Birth date: May 27, 1924 Death date: May 6, 2016
William John "Bill" FitzPatrick, a generous and loving man who brightened thousands of lives in his native Syracuse, passed away May 6, 2016. He was just shy of his 92nd birthday. Whether leading an Army platoon, teaching high sc Read Obituary
I am sorry I didn't get to pay my respects to Bill but be assured my thoughts were with the family. I knew coach Fitz from my days coaching track & field at FM. I always looked up to him as a gentleman, coach and teacher. He was a great person to be around as I'm sure his athletes would attest to. He lived a super life. My prayers are with Michael, whom I was privileged to have met, and to the rest of the family.
Michael A. Guzman (aka Senor)
When my parents moved next door to Bill and Anne in 1994, they welcomed them to the neighborhood and fast became great friends. A true legacy to leave! He will be missed.
Leela George
Bill was a mentor, role model, and wonderful friend--one of the kindest men I've ever met. He inspired me to believe that all students could learn given enough time and patient guidance.I will share two memories of him. One is his blushing recitation of a few salacious limericks that made me laugh and see another side of this "older" man. The second is about his religious faith. I once asked if he ever had doubts, and he answered that when he did, he just kept praying through them. Condolences to Anne and the family on the loss of a true gentleman.
My name is Todd Flaherty JD Class of 1966. I was very saddened to learn of Coach Fitz's passing. I would like his family and friends to know that Coach Fitz had a profoundly positive impact on my life as my track coach. Frankly it was he who developed me into a record setting champion in the hurdles. But just as importantly, he taught me about leadership. He also reminded me of my father who was a policeman and NYS Trooper for 28 years.He always pushed me to improve and that lesson has carried with me through life. However, I will never forget how Coach Fitzy came to my parents home 50 years ago this month to visit with me when my brother Kevin was killed in Vietnam on memorial Day 1966 when I was a senior. This says it all....he was a great man.
Peace be with him.
Todd Flaherty
I was very sorry to hear the news about the passing of Bill Fitzpatrick. Mr. Fitzpatrick, or “Fitzy” as we affectionately called him, was a terrific track coach and teacher and always provided guidance and motivation to his teams and students. Here’s a couple of stories.
Each spring, the track team under Fitzy’s direction would start training very early in the season by running about the JD parking lot, even when it was still snowing outside and Syracuse cold. Meanwhile, the baseball team was inside the warm gym while we were running around outside in a blizzard and freezing our butts off. I’m pretty sure this was part of Fitzy’s strategy to toughen us up, true to his military training.
Once the weather got a little warmer but before the season actually had begun, Fitzy would publically post his “predictions” for each person on a cork board in the locker room. The predictions were Fitzy’s guess of a personal best time, height, or distance that you would achieve during the upcoming track year. I remember it was a little nerve racking when Fitzy posted his list because you didn’t want the goal to be too easy or too hard! The technique seemed to work since we won county and Section III championships under his direction. Setting a high personal standard of achievement became a life lesson, taught to me by the best track coach ever at JD.
In the class room at JD, Fitzy was always “Mr. Fitzpatrick.” I had him for English my senior year.
I remember one assignment in his class was to write a short story “in Hemingway style.” I wrote a paper called “The Rebel” about a tough, hoody-type teenage kid who drives his car 100 miles an hour to impress his best friend. Mr. Fitzpatrick really liked the story and much to my surprise, gave me a rare “A” on the paper and encouraged me to write more. I gained confidence in my writing thanks to Mr. Fitzpatrick and even re-used the Rebel story in a similar assignment in freshman English in college (but I only got an A-).
In short, I was one of the lucky ones to have had Bill Fitzpatrick both as my coach and as a teacher at JD. He was one of the best and helped me in both capacities. He will be missed.
Tom Charlton
JD Class of '63
I am very sorry to hear of Bill's passing. I remember the Fitzpatrick's as neighbors and friends for 40 years. May he rest in peace. May the Fitzpatrick family know no more sorrow.
Edie Ryczek
I remember Mr. Fitzpatrick as a member of the J-D faculty and as a friend of our family.
In one of his English classes at J-D, he introduced me to the writing of Mark Twain and I have been a big fan of the author since then of all his works and related studies.
Still learning after all these years.
