BIDDEFORD — Sister June Rita Fortier died at St. Joseph Convent on Sept. 16, 2020, at the age of 90.

Sr. June Rita, the only child of William Fortier and Marion Morrison, was born on Aug. 21, 1930 in Somerville, Massachusetts. June Rita attended Immaculate Conception School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then Archbishop Cushing Central High School in South Boston, Massachusetts. After graduation June Rita worked for nine years in the main office of the First National Stores. During this time, she became a Red Cross Nurses’ Aide doing volunteer work at Carney Hospital.

On Sept. 5, 1955, June Rita entered the Congregation of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (known as the Good Shepherd Sisters of Quebec) in Bay View, Saco, Maine. Sometime after her initial training in religious life, Sister June Rita spent a year at the Mother House in Quebec City helping to provide care for the sick sisters in the Infirmary.

In 1969, Sister studied at the Vocational School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in order to become a Licensed Practical Nurse. Sister used her nursing skills caring for the sisters and elderly women at St. Ann Home in Methuen, Massachusetts, St. Andre Home in Biddeford, Maine and in Bay View until 1987. At this time Sr. June Rita left the nursing field to begin her long second career as Parish Visitor for St. Joseph Parish in Biddeford, Maine. She reached out to all in need, providing emotional support, comfort, counseling, and serving as a community resource for individuals and families who turned to her in need. In 2003, she was recognized by the Southern Maine Agency on Aging as a “Friend of the Elderly” for her contributions to the Biddeford community and its residents. In June 2006, Sr. June Rita retired to St. Joseph Convent where she continued helping others through her telephone ministry.

Sister is survived by one Aunt, Gloria Morrison of Swampscott, Massachusetts, and several cousins.

Due to the coronavirus there will be no visiting hours. The burial service will be Monday, Sept. 21, at 11:30 a.m. at St. Joseph Cemetery, Biddeford, Maine. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at a later date. Arrangements are in the care of Hope Memorial Chapel. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.hopememorial.com.

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