Anna Theresa Helen Fallon Fitzgerald Politis

Anna Theresa Helen Fallon Fitzgerald Politis, 88, of East Hartford ¿ but better known as ""Shirley"", passed away on May 6, 2015 at The Hughes Health and Rehabilitation in West Hartford. Shirley was born May 4, 1927 at her home on Olmstead Street in East Hartford, the middle child to George J. Fallon and Helena ""Nellie"" Lavigne. She was proud of her Irish heritage and her ¼ French ancestry, which she called ""the drop that saved me!"" She was a proud graduate of St. Mary's Grammar School in East Hartford and Mount St. Joseph Academy in West Hartford. Following graduation, she worked at The Hartford Fire Insurance Company and Albert's Hosiery. She married her neighborhood sweetheart, Frank E. Fitzgerald on May 7, 1949, and, after moving several times in the Mayberry Village area due to her growing family, settled on Greene Terrace and then for 30 years on Maplewood Avenue in East Hartford It was the perfect location ¿ on the same street as her beloved St. Mary's Church and the Callahan Funeral Home. Shirley was a homemaker for many years and was very active and supportive of Frank in local politics. She also served as Chairwoman of the East Hartford Democratic Women's Club. After her eldest daughter graduated from high school and attended nursing school, Shirley went back to work at G. Fox & Co. in Hartford, riding the bus back and forth to sell wigs at ""The Wig¿In,"" and later at the Revlon Cosmetics Counter. Always a people¿person, she enjoyed the hands-on interaction with customers- the many stories came out of G. Fox! She also worked at Aetna Life & Casualty in Hartford. After Frank became a Deputy Sheriff, she stayed home to serve as his administrative assistant to handle incoming service requests. After Frank died on April 19, 1985, Shirley went back to the work force once again at Riverside Convalescent Home as a dietary aide. She received a letter of commendation from the President of the company for her 5 years of perfect attendance. But it was demanding physical work, so she left Riverside for The Hartford Courant, where she worked in the Sports Department (with her son-in-law Mike Arace!). Deeply religious (she mailed a joke to the Pope once!), she was a faithful communicant of St. Mary's Church where she met her second husband, Ronald J. Politis at daily Mass. They married on November 2, 1990 and lived happily on Alps Drive until Ron passed away on July 19, 2011. Although living with dementia, she continued on in the house because of her kind caregivers, especially Maria Flores of New Britain and Beverly Scott of Manchester. Shirley was given excellent, compassionate care from her St. Francis Hospital physicians and nurses, especially Dr. Alan Mayer, Dr. Susan Rabinowe and Elaine Scheinblum, RN who saw more than her age when treating her and her desire to go on living her life. As Shirley always said, ""Age is just a number, if you have your health, that's all that counts."" Shirley leaves behind her eight children and nineteen grandchildren: her daughter Kathleen Tardif and her husband Dr. Daniel Tardif of South Windsor and their children Danielle and her fiancé Bryan Tarbell of East Hampton, Allison of South Windsor and Kelly of Columbia, TN; her daughter Margaret ""Peg"" Fitzgerald of South Windsor; her son Timothy J. Fitzgerald, and his wife Margaret ""Meg"" Collins of Windsor and their daughter Brenna Fitzgerald of Revere, MA; her son Terence J. Fitzgerald of Avon; her daughter Nora Dudchik and her husband Thomas and their children Robert and Anthony of East Haddam; her daughter Anne Howroyd and her husband Josh of Manchester and their children Kathryn of East Hartford, Hannah of New York City and Brendan of Manchester; her daughter Brigid Arace and her husband Michael of Bexley, OH and their children, Zachary of Cleveland, OH and Abby, Emma, Patrick, Owen, Timothy, Matthew and Maggie Arace all of Bexley; and her son Sean J. Fitzgerald and his wife Rachael Cracknell and their children Samantha and Ronan of Somerville, MA. She also leaves her sister, Beverly Ann Connors of Manchester; her sisters-in-law, Margaret ""Peggy"" Mathiau, Josephine ""Dodo"" Leonard both of East Hartford and Donna Yacavone Fitzgerald of Newington; as well as many caring nieces and nephews. She also leaves her step¿children, Rhonda Politis of Higganum and Ronald Politis Jr. and his family of Billerica, MA. In addition to her parents and her husbands, she was predeceased by her sister Harriet Reynolds and her brothers-in-law Robert Connors, Joseph Reynolds, James, John, Bobby and Donald Fitzgerald and her sisters-in-law Katherine Sixt and Barbara and Elinor Fitzgerald. Shirl the Pearl was a hot ticket and her sharp sense of humor will be sorely missed by all who knew her. You've gone to your reward Ma! Funeral services will be Saturday (May 9th) at 9:45 am from the D'ESOPO-East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter Street, East Hartford with a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated at 11 am at Our Lady of Peace Church, May Road/Brandon Road, East Hartford. Entombment will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery Mausoleum, Burnside Avenue, East Hartford. Shirley's family will receive relatives and friends at the D'Esopo East Hartford Memorial Chapel on Friday (May 8th) from 4-7 pm. Memorial contributions in Shirley's name may be made to St. Mary's Church, c/o 15 Maplewood Avenue, East Hartford, CT 06108 or St. Francis Hospital Cancer Center, 94 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105. For on-line expressions of sympathy to the family please visit www.desopo.com.