Maureen Rita FitzGerald

Maureen Rita FitzGerald died Tuesday afternoon during the holiest week of the Christian calendar.
Her surprisingly quick and quiet passing, at 74, was remarkable for its gentleness. She has been living with ALS for nearly three years.
With the help of caring and competent aides and her siblings, Maureen fulfilled her wish to remain in the beloved brick house where she grew up.
It was where her late father, Thomas FitzGerald, was born and raised and where he and his late wife, Catherine Maher FitzGerald, raised their four children.
She leaves behind her twin sister, Kathleen Williams and her husband Allen, her sister, Eileen, and her husband, Henry Frey; and her brother, Thomas, and his partner, Irene Colvin.
She was born in Westfield on May 24, 1949. Maureen graduated from St. Mary High School, where she excelled in languages and as a public speaker in speech competitions. She wrote poetry throughout her life and her memory was renown in the family and among friends for its instant recall and vivid detail. 
A devout Catholic, she spent many years as an administrator in several Catholic rectories in the area, including St. Peter’s Church in Westfield. 
She usually had a devoted feline companion, which added up to six or more over her life, each bearing an Irish name, reflecting the deep affection and pride she had in her heritage. 
Until her illness, Maureen’s routine during this last quarter century included walking a mile along the local Westfield streets she loved to morning mass at St Mary’s Church. 
She was among a group of morning devotees.
Maureen was industrious with projects at home, an energetic and faithful volunteer at her church and beloved.
Visiting hours will be held at Firtion-Adams Funeral Home on Broad Street in Westfield Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. followed by a mass of Christian burial at St. Mary’s Church at 1 p.m. 
She will be buried immediately following at St. Mary’s Cemetery. 
Her family is immensely grateful for the caring aides at O’Connells Home Care of Westfield and the supportive nurses and staff at Beacon Hospice of Springfield, who served her so kindly.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Catholic television network, EWTN, 5817 Old Leeds Road, Irondale, AL.35210, or to Compassionate Care ALS, PO Box 1052 West Falmouth, MA. 02574. www.firtionadams.com

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