Dr. Frank G. Fortunati, Jr.

***MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL WILL BE LIVESTREAMED***

Dr. Frank G. Fortunati, Jr., 58, of Milford, beloved husband of Karen (Angelo) Fortunati and adored father of Jenna and Frankie, passed away on March 5, 2023. Born in January 1965 in Trenton, NJ, he was the son of Marie (Migliaccio) Fortunati and the late Frank G. Fortunati, Sr.

Frank was truly a Renaissance Man. A psychiatrist, lawyer and pharmacist, Frank was the assistant professor and Deputy Chair for Yale-New Haven Health System. Since 2016, he served as Vice Chief and Medical Director of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health for Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH). Frank was a born leader, instinctively leading by example, recognizing and fostering the talents of his colleagues to build a dynamic team of health care heroes. He would never ask a colleague for something he would not or had not done himself. Through a combination of professional excellence, humility and genuine affection, Frank earned the love and admiration of everyone he worked with as well the patients who received his compassionate care.

Frank’s life outside of work was rich. He was an accomplished musician playing saxophone, guitar, piano and flute. One of his great joys was performing with his friends and fellow psychiatrists in their band “Schedule II.”  He filled his home and car with jazz and classic rock, bonding with his kids over bands like Chicago, Yes and Pink Floyd.

Humble to a fault, Frank was interested in everything – finance, ancient Roman history, technology, politics, and science. He embraced meditation as he navigated his health challenges and found peace in his faith.

While he found his professional purpose at Yale, love of family is what defined Frank. He was a steady and constant source of wisdom and encouragement for Karen and their children, diving deep into the issues and events of their lives. Their many adventures included travel up and down the Northeast, trips to indulge Karen’s passion for Revolutionary War sites, and to the Jersey Shore, Florida, and Europe, including a memorable trip to Italy in 2010. He had no shame in whipping out the selfie stick to take photos with his family.

But Frank’s favorite place was home. He poured hours into his garden, growing and harvesting tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, grapes from his late mother-in-law’s grapevine, and so many figs from his beloved fig trees. With no hesitation, he got matching fig leaf tattoos with Karen, Jenna, and Frankie over Thanksgiving 2018.

In addition to his loving wife and children, Frank is survived by his father-in-law, Richard, his brother, David (Jin), his brothers-in-law Rick and Steven (Tracey), his nephews and nieces Jake, Jessica, Sophie, Maggie, Emma, Rachel, Ryan and Peyton, and cherished dogs Patch, Petey and Penny.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Mary Church (Precious Blood Parish) 70 Gulf St., Milford, CT (MEET DIRECTLY AT CHURCH). Interment will be private. No calling hours will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Facing Hereditary Cancer Empowered (FORCE), www.facingourrisk.org/donate. 

To view the service live, please visit www.NextLevelLiveStream.com.

Within 6 hours of the funeral, it will be archived at: https://vimeo.com/nlls/FrankFortunatiJr1965. This event will be available to view for one year after recording.

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