Renate Offermanns Fitzgerald

1944 - 2025

Renate Offermanns Fitzgerald, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully on October 28, 2025, in Waterbury, Connecticut, surrounded by her children. She was 81.

Renate was born in Aachen, Germany, in 1944. She studied Art History at Philipps-University in Marburg, Germany, before moving to the United States in 1967 after meeting and marrying her late former husband, Thomas H. Fitzgerald, Jr. Together they built a life and family in Naugatuck, Connecticut, spending countless happy summers at Cutting Cottages on Block Island, Rhode Island -- a place that became her heart's true home.

In 1985, Renate moved full-time to Block Island, where she lived for 35 years. She was known for her exceptional knitting, creating hand-crafted caps that became much-loved staples at the island farmers' market. She worked for many years at North Light Fibers, where she brought care, creativity, and laughter to her work and friendships.

Renate loved the natural world deeply. Her garden was a place of beauty and pride, filled with color and life. On Block Island, walking the beaches was her peaceful sanctuary. Years of patient beach-combing yielded beautiful collections of sea glass and shells. She had a special affection for the island's birds, especially the nesting ospreys -- her feathered friends, as she called them -- whose comings and goings brought her endless joy. Renate also had a wonderful and warm love of dogs, especially her beagle Buster, her devoted companion for 15 years during her early years on the island.

Renate adored opera, classical art, and language -- she spoke three languages fluently and several more well enough to charm and connect with people wherever she went. She delighted in meeting people from different countries, always eager to listen and learn from their stories. She was a voracious reader and an expert New York Times crossword solver, with a mind as sharp as her wit. She was known widely for her mischievous sense of humor -- she loved a good joke, even (and especially) an off-color one. But more than anything, Renate loved her family. Her children and grandchildren were her greatest pride and joy.

In 2020, after showing signs of dementia, Renate moved from Block Island into the loving care of her son, Tommy Fitzgerald, in Cheshire, Connecticut. Their beautiful home together became what they both considered their perfect piece of heaven, and Renate found peace and great pleasure in the neighborhood and surrounding nature, especially her favorite birds. She became a beloved member of the Mulberry Gardens Adult Day Center community in nearby Southington, where her warmth, wit, and kindness shone brightly.

Renate is survived by her three children, Elizabeth Molleur, Tommy Fitzgerald, and Alexandra Wells; her five grandchildren, Emily Wells, Henry Wells, Andrew Molleur, Tucker Wells, and Alexander Molleur; her sister, Doris Schneider; and her brother, Herbert Offermanns. She is predeceased by her parents, Eleonore Crowther and Wilhelm Offermanns; and her granddaughter, Anabelle Molleur.

She has been cremated, and her ashes will be spread in Muir Woods, California, and along the shore of Block Island in private family gatherings.

Renate lived a life full of curiosity, laughter, and love. She will be remembered for her vibrant spirit, her intellect, and her beautiful heart.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Block Island Conservancy, honoring her lifelong love of nature and the island that gave her so much joy.

https://biconservancy.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/biconservancy/donation.jsp