Donald Gordon Fitzgerald

Donald Gordon FITZGERALD Donald Gordon Fitzgerald was born on July 25, 1939, and passed away on July 20, 2010, from complications of polycystic kidney disease and Merkel Cell cancer. After being on kidney dialysis for two and one half years, he received a kidney transplant in 1989 from a donor's family. He was always grateful for this gift that lasted 21 years. Don was raised on Queen Anne Hill and graduated from Queen Anne High School in 1957. After two years in the US Army, he attended Everett Community College where he played football. After receiving his AA degree, he transferred to the University of Washington and obtained his BA in Education in 1967 and his MA in Curriculum and Instruction in 1969. He began his 25 years of teaching at Madrona Junior High School where he coached baseball and football. He transferred to Brier Junior High School where he was a counselor and continued to coach baseball. He ended his career in 1994 at Meadowdale Middle School as a counselor. Don met his wife, Linda, in 1960; they were married in 1963. They loved to travel and had many wonderful trips together. They also loved camping, especially at property they owned with friends near Winthrop. They began with a tent and moved up to a motor home in recent years. They especially loved traveling to unknown destinations in the motor home. Don played golf after retirement and got his hole-in-one in 1998. A devout Husky football fan, he had season tickets since 1964 and loved traveling to many PAC 10 away games where he proudly wore his purple. He also enjoyed his yearly fishing trip to Canada with 'the guys' for many years. Yearly trips to Sayulita, in Mexico, were always looked forward to and after retirement went from one week during Spring Break to a month in February. Don is survived by his wife of 47 years, Linda; sister, Diane Guinn (Frank) of Las Vegas; uncle Gordon Giovanelli (Pam) of Escondido; brother-in-law Robert Nichols of Santa Fe; sister-in-law Tammie Hilgers (Keith) of Seattle; niece Kabri Hilgers of Seattle; cousin Tom Giovanelli (Cheryl) of Mercer Island; cousin Polly Giovanelli (Bob Mair) of Redmond; dear friends Jerry and Dorothy Stansberry of Woodinville; Goddaughter Sydney Collins (Richard Tagle) of Lake Stevens; and Godson Matthew Stansberry (Liberty) of Seattle. A special thank you to Dr. Eileen Johnston of the Puget Sound Cancer Centers and her staff for the care and friendship they provided the last three years. A 'Celebration of Life' honoring Don will be held on August 8 at the Edmonds Conference Center located at 201 Fourth Avenue North, Edmonds at 2:00 pm. Driving directions and parking information can be found at www.edmondsconferencecenter.com. Remembrances may be made in Don's name to the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation at 8330 Ward Parkway, Suite 510, Kansas City, MO 64114-2000 or the Edmonds School District Alumni Association, for scholarships, at PO Box 1334, Lynnwood, WA 98046. Arrangements: Beck's Funeral Home, Edmonds, 425-771-1234; share memories with the family at www.becksfuneralhome.com.