CPO Cresencio Fortin - Obituary

n Monday, January 27, 2014; the beloved husband of Evangelina G. Fortin; father of Rafael G. Fortin, Eterna G. Oehme and Joan C. Fortin; brother of Benedicto Fortin; grandfather of Valerie Grimes, Madonna Fortin and Christopher Fortin, Martina and Gabrielle Fortin. He is also survived by two great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends. Relatives and friends are invited to Cres' Life Celebration on Monday, March 3, 2014 from 10am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11am at St. Columba Catholic Church, 7800 Livingston Rd., Oxon Hill, MD and again on Monday evening relatives and friends are invited to Cres' Life Celebration from 6 to 8pm at the GEORGE P. KALAS FUNERAL HOME, 6160 Oxon Hill Rd, Oxon Hill, MD. Interment with Military Honors at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, March 4 at 9am. Please meet at the Administration Building no later than 8:30am. Leaving his San Narciso barangay to join the U.S. Navy in late-1945, Cres embarked on a long, productive, and fruitful life in the United States. But his life story really begins with the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in mid-December 1941, when as a teenager he immediately volunteered to serve as a scout and guerrilla for the U.S. Army occupying force. Although poorly equipped and at grave-risk, he and his fellow fighters harassed the Imperial Japanese Army at every opportunity. Even after American and Filipino forces surrendered at Bataan and Corregidor in 1942, he retreated to the mountains to continue the armed resistance until General MacArthur’s forces liberated the country three years later. Within months after VJ Day in 1945, Cres enthusiastically enlisted in the U.S. Navy, beginning a bright new chapter in his life. During his 26-year career in the Navy, he served in a wide variety of positions as a steward and chef. In the late 1940s, he was requested by name to work on the personal staff of then-Vice Admiral Jerauld Wright, the Commander of Amphibious Forces U.S. Atlantic in Norfolk, Virginia. Most interesting, during his tenure on Admiral Wright’s staff, Cres tried out for and made the Navy Boxing Team, where he fought his way to win the welter weight title. In the 1950s, because of his professional accomplishments and culinary talent, he interviewed for and was appointed to the White House staff as a chef. During the productive and lively years of the late-1950s to early-1970s in the White House, he worked for four presidents—from Eisenhower to Nixon. For a couple years, he served as a senior chef at Camp David, where he and his family had ample opportunities to gallivant around the verdant, lush mountain retreat on the weekends. The Fortin home is full of presidential memorabilia, including signed photographs of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, as well as signed menus from State dinners at the White House. Retiring from the Navy with honors in 1971, Cres provided a final toast to colleagues aboard the U.S.S. Sequoia, the yacht that had served presidents, vice presidents, and world leaders since the 1920s. After an illustrious career in the Navy, he served the Nation for almost 20 more years as a civil servant for the General Services Administration, where he worked in the Old Executive Office Building right across the street from the White House. He finally caught his breadth in 1988 and began full retirement, spending the ensuing years with his family and friends, and reminiscing about the interesting years in the White House. He played a key role in the early years of Mrs. Philippines home for seniors. He also lived a holy life by serving as a Eucharistic Minister at St Columba Catholic Church in later years. Quite a remarkable journey for a teenager who left the Philippines to seek an adventure!