Robert J. Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald - Robert J. "Bob", Fitzy to friends, 81, passed June 19, at home, surrounded by people who loved him. Born in Brooklyn to Rose and John Fitzgerald, Bob served in the U.S. Marines from 1964â€"1968, where he repaired F4 radar systems and made "thousands of gallons of Kool-Aid." Bob joined IBM for 31 years. He played important roles in the space program, the 1984 Olympics and working through the evolution of computers. He traveled the world with the love of his life, Julie (Benadom), keeping current with the Long Beach crowd, sailing the high seas with the Seacats (Heeeyyyyyy), and became a winemaker in Napa Valley. Bob is now reunited with his parents; his brother, John; his sister, Julie; and his first wife, Velma. He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Julie; his kids, Bob, Jules, Donna, Ken, and Todd; his adorable sister, Alice; his grandchildren, Daisy Rose, Scott, and Justin; his great-grandchild, Amber; and a small army of nieces, nephews, cousins, and honorarily adopted family members. He loved them all. This past week we celebrated Bob's life with him. In lieu of flowers, Bob requested donations be sent to support people who don't have the safety net he did. His favorite causes were the VA and local homeless shelters.