William John "Bill" FitzPatrick's Obituary
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 school students to write and pole vault, or helping refugees feel that his hometown was also theirs, Bill didn't talk much about why he did one thing or another. "He just did it," remembers Anne, his beloved wife of 67 years.
Bill grew up in Syracuse, the son of William J. FitzPatrick and Clara P. Jost. Fresh out of St. John's Catholic School, he served in World War II with Company C's 355th Infantry, earning a Bronze Star for his actions during the attack on Zwickau, Germany. The Bronze Star certificate read in part: "Realizing the value of the position, Second Lieutenant FitzPatrick unhesitatingly led his men in a charge across the exposed bridge which he knew had been mined." In the Reserves, Bill would rise to the rank of Major.
He received a master's degree in education from Syracuse University (plus a Phi Beta Kappa key), then taught English and coached track and field at Jamesville-DeWitt High School for nearly 40 years. "He really had his heart and soul in track and English," Anne says. "He used to say, 'I would pay THEM to let me teach." Now and then, he was known to enter the classroom with a front handspring.
Bill's hammy side also found an outlet in community theater. He and Anne met shortly after WWII during a benefit for an orphanage, in which they sang "Bicycle Built for Two" together. Many more duets—and even a little tap-dancing—would follow decades later, when they performed in Manlius's Senior Theater Troupe. (Highlights included their rendition of "Do You Love Me?" from Fiddler on the Roof, and Bill's turn as a Big Bad Wolf who craved Grey Poupon mustard.)
Between the Bicycle and the Big Bad Wolf came many years of full living.
Bill and Anne raised three children. Early on, Bill supplemented his teacher's pay by working summer construction jobs, some on the campus of LeMoyne College. Thanks to such prudent habits, he and Anne would eventually travel (sometimes with kids or grandkids) throughout the United States, Canada and Western Europe.
A communicant at Holy Cross Church, Bill volunteered on its "human development committee," resettling refugees from Vietnam and Laos. He helped the elderly, disabled and jobless through Meals on Wheels, Job Connection and Friends in Service Here (FISH). He read extensively about science and World War I aircraft. He wrote a Western novel. He gave his four grandkids "Deedle daidle dum" rides on his bouncing shin.
One of Bill's greatest achievements, Anne says, lay in helping their firstborn, Michael, who is autistic, learn to talk as a child. "He took what was important to Mike, which was turning lights on and off, and he invented the 'light game.'" Each time Mike named an object on a flash card, he got to turn on a colored light. "Bill always said his one hope for Mike was to be able to live on his own. He'd be so happy to see how well he has done."
Bill faced his last challenge—Alzheimer's disease—with typical courage and thoughtfulness, doing his best to plan financially for his family while he still could. He and Anne moved to assisted-living homes in Fayetteville and Rochester, making friends everywhere they went.
"He was just a good man," Anne says.
In addition to Anne (Cilurzo), Bill is survived by his children, Michael FitzPatrick, Kathleen FitzPatrick (Henry Cretella) and William FitzPatrick (Melissa Balmain); grandchildren, Taylor and Nathan Briggs and David and Lily FitzPatrick; sister, Nancy Rutschmann (Jule); and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.
A Funeral Mass in celebration of Bill's life will be held at 10:00 am on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at Holy Cross Church, DeWitt. Entombment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery Mausoleum, DeWitt. Calling hours will be held from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at the THOMAS J. PIRRO JR. FUNERAL HOME, 3401 Vickery Rd. (corner of Buckley Rd.) North Syracuse, NY.
Donations: Alzheimer's Association; Lifetime Care (Hospice of Rochester).
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