For Those Who Come After: Remembering Maurice (1936-2022)
Our father (Maurice Francis Fitzgerald) was a man of few words, but when he spoke—or when he acted—the message was always clear. His life was a steady current beneath our feet, guiding, steadying, and sometimes even carrying us when we didn’t realize it. Though he rarely needed many words, his actions spoke volumes, leaving lasting impressions on each of his four daughters. We remember him not for grand speeches, but for the simple, steady ways he showed us what love, family, strength, and loyalty look like.
He left us in 2022, but a recent Facebook reel triggered us to write down 4 very different, but clearly similar, expressions of his actions. We have talked about these stories before, but now we want to be sure his descendants know him as WE knew him.
The eldest, Terry, shared: “My dad met me, unplanned, late at the Waterloo station in the mid 1980s when I returned from a long weekend in Paris. I was more than an adult and able to get a taxi to my uncle’s house. But daddy wanted to be very sure since it was a late arrival. About 10pm. I was never more shocked and so grateful. Dad was not an expressive man by any means. He was more actions than words. That action has stood with me for more than 40 years now. I can still see my arrival into the station and him standing there to make sure I got home safely. And how grateful I was for his kindness. Lawd I miss him!”
Next in line, Geraldine, shared: “Mine was when Mt. St. Helens blew in 1980. I was at work late in the evening at Kmart. I usually took the bus home, but the traffic was horrible. He parked where Sears used to be and walked over to Kmart. He arrived almost an hour before I was to get off work because he didn’t want me to take the bus.”
Daughter number three, Debbie, shared: “Mine was Steven’s birth in 1994. Mom went to Laura for Avery’s birth. I was on bed rest in hospital. Dad was there every morning and stayed All day. and when I said I was craving a Yoo-hoo chocolate milk (wasn’t even sure they made them anymore) dad went to 4 stores to find and bring me the next day. He was the best man of action.”
Daughter number four, Laura, shared: “I was just telling a friend about the time I was in the hospital for four days with pneumonia (late 2000s)… Dad was there every morning when I woke up and was the last person I saw when I went to sleep. And I was a grown woman with a husband and 4 kids…. He was an amazing man!!!”
We share these stories not just to remember, but to pass on what words alone could never fully capture. Our father taught us that love is not always loud—it is steady, faithful, and quietly fierce. For all those who come after us, may you know that you are part of this legacy too: a legacy built by a man who showed his heart best through simple, powerful acts of devotion. May you carry his spirit with you, just as we do.