Anita M. Fitzpatrick

ANITA M. FITZPATRICK- Born October 14, 1915, one of nine children, Anita was raised in College Point (Long Island), NY. She lived her parents' values - honesty, religious faith, respect for country, service to community, pride in work - and passed those values on to her children. Anita was pre-deceased by her husband, Mike, and her youngest son, Bob (both in 1993). She is survived by her remaining five children - Mike, Bill, Maureen, Jack and Anita - along with ten grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren. Excelling in school as a child, Anita began a life-long love of learning. An accomplished musician, she enjoyed playing saxophone in school and professional bands in the early 30's. Her father and older brother instilled her abiding love of baseball. In 1931, Anita's father's job transfer brought her to Butler, NJ. Graduating from Butler High School with honors, Anita's dream of college and a teaching career were cut short by the depression of the early 30's. Undaunted, she trained in business skills instead, and began work at the American Hard Rubber Company in Butler where, as fate would have it, she met her future husband, Mike Fitzpatrick. They married in 1938, and began their family. They bought their house on Bartholdi Avenue in 1943, the same house in which Anita passed away peacefully on Monday, March 26, in the comforting care of family and friends. While still raising young children, Anita managed the family construction business that she and her husband built together for some 25 years, through the 1970's. Her children, now in their 50's and 60's, have many childhood memories of Anita holding one child, feeding another, making dinner and handling customers on the phone - all at the same time. In the evening she was always available to help with homework (she did become a teacher after all). Late at night after everyone had gone to bed, she did the books and the paperwork for the business. More often than not, she got only a few hours sleep before it all started again early the next morning…and so it went. Anita remained happily associated with the business she had co-founded back in the 50's - a business she proudly watched grow through the 80's and 90's to the present, under the direction of her oldest son and grandson.During these later decades of her life, "Gram" - as she had come to be known to many - remained focused on serving her family. Many of "Gram's" children and friends remember gratefully how often she was there to assist with grandchildren, with neighbors, wherever she could be helpful. Anita often expressed appreciation for the close companionship of her life-long neighbor and friend, Margaret Matthews, and her eternal gratitude to son Jack, whose loving care enabled her to spend her final years in the home where she raised her family. She was also deeply thankful for the extraordinarily committed personal care provided in her final months by daughter-in-law Bonnie, daughters Maureen and Anita, and daughter-in-law Lois. Anita was never rich, nor cared to be. She cared about people, not things. When we leave this life, there is nothing we take with us; there is only what we leave behind. Anita will be missed by many whose lives she touched. Until we meet again, Anita, may God hold you in his hallowed hand.Calling hours will be Wednesday, March 28th , 2007, from 2:00 -4:00 and 7:00-9:00pm at The Morrison Funeral Home, 86 Bartholdi Avenue, Butler, NJ. The funeral will be Thursday 10:00 am at St. Anthony RC Church, 65 Bartholdi Ave., Butler where a Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated..Burial will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Butler on Thursday at 11:00 am.