Tim Fitzgerald 1956-2008

This post contains the obituary for my beloved little brother who died April 30, 2008. I planned to post the history of the family from the older generations down, not the obituaries of people in my generation. So I'm very sad, for many reasons, to be posting this entry. Yet I feel it is probably an appropriate place to remember him.

Timothy Edward Fitzgerald was born October 29, 1956, the son of Earl and Marie (Wittak) Fitzgerald of Van Nuys, California. He attended St. Bridget of Sweden Elementary School, Notre Dame High School and California State University at Northridge where he pursued a degree in Geology. As a young man, he helped his father build two houses, one a cabin at Big Bear Lake, which later became a favorite getaway for Tim and his family. From an early age, he had a talent for fixing mechanical objects, so it’s no surprise that he became a electronics technician for the United States Post Office, fixing mail sorting machines, primarily at the Oxnard branch but also occasionally for the Thousand Oaks Branch. He also collected and restored old cars, including a 1942 Ford Coupe, 1972 Chevy El Camino, and a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner.

On April 20, 1991, Tim married Julie Frazier of Ventura. His beloved daughter, Taylor, was born on November 22, 1993. Tim and Julie were divorced in 2006 and Julie and Taylor moved to Round Rock, Texas, a suburb of Austin. Tim kept in touch with his daughter by calling her every day and making frequent visits.

Tim died at home on April 30 as a result of complications from a fall. He is survived by his daughter, Taylor, her mother Julie Fitzgerald, both of Round Rock, Texas; his mother, Marie Fitzgerald of Ventura, California; his sisters, Nancy (Waverly) Fitzgerald of Seattle, Washington and Cathy Fitzgerald of Reno, Nevada; and his niece, Shaw Fitzgerald of Seattle, Washington. Tim will be dearly missed by his closest friend, Edward Del Toro, and the entire Del Toro family who he considered his second family.

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