Susan (Hellen) Fitzgerald

ATHOL, MA - Susan Hellen Fitzgerald of Athol, formerly of Fairfield, CT, passed away on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.

Susan was born in Petersham, the daughter of Fred (deceased) and Sue Hellen.

She was William Fitzgerald's beloved wife for 41 years, as well as the loving mother of Isaac Fitzgerald of Brooklyn, NY, Joel Harris of Portsmouth, NH, and step-daughter Kerry Fitzgerald Shriver of Hingham, MA.

Susan was a graduate of Mahar Regional High School. She received her Bachelor's degree from Bates College and her Masters from the University of New Hampshire. She studied theology at Andover Newton Theological School.

Susan was a lifelong caring educator, especially to children needing an extra hand. She recently retired from St Thomas Aquinas Elementary School in Fairfield, CT.

Susan was always a willing and companionable traveler, an avid hiker, a keen reader of books, and an ardent student of contemporary culture and art.

Susan is survived by her loving husband, William; her three children, Joel with his wife Jessica, Isaac with his partner Kelly, and Kerry with her husband, Tracy Shriver; and her four beloved grandchildren, Cecilia and Thomas Harris of Portsmouth and Chase and Pearce Shriver of Hingham. Also, her mother, Sue Hellen of Petersham, and her two sisters, Nancy Hellen of Burlington, VT, Beth Brault of Newport, VT, and aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, and cousins spread near and far.

She was the sister of the late Miriam Jones.

Susan was strong, intelligent, steadfast, and most of all, generous-a caring Giver. A thoughtful contribution in Susan's memory might be made to Haley House in Boston: https://haleyhouse.org

There are no calling hours.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, the 2nd of March, at St Peter's Catholic Church, 18 North Main Street, Petersham.

Witty's Funeral Home, 158 South Main Street, Orange, is assisting the family.

Guest book and directions online at WWW.WITTYFUNERALHOME.COM

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Athol Daily News on Feb. 26, 2024.

Memories and Condolences
for Susan Fitzgerald

Sponsored by Witty's Funeral Home.

2 Entries

Tom Carey

March 19, 2024

Susan and I attended Bates together. Susan was a kind, sweet person. So sorry to learn of her passing.

Lisa De

February 27, 2024

I write this today in hopes that family and closest friends will read this entry. Susan was the 2nd grade teacher to both of my daughters at St Thomas Aquinas in Fairfield, CT. When I heard the news of her passing, I was overcome with sadness. Mrs. Fitzgerald, as we called her, was truly a gift to the children whom she taught as well as their parents.

My kids were in her class during a difficult time in our lives. We were going through a divorce at the time. I cannot express enough how her warmth and love made a daily difference to my girls and me. Susan was so deeply invested in not just their young education, but also she nourished their souls. Both my kids knew they were loved by their teacher. And, she was in their lives at a time when we were going through so much. I am convinced that Mrs. Fitzgerald was a sort of a Saint to us, holding our hands both literally and metaphorically, as my kids navigated the hardest times of their little lives.

Susan gave both of my kids little cherishables and books to read in a number of occasions. They were carefully selected for each of them, and they always came with a sweet, personal note explaining the attributes that my kids have that made her choose that particular book.

Last night, when I heard news of Susan´s passing, my daughter Amelia knew exactly where her book was. She quickly ran to her bedroom and brought it back downstairs. She did read it when Mrs. Fitzgerald gave it to her years ago. It was called, "Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague."

Amelia opened it and reread Mrs Fitzgerald´s letter, which was kept safely within the pages. I felt like Mrs Fitzgerald instinctively knew what each human around her needed, and she gave that to him or her with such open generosity.

As an aside, we noticed that the book was published in 1955, 3 years after Susan was born. It´s more likely Susan found it at a used bookseller. But, Amelia and I fantasized that perhaps someone gave her that book when she was a young girl. She always loved that Chincoteague series, and she always shared that love with my daughter. That made her feel SO special. This is a school that went from kindergarten to 8th grade. My kids are special, but all those years, she helped make my kids BELIEVE they are special.

This morning, I spent a few hours re-reading Susan´s emails to me. I had completely forgotten that every evening after each day of school, Mrs. Fitzgerald sent a sweet, warm email to all the parents describing what the class did that day. Anyone who has kids knows how much that means to a parent of a 7 year-old child. I cherished getting those emails every night, partially because Susan was a great communicator and expressive writer and I really felt like I experienced my daughters´ day, but also because through these emails, I knew how much Susan cared for the lived experience of ALL of her students.

Here is a quote I took directly out of just one of her random evening emails:
"Everyday I go to work knowing that this work matters and wondering what special challenges and blessings will develop during our time together."

I always said that Susan was a true gem as a teacher. We were blessed to know her. My kids were blessed to have had her as a mentor, teacher, and friend, and so was I. I saw that the family chose not to have visiting hours, which is why I wrote this long letter. If I could drive up to Massachusetts and tell you all in person how much Susan meant to me and my family, I would be in the car already. Peace and Love to her family during this time. She will be dearly missed.

With Love,
Lisa, Persephone, and Amelia Deeds

Showing 1 - 2 of 2 results