A funeral mass was held Dec. 28 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church for William F.X. “Bill,” Fitzgerald. He passed away Dec. 21. A native son of Jersey City, he proudly spent his 88 years living in the city he loved. A 1946 graduate of Dickinson High School, Bill enlisted in the US Navy the day after graduation. He served on the USS Tanager removing mines from along the western Atlantic and Caribbean. He attended night school on the GI Bill at Stevens Institute of Technology and later New Jersey Institute of Technology studying Mechanical Engineering. He worked as a mechanical designer for Foster Wheeler Energy Cooperation for 25 years. He enjoyed bowling, playing pool and reading. An avid historian, he tirelessly researched his family’s history in Jersey City and the development of the city he loved. A proud Irishman, he read a great deal about his ancestors and their Irish roots. He was predeceased by siblings Thomas and Walter Fitzgerald and Geraldine Debicki. He is survived by his wife of 48 years Clelia (nee Slaib); daughters Margaret and Elizabeth; granddaughters Hana and Heidi; brother Jack; sister Margaret Swarbrick and many nieces and nephews.
Services arranged by the McLaughlin Funeral Home, Jersey City.