Bernadine A. FitzGerald

Plaistow, NH: Bernadine A. (Bergeron) FitzGerald, 94, a lifelong resident of Plaistow, died peacefully on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at Hannah Duston Healthcare Center in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Born in Haverhill, daughter of the late Arthur G. and Anna B. (Sullivan) Bergeron, she was raised in Plaistow and graduated from Saint James High School. She was first employed as an Administrative Assistant at John Hancock Life Insurance Company of Boston and later was employed for twenty-nine years at The Plaistow Cooperative Bank, retiring as a Vice President in 1993.
An active and supportive resident of the Town of Plaistow, Mrs. FitzGerald was the wife of the late Plaistow Fire Chief and Postmaster, John D. FitzGerald. She served the Town of Plaistow as Treasurer from 1994 until 2010 and served on several committees including: the Budget Committee, the Old Home Day Committee, the Cemetery Advisory Committee, the Plaistow 225th and 250th Anniversary Committees, the Town Hall 100th Anniversary Committee, the Town Hall Restoration Committee and the Centennial and Civil War Committee.
Mrs. FitzGerald was honored by the community for her service when the Town Report was dedicated to her in 2006 and later was named a Grand Marshall of the annual Old Home Day Parade. She also received the Town of Plaistow Women in Leadership Award in 2014.
A member of Saint Luke the Evangelist Parish and the former Holy Angels Parish of Plaistow, Mrs. FitzGerald was active in raising funds for the new parish church building several decades ago and was a former member of the Women's Guild of the Parish. She was also a member and Past President of the Plaistow Historical Society, a member of the Women's Auxiliary of the Plaistow Fire Department, the Women's Auxiliary of the Carl Davis Post #34 of the American Legion, and the Haverhill City Women's Club.
Following an expansion of the Plaistow Cemetery, she donated the flagpole and flag for the cemetery in memory of her late husband, and also donated her time every year planting flowers to beautify the Pollard Park and the grounds around Town Hall.
A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunt, she enjoyed creating a warm and loving home for her husband and six children. An avid reader, she also enjoyed gardening, completing crossword puzzles, car rides to the beach with family as well as trips to Arizona, California, Bermuda and Washington D.C. and U.S. Postal conventions across the United States with her husband, and in later years, trips to Paris and Rome.
Predeceased in 1987 by her loving husband of forty years, John D. FitzGerald, she will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her two sons and daughters-in-law, John A. and Margaret M. FitzGerald of Plaistow and Luke A. and Kathleen L. FitzGerald of Plaistow, two daughters and a son-in-law, Maryann T. Wilson and her fiancé John R. McDonald, of Hampton, NH, and Anna B. and Daniel D. Gentile of Plaistow; daughters-in-law, Nancy H. FitzGerald of California and Shelly A. FitzGerald, of Arizona twelve grandchildren, Christopher, Scott, Mark, Michael, Kevin, Robert, Samantha, Anthony, Claire, Alexandra, Matthew and Danielle; and thirteen great-grandchildren, a sister-in-law Carol Ann Bergeron of Sandown, and several nieces, nephews and many longtime friends. She was predeceased by two sons, Mark S. FitzGerald, and Matthew C. FitzGerald, a son-in-law, William C. Wilson, a daughter-in-law Pamela S. FitzGerald, a brother Daniel J. Bergeron and an infant brother Anthony S. Bergeron.
The FitzGerald Family wishes to thank the staff members of the Hannah Duston Healthcare Center and Care Dimensions Hospice for the loving care and comfort extended to their mother during her time there and to her special friend, and co-resident, Carolle for her kindness and daily visits.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend Mrs. FitzGerald's Life Celebration to be held on Monday, March 6, 2023 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home, 116 Main Street, Plaistow, NH. Her funeral will begin on Tuesday morning, March 7, 2023 at 8:45 a.m. from the funeral home with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Holy Angels Church of Saint Luke the Evangelist Parish, 8 Atkinson Depot Rd. Plaistow. Burial will follow in Plaistow Cemetery. The family requests that those wishing to make memorial donations, please consider the American Heart Association, or the Plaistow Firemen's Association, 27 Elm Street, Plaistow, NH, 03865. To send a message of condolence to the family or to share a cherished memory, please visit: www.brooksidechapelfh.com.