Richard Lee Fitzgerald

Richard Lee Fitzgerald, 80, went home to be with the Lord on the morning of April 1, 2026. He died from complications after heart surgery. Born February 6, 1946 in Fort Worth, Texas to parents Cledus Monroe and Charlsie D Fitzgerald, Richard leaves behind his beloved wife of 60 years, Patricia Ann Fitzgerald, their sons David and his wife Christine, Sonny and his wife Rebecca, grandchildren Shannon, Erin, Faith, Lilly, and Katie, great-grandson Mason, and brother Monty.

Richard, a proud Navy veteran of the Vietnam war, served on the U.S.S. Enterprise as an electronics technician and was onboard during the explosion and fire that engulfed the ship after a weapons accident on the deck just above his bunk area in 1969. Had he not gone for a hair cut shortly before the explosion, he would not have come home.

Richard and Patricia shared a long, wonderful life together. They first met in nursery school and Pat was smitten early. They were high school sweethearts and married just before Richard deployed to Vietnam.

Richard started at General Dynamics in 1978 and made a career of building state-of-the-art fighter jets including the F16, the F22, and the F35. He retired in 2011, enjoying retirement by pursuing his lifelong passion of playing golf.