Michael Fontes

ALTAMONT - Michael Fontes, 66, beloved husband, father, brother, and friend passed away suddenly on Thursday September 7, 2023 following a brief illness. Michael was born in Pawtucket, RI on July 23, 1957 as the first and only son of Myron Fontes and Alice Doris (Desilets). Michael grew up in East Providence, RI and later moved to Burrillville, RI where his parents purchased a house on Echo Lake in Pascoag. It was there that Michael developed his love for the water and boats. Water-skiing in the summer and ice hockey in the winter were his favorite activities. Michael attended college at Clarkson in Potsdam, NY where he earned a BS in Electrical Engineering. It was also in Potsdam that he met his future bride, Debbie (Law). They married in Pascoag, RI on June 23, 1979 and settled near Burlington, VT, where Mike took his first job at IBM. Michael was a consummate engineer and a brilliant troubleshooter. He loved being an engineer. Throughout his career he worked for several companies and had his own company, Apogee Computers, for several years. Michael and his family moved to Guilderland, NY in 2010 when he took a position at MTI Instruments. He left MTI in 2016 and went to work briefly for DW Fritz in Portland, Oregon. Due to health issues, he retired early and returned to New York. Michael dearly loved his family. His daughters, Regina and Lisa, were very precious to him. He loved taking the family out for a boat ride on a lake in the Larsen or going fishing in the smaller Lund boat. He also shared his love of nature with his girls. They were very fond of moose and took many early morning trips to “Moose Alley” in NH in order to catch a glimpse and take photos of moose in their habitat. Michael was extremely proud of his family’s accomplishments in education: when Regina, despite her learning difficulties, earned her high school degree; when Debbie earned her MS in Communication Science, and Lisa her PhD in Archaeology. Although he faced several serious health challenges in these last few years, he met each one with courage and fortitude, always working hard to move forward through the obstacles. Even when he felt discouraged and sad, he would rise up with a renewed positive attitude coupled with a sense of humor. Although his illness prevented him from doing many activities he formerly enjoyed, one thing he was able to do, and was most proud of, was shopping at Christmas for donations for Toys for Tots. He was so excited and pleased to be able to provide a van load (literally) of toys to fill the boxes at his chosen site, Edward Jones. He enjoyed visits with his future step grandchildren, Hayden and Hazel, and his long phone conversations with his nephew, Brian. He will be sorely missed. He is predeceased by his parents, Myron Fontes and Alice Doris Fontes (Desilets). He is survived by his wife Deborah (Law); daughters Regina Fontes and Lisa Fontes (partner Jenn); sisters Marie (Ed) Bart, Paula (Mike) Carbone, Roberta (Russ) Bart, and Elaina Fontes; as well as several nieces, nephews, and grand nieces and nephews. Calling hours will be on Thursday, September 21st from 4 to 6 pm at the DeMarco-Stone Funeral Home, 5216 Western Tpke, Guilderland. A Funeral Mass will be offered on Friday September 22nd at 10 am at St Madeleine Sophie Church, 3500 Carman Rd, Schenectady, NY 12303. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Kidney Fund at www.kidneyfund.org. Condolences can be posted at demarcostonefuneralhome.com.