Frank Thomas Fitzsimmons Jr.

1933 - 2018

Frank Thomas Fitzsimmons, Jr.

Desert Sun - Frank Thomas "Bud" Fitzsimmons, Jr., 84, died peacefully, from natural causes, in his Palm Desert home, on Sunday July 8, 2018. He was an original "Mad Man," an author, screenwriter, restaurateur, and studio boss.

Bud was born in Chicago, Illinois, September 25, 1933, to Mildred and Frank Thomas Fitzsimmons, Sr. He grew up on the North Side with two older sisters, Joan and Mary (both deceased), and younger brother Gerald. He served three years in the US Army during the Korean Conflict, at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. After undergraduate study at Boston College and Boston University, he began his advertising career in Los Angeles.

In 1959, while employed on the George Gobel Variety Show, Bud met, and later married, Patricia Pettit, of Emmetsburg, Iowa, a singer in the family harmony group, "The Kids Next Door," who appeared regularly on the show. In October 1960 they welcomed their first child, Frank Thomas "Duffy" Fitzsimmons, III (who predeceased Bud in 1982, while serving in the US Army). Their second child, Barry Patrick Fitzsimmons, was born in August 1961. Bud and Patricia divorced shortly after, and he wed Hilloah Claire Martinson, of Van Nuys, California. Bud and Hilloah divorced in 1980 and had no children. He remained unmarried the rest of his days.

Fitzsimmons' illustrious career took him from screenwriting (early on, he sold a script for the TV western, "Wagon Train") to advertising and studio production. He rose to Sr. Vice President at J. Walter Thompson, handling the Ford Motor Company and various dealership-division accounts in Detroit, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area, until 1976, when he took the position of President at Snazelle Films, in San Francisco. During the 1980s, he was President of San Francisco Studios, the largest movie soundstage north of Hollywood, home to films such as Steven Spielberg's "Innerspace," and "Star Trek: The Voyage Home."

Through the 1990s, Bud remained a committed San Franciscan, living aboard his 65-foot cabin cruiser, "Fleet," and opening the burger chain, "All Stars," and "Thirty-Three," a fine-dining establishment at Pier 33. He spent his later years in semi-retirement in the Coachella Valley, and, after attending a Veterans Day celebration at his grandson's grammar school in Darien, Connecticut, was inspired to write and publish "The Dateline Diary of World War II." He was at work on a follow-up when he passed away.

Frank T. Fitzsimmons, Jr. is survived by his brother, Gerald Fitzsimmons, of San Ramon, California, his son Barry Patrick Fitzsimmons, of Norwalk, Connecticut, his three grandchildren, Barry Patrick Fitzsimmons, Jr., Jack Thomas Fitzsimmons, and William Christopher Fitzsimmons, also of Norwalk, and longtime companion Donna Rohner, of Palm Desert. A private memorial will be held at a date to be determined. Family members request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Palm Desert, or the Wounded Warriors Foundation.