, Caitlin Fortini, Collin Fortini, McKenna Wilson, and Isla and Caden Masiello

A visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington (Exit 34 off Route 128/95, Woburn side). A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Margaret’s Church. Services will conclude with a burial in Lakeside Cemetery, Wakefield, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Ryan’s name may be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, 133 Federal St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02110, or www.massri.wish.org. For directions see www.stmargaretburlington.org.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.