Thomas J. Fitzgerald of Warwick passed away peacefully on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, at home with his loving family by his side. He was 75 years old.
He was born in Glin, County Limerick, Ireland, on Feb. 23, 1945, to James and Nora (O’Sullivan) Fitzgerald. They immigrated to the United States in 1952 and raised their family in Astoria, Queens.
Tom was very proud of his Irish heritage.
Tom was a hardworking man. At the age of 20, he was granted special permission to purchase a Coca-Cola distributorship in Bayside, Queens, which he owned from 1965-1997.
He worked at the Times Herald-Record from 1999-2004. Most recently, Tom was the Vice-President of Business Development at Sterling National Bank in Montebello before retiring.
Tom had a captivating personality. He served on the St. Stephen Parish Council and as a board member for Catholic Charities. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus. He was an avid runner who competed in five New York City marathons; held a black belt in karate; and was an original founding member of the Orange County Bicycle Club.
He is survived by his loving wife, Madeline; children: Amy Fitzgerald and her partner Jose’ of Larchmont, Dale Clausen of New York City, James Fitzgerald and his wife Jordan of Warwick and Thomas Fitzgerald and his fiance’ Lizzy Delaney of Warwick; his two grandsons, Daniel and Mateo; and his many friends and business colleagues.
Visitation was held Feb. 10 at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Ave., Warwick.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 11 at St. Stephen RC Church.
Burial followed the mass in St. Stephen’s Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Stephen Church, 75 Sanfordville Road, Warwick, NY 10990; Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, 800 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh, NY 12550; Catholic Charities, Office of Development, 11th Floor, 1011 First Avenue, New York, NY 10022.
Arrangements were made by Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Avenue, Warwick. To send an online condolence, visit www.lsvpmemorialhome.com.