Elizabeth Betty Patricia Fitzpatrick

Liz, 83, of Pinellas Park, Florida, passed away Jan. 17, 2014. She served in the Women’s Army Corps, earned a Bachelor’s Degree from SUNY Brockport in 1977, and retired as a Monroe County social worker. Liz moved to Florida in 1996 and was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinellas Park. She loved to dance and brought great joy to all who saw her perform.

Liz is survived by 3 sons: Gerard “Chip” Lenhard (former wife Helen), Glenn (Gail) Lenhard, and Gil (Rebecca) Lenhard; a daughter, Lizette Lenhard (Gary Jones); sisters, Kathryn Rotolo and Nellie Fitzpatrick; 10 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, and one great- great grandchild.

There will be a Celebration of Life Wed., Jan 22nd, 8 pm at Gulfport Casino, 5500 Shore Blvd. S. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated Friday, Jan 24th, 11 am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 8001 46th St. Pinellas Park. There will be a Memorial Service Monday, Feb. 10th at 6:00pm in Rochester, NY, at Greece Assembly of God, 750 Long Pond Road.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?=_Zp01rVNPmM

Eulogy from Glenn Lenhard for Mother Liz Fitzpatrick: January 2014

Make no mistake about it. My mother was the type of person that you might only meet once in your lifetime; and you can be assured that the memory of this meeting and getting to know her, will outlast any other memory you might have. Her love of life will continue to inspire others long after she is gone. Her ability to make people that she met believe that there is nothing beyond their own reach was uncanny.

Talented? Of course.

Proud of her family? Definitely.

Unable to stay off her feet if there was music playing? Without a doubt.

Always willing to speak her own mind? Well – yeh!

Recently I saw for the first time a video of her talking with some students about her life. I heard her say I was named after Glenn Miller, the trombonist band leader. So, I know her love of music is nothing new. In fact now, after all these years, I have to wonder just how she got me to choose to take up playing the trombone in third grade, when I have absolutely no memory of here telling me there was any such instrument. I merely responded to a music teacher’s question of, “What instrument did I want to play?” And I replied, “That thing that goes back and forth!”

How did Mom do that without me knowing it??

In the ninth grade, she convinced my dad to buy me my first new trombone. And it took a lot of convincing since it was one of the best you could buy. I still use this same horn when performing in orchestral and church settings today.

How did she know that was going to happen?? What hidden power did she have??

I was truly blessed with this woman for a mother. And after a boundary dispute was settled many years ago, my wife, Gail, became great friends with her. My daughters were thrilled with her, and when she came to watch their dance recitals, she was beaming. Her great-grandchildren got to know her, and she got to hear them playing piano, cello, and violin.

I’m sure she got all of these children dancing and playing music. How did she do that without them knowing it? Again, what hidden power did she have?

The answer is obvious – this power was not hidden. She used it to influence others. She used it to enjoy life. She used it to let others know that they had this same power, and that they, too, can make a difference in others lives.

She said, “It’s easy. Just watch me!”

And we did.

And it was fun

And we won’t forget her.

Eulogy from Gil Lenhard for Elizabeth Fitzpatrick January 2014

I believe we are put on this Earth to share ourselves with other people, to create friendships, to appreciate beauty, to spread joy, to love our families, to overcome obstacles, and to try and make the world a better place. In other words, God created us to dance.

My Mother understood this, and as she so faithfully hoped, she danced until she died.

Throughout my lifetime I had many occasions to see my Mother dance. I have to admit when I was younger it was not my favorite pastime. In fact, if I were being perfectly honest, whenever some catchy toe-tapping tune came on and we were out in public, you could best describe my emotional state as one of extreme mortification riddled with anxiety. I knew it wouldn’t be long before my Mom, as unabashed as a new born baby, would be clicking her heels and clapping her hands, twirling about like an Irish dervish, and if the mood caught her, treating everyone to a high-pitched cowgirl scream. Yes, it was at those times that I could only think of myself and how embarrassed I was, and the wonder and the beauty of what was happening was totally lost to me.

But as time passed and I grew older and wiser, I started to understand what she was trying to teach me. It’s alright to be joyful – in fact we deserve to be. It’s alright to have fun – it’s a remedy. It’s alright to look silly– we take ourselves too seriously anyways. But most of all it’s alright to give yourself away–when you do, you end up getting much more of yourself back than you ever realized you had to begin with.

And this is what my Mom did. She gave herself away. To her family, to her friends, to her God, to her dancing. And it was genuine. For those of us who loved her and for those of us she loved, we always knew it was real and permanent, even if there were phases of anger or disappointment. And I think we all learned a valuable lesson from my Mom – I know I sure did. Sometimes life can be a terrible leader, and if you aren’t careful, life can be clumsy and step on your toes.

But if you have faith in your heart,

and a song in your soul,

grace in your step,

and you never grow old,

you can step in and lead

with a smile and sway,

and you know you’ve lived well

when on your last day,

life bows its great head

and steps back to say,

“My goodness, that lady,

she dances so fine

I’ll send her to heaven,

to dance for all time.”

Liz Fitzpatrick’s Legacy by daughter Lizette Lenhard February 9, 2014

My mom was passionate about her life. She loved to do many things, such as talk, cook, eat, pray, read, write, and dance. She was always learning something new, always moving forward, living in the present, looking forward to the future. We should rejoice that she was fortunate enough to be able to do all the things she loved until the day she died. She wrote her own epitaph in 1999 and it became her destiny: “She lived, she loved, she laughed, she cried, but most of all, she danced till she died.”

The final decades of my mom’s life in Florida were filled with plenty of love, new friendships, stronger faith, family gatherings, tasty recipes, and of course, dancing. The past few weeks, many people have told me how “extra special” their last interaction was with Mom. It is comforting to hear. People have described my mom using a variety of adjectives and phrases, including: smart, inspirational, amazing, wonderful, joyful, loving, “My Gloria Steinem,” a great teacher, a great dancer, one-of-a-kind, and my favorite: “Well, you know Liz.” For those of us who really did know her, we knew she was also determined, compulsive, and just a bit outspoken…

Over her lifetime, Mom endured numerous emotional and physical wounds, from which she always bounced back, stronger than ever, always believing that the Lord would provide whatever she needed, whenever she needed it, and He did. She sometimes struggled to raise my 3 brothers and me, always wanting the best for us, helping out whenever she could. She was very proud of all our accomplishments, homes and families. Her love of dance and writing has been passed on to many.

Mom bravely enrolled in college in her 40’s! B.S. degree in hand, she ended up landing a social work position at Monroe County. I still remember many exasperated calls from her as she struggled with that demanding job, but she hung in there long enough to get her pension so she could retire in comfort.

Once she moved to Florida in 1996, there was no stopping her! She quickly discovered multiple dancing venues, from Contra to clog to swing and more, and attended dances from coast to coast for years! She knew a variety of entertainers and they welcomed her to perform with them, either dancing, playing her guitar, or strumming the washboard. Dancing and performing brought her great joy, many wonderful friends, and cherished memories.

Mom proudly watched my brother Glenn play the trombone at various venues in Florida, of course kicking up her heels as the music moved her. To fuel her body, she collected thousands of recipes and I think she made them all at least once, much to her delight and to the delight of her friends whom she would invite over to share her culinary creations!

Mom had been President of her condo sub-association several years ago, and recently stepped up to tackle this once again, and was doing a great job. She bought her first personal computer in 2012 and was communicating via Facebook and e-mail. I am not sure how she figured all this out as she still had difficulty using her cell phone, but somehow she did, with lots of help from family and friends!

Mom always made time for those she loved, diligently sending cards for birthdays and special occasions, and arranging family get-togethers whenever possible to keep in touch.

Although Mom was quite active, somehow she managed to have time to watch TV. She loved Joel Osteen. She said one of his sermons made her go back to a brick-and-mortar church several years ago, where she joined a women’s CRHP group, which brought her many new spiritual friends and strengthened her religious convictions. She also loved to watch ice skating, and I know she would be glued to her TV set right now watching the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Mom also had a special male companion in her life. His name is Tawny, a shelter cat she adopted 4 years ago. He quickly became the love of her life, and he is now being well cared for by Glenn and Gail, their daughter Jennifer, and Jennifer’s daughters Lili and Laci.

Yes my mom lived quite a life. She made every day count. She loved and believed in the Lord so much, and He in turn allowed her to achieve her greatest desires- to live her life on her terms- independent, active, joyful, and feisty. Full of love one moment, full of tears the next. I thank God for watching over her and giving her such a blessed life for 83 years.

I knew she wouldn’t be here forever but I never fully understood how it would feel to lose her, until now. Her passing has left a huge void in my life and many other people’s lives that will take a very long time to heal. I shall miss our late night calls, and will miss her for all the rest of my days. But now, she is forever more a dancing angel performing for the Lord. Let’s remember her with Irish music, joy in our hearts, and taps on our shoes, and do our best to carry on her amazing legacy!