Obituary of Kathleen M. Fitzgerald

Kathleen Mary (Tobin) Fitzgerald, age 93, passed away on March 26, 2024. Kathleen was pre-deceased by her loving husband William P. Fitzgerald and is survived by her six children, Kevin (Eileen) Fitzgerald, Eileen ( Michael) Dempsey, Patrick Fitzgerald, Jo-Ann (Thomas) Carle, Brian (Tracy) Fitzgerald, Kathleen (John) Hein and her sister Biddy (Paddy) Flynn. Kathleen has sixteen grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren who brought love and joy to her every day of her life. Kathleen moved to Endicott NY from Reanadampaun, County Waterford, Ireland in 1947 at the age of 15, to live with her aunt, Mary Gleeson, and was a graduate of Union Endicott High School in 1949. She very proudly became a U.S. citizen and worked at Metropolitan Life Insurance until her marriage in 1955. She has lived the rest of her life with her family in Vestal, NY where she has been an active member of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. Kathleen lived her life with great faith in God, an incredible work ethic, and a very strong commitment to being an active and positive member of her community. While she and her husband raised their family, she ran Fitzgerald's Grocery Store on Front Street in Vestal and she so enjoyed having her hand on the pulse of the neighborhood. She loved getting to know neighborhood kids and watching them grow up and start families of their own. After the family decision to close the store, Kathleen took a job at Klemmt Orthopaedics just up the street from her house, where she worked as a bookkeeper and managed insurance claims until her retirement. She was still in the neighborhood, and walked to work daily, which was a blessing as she was never a driver! Upon her retirement, Kathleen found many ways to contribute to the community. For years, she worked at elections as a poll worker and she delivered meals to local community members in need of assistance, with the Meals on Wheels organization. Kathleen also found ways to add value to the world through her church. She knitted hats and mittens and made sleeping bags for the homeless, with the "Thou Shalt Knot" group at Our Lady of Sorrows. And to this day, she helped to organize funeral receptions for fellow church members. Kathleen was never a big traveler but she never lost touch with her beloved Ireland. It was forever home to her and she enjoyed her visits over the years to spend time with friends and family. Kathleen found family and lifelong friendships in her home in Vestal. She was fiercely independent, humble and very intelligent. For her very large family, she ran the ship. She was the epitome of the phrase "wee but mighty". A Funeral Mass will be offered at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 801 Main Street, Vestal, Tuesday April 2, 2024 at 11 a.m. Burial will private in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery, Friendsville at a later date. The family will receive friends at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Tuesday from 9:30 a.m until 11 a.m.