Irene Cosgrove Fitzgerald

Irene Cosgrove Fitzgerald, 84, of Falls Church, VA passed away May 13, 2021 after a long period of ill health. She was born November 13, 1936 in The Bronx, New York. She grew up in Yonkers, NY, graduated from Sacred Heart High School, and attended Marymount Manhattan College. Irene met Robert (Bob) Fitzgerald as a high school senior. They married in 1958 and embarked on a life in the United States Marine Corps.

They were stationed in Pensacola Florida and then in both Southern and Northern California, where son Kevin and daughter Kayleen were born. When Bob was killed in action in Vietnam in 1970, Irene moved the family to the Kings Park community in Springfield, VA where she lived for more than 40 years. She worked at various jobs with the Fairfax County Public School system, most recently as a technology support specialist, until her retirement.

Being a grandmother was the job she most enjoyed. Known as “Nana,” Irene lavished endless time and attention on her grandchildren which they will most certainly never forget. She drove carpools, played games, and gave great hugs. She was hard to beat at cards and played Rummikub with gusto. Many of us were lucky to receive one of her hand crocheted afghans.

The family would like to thank many people who helped Nana in her declining years. To all her friends in Kings Park, thank you for being such great neighbors, allowing Irene to stay in her home for as long as possible, and helping her cope with her son’s death.. Thank you to Lorna Creedon for spending so much time with Irene and treating her like another mother. To Rosita, your daily care for Nana extended her life and made it immeasurably better. To nurses aides Tsehay Gobena and Bintu Timbo, thank you for excellent end of life care and treating Nana with dignity.

Irene was predeceased by her father, Anthony Cosgrove, of Gort County Galway Ireland; mother, Mary Murphy of Gurranabragher County Cork Ireland; brother, Harold Cosgrove of Oxford CT; son, Kevin Fitzgerald of Falls Church, VA; nephews, Raymond Muller and Sandy Scaglione; and in-laws, Garret and Sara Fitzgerald, Donald and Carole Fitzgerald, and Joseph Fitzgerald.

Irene is survived by her daughter, Kayleen Fitzgerald; daughter-in-law, Susan Fitzgerald; son-in-law, James Derdeyn; grandchildren, Samantha Fitzgerald, Aidan Fitzgerald, Robert Fitzgerald, and Nora Rice; in-laws, Kathleen Cosgrove, Dorothy Fitzgerald Benson, Neil Benson, Rita Muller, and Glenn Muller; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 1:00 pm Friday May 28, 2021 at St. James Catholic Church, 905 Park Ave, Falls Church, VA 22046. There will be a reception at home following mass. She will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery with her beloved husband Bob at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund https://www.vvmf.org/give-to-vvmf/ or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital https://www.stjude.org