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John Edward Fitzgerald, 89, longtime resident of Westbrook and formerly Cheshire, passed away peacefully with his family at his side on Sept. 21. John (Jack) was born in New Haven, Sept. 20, 1928, son of the late William and Ruth (Geer) Fitzgerald. He was predeceased by his brother William Fitzgerald of Ridgefield.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Marian Fitzgerald of Westbrook; and his five children, John Jr. of Clinton, Richard and wife Diane of Guilford, Michael and wife Kathy of Laconia, New Hampshire, Patricia Gervais and husband Joseph of Colchester Vermont, and James and wife Christine of Clinton. He is also survived by his eight loving grandchildren, Lauren, Jaime, and Sean Fitzgerald of Clinton, Joshua and Rachael Gervais of Colchester, Vermont, and Jack, Alexandra, and Caroline Fitzgerald of Guilford; his sister-in law Elizabeth (Betty) Fitzgerald; and nieces and nephews Ann, William, Robert, Diane, and Thomas Fitzgerald.

Jack grew up in New Haven and graduated from Hillhouse High School in 1946. Following high school, Jack enlisted in the Army and was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne stationed at Fort Bragg. He attended the University of Connecticut and graduated in 1952 with a B.S. in engineering. He was a safety engineer for Liberty Mutual Insurance and later held the position of town engineer in Southington. Up until his retirement, he was a self-employed professional forensic engineer. Jack was very active in the engineering community, which included acting as the past president of the Connecticut Society of Professional Engineers. He was also a member of the Second Company Governor’s Foot Guard.

Jack enjoyed playing golf and life at the beach in Westbrook. He was an avid UConn, Red Sox, and Patriots Fan.

The family would like to thank all of Jack’s caregivers at Dignity Plus, Shoreline of Clinton, and especially, the wonderful group at Artis Senior Living Memory Care of Branford.

There will be a Funeral Mass at St. Mark’s Church at 222 McVeagh Rd. in Westbrook on Sept. 30 at 11:00 a.m. There will not be any calling hours. Memorial Contributions can be made to Connecticut Hospice, 100 Double Beach Rd., Branford, CT 06405, or the Alzheimer’s Association, Connecticut Chapter, 200 Executive Blvd. 4B, Southington, CT 06489. To sign the online guest book, visit www.swanfh.com.