George Thomas Fitzsimons

Dedicated

Family Man

George Thomas Fitzsimons, 84, of Brookfield, died September 10 surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of Shirley (Woodruff) Fitzsimons.

Besides his wife of 26 years, Mr Fitzsimons is survived by four children, Lauren M. Mucci and her husband, Stephen Sr, of Newtown; Thomas T. Fitzsimons of New Milford, Cathy A. Wilson and her husband, Brian, of Bridgewater, and Mary Patricia Gaudioso and her husband, Gary, of Brookfield; a brother, Albert Fitzsimons of Tacoma, Wash.; and a sister, Sr Alice Fitzsimons of the Mary the Queen Mother Convent in Yonkers, N.Y.; ten grandchildren, Michael, Kelly, Amy, Jay, Petra, Melissa, Stephen, Alice, Tim, and Eamon; and two great-granddaughters, Paige and Carli; and several nieces and nephews.

He was born in Mt Vernon, N.Y., on October 12, 1920, a son of Thomas E. and Alice (Gleason) Fitzsimons. He was raised in Mt Vernon and was a member of the 1938 graduating class of Mt Vernon High School.

During World War II he served his country in the army and was stationed in the Pacific Theater. Upon his return to Mt Vernon in 1946 he married his childhood sweetheart, Alice E. Halpine.

He moved his young family to Brookfield in 1958 and worked in the engineering department of Kimberly Clark for more than 30 years. He was devoted to Alice until her death in 1970.

As a young boy, George won a “Freckled Face” contest which led to his discovery as a young model. He was cast as the Barefoot Boy in the movie The Barefoot Boy and was a member of the cast of The Grand Hotel. He sat for Norman Rockwell for many of his paintings. As a serviceman he was chosen by Mr Rockwell for the painting entitled “O’er the Land of the Free,” which hangs in the entryway of the Disabled American Veterans headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Mr Fitzsimons met his wife, Shirley, through a mutual friend and they were married in 1979. Mr Fitzsimons was an inventor and had a reputation for being able to repair anything that was broken. He served for many years on the board of the Central Cemetery Association.

In later years, he discovered a new joy — cooking and baking. He always had to do for others and was a Good Samaritan to all he met. Mr Fitzsimons left a legacy of good solid family values to all of his children. He was, above all, a dedicated family man and will be greatly missed.

The funeral service and burial will be private.

At the request of the family, donations in Mr Fitzsimons’ memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 372 Danbury Road, Wilton CT 06897-2523 or to the American Heart Association, 5 Brookside Drive, Wallingford CT 06492.

The Newtown Bee     September 15, 2005