Marcia Ann FitzGerald

Marcia Duncan FitzGerald, beloved mother, grandmother and big sister who spent decades as a Colorado Springs nurse, died July 1 at her home in Colorado Springs after a battle with kidney failure. Marcia will be remembered for her love for her sons, her devotion to her dogs and her adventurous, curious and independent nature.

The daughter of two U.S. Marines, Marcia was born February 9, 1947 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. After a brief stay at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, the family resettled to Camp Pendleton in Southern California, with Marcia being raised in nearby Vista, along with her two brothers and two sisters. In a house run with structured precision and military discipline, Marcia chafed against the authority and rebelled, often to the ire of her parents who grew - many years later - to appreciate her independent streak.

Following graduation from Vista High School, Marcia married her high school sweetheart, Dan Clouse. Marcia accompanied Dan, who enlisted in the Marine Corps, at stops in 29 Palms, San Diego, and Belgrade, in what was then Yugoslavia. For decades, she would remind Dan of the first night in Belgrade when he was lost and insisted that the Embassy was on Jedan Smer Street, only to learn that Jedan Smer was a sign outside the embassy that announced One Way.

Ever adventurous, Marcia's insistence of taking advantage of the travel with ill-advised meeting and socializing with the locals in this then-Eastern Bloc country caught the attention of military higher ups, and hastened Dan and Marcia's return to the U.S. Back in the U.S., Marcia focused her attention on her two sons, Michael born in 1967 and Daryl 14 months later.

After her first marriage ended in divorce, Marcia serendipitously picked up a hitchhiker while driving through Southern California. That hitchhiker, Paul FitzGerald, became Marcia's husband in August 1976 and they remained married for 47 years until his passing in 2023. Seeking to relocate to Colorado in an old school bus, the bus broke down outside Colorado Springs, hastening Marcia and Paul's settlement where they remained for nearly the rest of their lives.

In her early 40s, Marcia returned to school, graduating from the Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and then spent her next few decades as a nurse at Penrose Hospital and UCHealth Memorial Hospital, working in oncology and with kidney illnesses. Following her retirement, she remained active volunteering at a homeless shelter, even taking holiday shifts so others could be home with their families.

Marcia loved to travel, including trips to Asia and Europe, and always insisted on returning to the ocean when visiting family in California. Ever looking for enlightenment, Marcia spent time at a silence only retreat in India and dabbled in astronomy, astrology and palm reading, and also remained politically active, traveling to Washington in recent years for a student-led protest against gun violence. Even in hospice care in the weeks before her passing, Marcia had high expectations for a late summer trip to Paris with her sister.

A big sister until the day she died, Marcia may have tried new things and sought different ideas, but she was stringent in her personal beliefs and an unwavering moral compass. She remained active in her sons and grandson's lives, and had unwavering love for her dog, Maggie, who she would insist on taking out for walks and play even when Marica could not walk well.

Marcia is survived by her sons Michael Clouse and Daryl Clouse, both of Colorado Springs, and four grandsons, Sam, Nathan, Conner and Cameron, as well as sister Sandra McQuillen of Vista, Louis (Bud) Duncan of Vista, Thomas Duncan of Escondido, California, and Debra Cossart of Rainbow, California, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded by husband Paul M. FitzGerald, her parents, and numerous dogs over the years.