Thomas Anthony FitzGerald, age 84, passed away on May 8, 2019. The last year of Tom’s life was very traumatic. In April 2018, while a pedestrian in a crosswalk with the signal, he was hit by an automobile driven by a distracted driver. He suffered multiple broken bones and spent over 7 months in various hospitals with the immediate and delayed effects of that accident. His bones healed, and he and his family thought he was going to overcome the ordeal. But his internal organs did not recover, eventually failing him.
He was born on Friday, July 13, 1934 in Santa Monica, California to Thomas A. and Ella Crawford FitzGerald, their only child. He graduated from Culver City High School in 1952 and the University of California at Los Angeles in 1960. He was drafted into the United States Army after he started college, serving stateside for the entire duration. Upon discharge, he returned to UCLA to finish his degree in Business Administration.
In 1961, he joined IBM in Los Angeles, California. Within two years he was transferred to San Jose, CA, as a member of the internal audit department. Upon promotion, he managed an audit group which had jurisdiction for 4 divisions nationwide. He travel extensively in his job and was able to make several international visits during his tenure. In 1979, he relocated to Atlanta, GA retiring in 1993 after nearly 33 years of service.
Survivors include his spouse, Sally, with whom he enjoyed 53 years of marriage, daughter Anne (David) Blankenship of Tulsa, OK, and their children Jacob (Jake) and Ashley, and daughter Denise (Tony) Wright of Marietta, GA, and their son Charlie. His parents predeceased him.
Services for Tom will be held on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at H. M. Patterson & Son Arlington Chapel, 11 a.m. Private burial will be at Georgia National Cemetery in Cherokee County. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial to the National Park Foundation (nationalparks.org), Arbor Day Foundation (arborday.org), Friends of the Earth (foe.org), or any organization of your choice which works to help wild or domestic animals survive.
