James Fitzgerald

James Fitzgerald -- Bourbonnais James Patrick Fitzgerald of Bourbonnais passed away Tuesday morning (Feb. 7, 2006) following a brief illness. He was a devoted son and brother, a brave soldier, a diligent craftsman, an active teacher and leader in the local Catholic community and a loving husband and father who blended affection, wisdom, and good example in the highest degree. He was born the second child of James Patrick and Irene Lyons Fitzgerald of Boone, Iowa, April 21, 1924. In the summer of 1944 he flew 30 missions as lead radio operator in B-17s over Germany and occupied France. After his service with the Eighth Air Force, he settled in Kankakee as an employee of the Illinois Bell Telephone Company and worked for that company until retiring in 1984. In 1947 he married Norma L. Denault of Herscher and with her was the devoted parent of seven children. In his work he was a highly skilled and reliable craftsman; and after becoming a manager at Illinois Bell, he won great admiration, respect and loyalty from those whom he supervised. He was a member of the Bradley posts of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Knights of Columbus, the Telephone Pioneers, and the Holy Name Society. Active first in St. Patrick Parish of Kankakee and then St. Joseph Parish of Bradley, he co-founded a local group of the Christian Family Movement, served frequently as a lector at Mass, and taught Sunday classes for the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. An avid student of current affairs, he was endowed with an active and probing mind, read a great deal of non-fiction, and was blessed with a warm and sly sense of humor. He will be missed deeply, but his example and his memory will be cherished by all who knew him. He is survived by his wife Norma of 58 years; his son, Dr. James Fitzgerald of Knoxville, Tenn. (wife, Dr. Palmira Brummett) and daughters, Leanne Koonce of Phoenix, Ariz. (husband, Dr. Frank Koonce), Maureen Ducat of Ashkum (husband, Leroy Ducat), Joan Mailloux of Bourbonnais (husband, David Mailloux), Angela Parilac of Lowell, Ind. (husband, Michael Parilac), Dianne Klimchuk of Bourbonnais (husband, John Klimchuk), and Sharon Clark of Bourbonnais (husband, Glenn Clark); 17 grandchildren; and sisters, Marylee Doerr of Windsor, Colo., Therese Riordan and Yvonne Elsberry of Boone, Iowa and Joan Snyder of Omaha, Neb. He was preceded in death by his parents and his elder brother, John of Boone, Iowa, brother, Donald of Fort Dodge, Iowa and brother, Leo of Boone, Iowa. He rests now in peace, but lives forever in spirit. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Joseph's in Bradley with burial at All Saints Cemetery in Bourbonnais. Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Thursday at Clancy-Gernon Funeral Home, Bourbonnais. Offerings may be made for Masses or family wishes. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to Mother Teresa's Home for Orphans (Missionaries of Charity, 1646 Park Road, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20010) or to Hospice of Kankakee Valley.

James Fitzgerald

April 21, 1924 - February 7, 2006