Obituary of Peter Fitzgerald

Peter Hopkins Fitzgerald passed away on December 9, 2010 at home. He was born on June 24, 1939 in Yonkers, New York to Eloise and Patrick Fitzgerald. The son of an Irish bricklayer who was raised in The Bronx and educated by the Christian Brothers, Peter never stopped loving New York City. He was a voracious reader and enjoyed almost every round of golf he played. He is survived by his childhood sweetheart and wife of 49 years, Anne O’Rourke Fitzgerald; son, Patrick Fitzgerald; daughter Monica Oathout and husband Mark; daughter Sarah Zarcaro and husband, Michael; daughter Theresa Harrigan and husband, Thomas; sister, Patricia Keane; sisters-in-law, Margaret O’Rourke, Alice Clarke, Carol O’Rourke, and Elizabeth O’Rourke; brothers-in-law, Francis O’Rourke and Laurence Clarke; and his eight beloved grandchildren, Michael and Emily Zarcaro; Patrick, Grace, and Peter Oathout; and Tom, Claire, and Stephen Harrigan. Peter was deeply loved by his family and will be missed immeasurably. Peter attended Manhattan College, the University of Maine, and Stanford University, where he received a Ph.D in Higher Education Administration in 1972. Throughout his life he worked at various institutions of higher education, including the University of Maine, the University of Kentucky, the University of Houston, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas where he served as the Executive Vice President for Administration. He thought working at UT Southwestern was the best job in the world, and he greatly admired his colleagues there. The family would like to thank the doctors and staff at M.D. Anderson and the Texas Heart Institute in Houston for their care of Peter. A funeral mass will be held at St. Bernadette Catholic Church, 15500 El Camino Blvd., Houston, Texas 77062 on Monday, December 13, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Forest Park East Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Peter Fitzgerald Fund at UT Southwestern Medical Center – Dallas, P.O. Box 910888, Dallas, Texas 75391-0888.