Dr. Priscilla Jean Fortier

Dr. Priscilla Jean Fortier, 75, of Urbana, passed away at home on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 with her husband and two daughters by her side. A loving wife, mother and grandmother, she battled stage four pancreatic cancer for nearly three years, and was active until the very end.

Priscilla was born on October 6, 1947 in Madison, Wisconsin, the eldest daughter of Richard and Lucille (Stitgen) Henderson. She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, James.

Priscilla grew up in Bisbee and Phoenix, Arizona, and moved to southern California as a teenager, where she finished high school. She chose to attend the University of California-Berkeley because “that’s where everything was happening.” She graduated in 1969 with a degree in linguistics, as the first and only person in her immediate family to achieve a college degree.

She met her husband Andrew at Berkeley and they were married on March 26, 1970. They moved to the University of Wisconsin for graduate school, where she earned her Master’s degree in German. After re-locating to Urbana, she worked in Parkland College’s GED program and later moved to the University of Illinois to tutor UI student athletes in study skills.

From 1985 to 2010 she served as Assistant Dean of Students and Associate Director of the University of Illinois Office of Minority Student Affairs, as well as the Associate Director of the McNair Scholars Program. She also directed the Academic Services Center. She helped write many grants in support of both the McNair Program and Student Support Services, and was also a National Education Trainer for the Department of Education.

Priscilla completed her doctorate in 2002 in Educational Organization and Leadership. She served on numerous University committees and taught as an Adjunct Professor in Educational Policy Studies.

Prior to retiring, she also served as the first female president of the University of Illinois YMCA. It brought her great joy to attend her students’ graduations, most of whom were first generation college students as she was. In addition to many awards, in 2021 a scholarship was established by her former colleagues in her name. 

After retirement, she took courses through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) and was later elected to the OLLI board. She continued to study during her illness and particularly enjoyed her Latin study group. She was also an avid reader, animal lover and an exquisite knitter.

In some of her final words to her husband, she said she had no regrets about her life, nor the wonderful people she met along her life’s path.

She is survived by her husband Andrew of 52 years, her daughters Andrea Alghalith and Elizabeth Jenkins (Jeremy), granddaughters Natalie and Charlotte Jenkins and siblings Claudia Alphin and Peter Henderson of California, as well as nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, December 6th from 4-6pm, with a memorial service to follow at Sunset Funeral Home at 710 N. Neil in Champaign. A private interment will occur at Mt Hope Cemetery in Champaign. Memorial donations may be designated to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) (https://olli.illinois.edu/give.html)       

Please join Priscilla’s family in sharing memories on her tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com

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