NWA Capt. Charles A. Fitz-Gerald

Obituary...................................

Charles A. Fitz-Gerald III, 69, of Wilmette, IL died Dec. 30, 2015 of lung cancer.

Born in Birmingham, AL on Nov. 14, 1946, he was the son of the late Charles A. Fitz-Gerald Jr. and Helen Louise Taylor Fitz-Gerald. He attended high school at Hawken School in Cleveland, OH and obtained a degree in economics from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. During his summers, Fitz-Gerald worked on ore boats on the Great Lakes.

Upon graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy and trained as a naval aviator in Pensacola, FL. Fitz-Gerald spent his active duty stationed in China Lake, CA and felt those years spent flying in the desert were among the most exciting of his life.

Once active duty ended, Fitz-Gerald obtained an MM from Kellogg School at Northwestern University. It was there he met his future wife of 36 years, Christine A. Maloney. After a brief stint in banking, Fitz-Gerald missed flying so much he became a pilot for Braniff Airlines. Simultaneously, he held a flying billet in the Navy Reserves, flying out of the former Glenview Naval air station. Fitz-Gerald enjoyed the wonderful camaraderie and spirit of his squadron, VR-51. He was promoted to captain and became the CO of the squadron.

After Braniff Airlines went bankrupt, Fitz-Gerald’s commercial aviation career continued with Northwest Airlines. He spent years, as a captain, flying 747s all over the world.

Fitz-Gerald was known for his compassionate and steadfast nature. He had immense physical energy, which he used to perform kindnesses for others. His friends were countless and he kept up with all of them. He found attributes to admire and love in everyone.

He had a passion for repairing things and took immense satisfaction in hard work. He abhorred waste and would eat the most dilapidated of leftovers “because there was still a lot of food value there.” He rode a bike around town to save gas and picked up trash from the ground wherever he went. He loved dogs and was a familiar presence at the Wilmette Dog Beach with his black Labrador, Tres.

Always an adventurer, he loved to see what was around the next bend, had an uncanny sense of direction and a desire for exploration.

Fitz-Gerald was a wonderful father to his three children: Claire Fitz-Gerald, Harwich, MA, Emily Prozeller (Rocky), Mamaroneck, NY and Gus Fitz-Gerald, Wilmette, IL. He was thrilled with the arrival of a grandson, Everett Prozeller in Aug. 2015. He took immense interest in his sisters and extended family.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Disabled Veteran Charitable Service, the Anti-Cruelty Society or PAWS, Chicago.

~ IN MEMORY ~

Military veteran, NWA Capt. Charles A. Fitz-Gerald

November 14, 1946 ~ December 30, 2015

Word with the passing of BN/NWA Captain Charlie Fitz-Gerald has been received.  Captain Fitz-Gerald joined Northwest 10-04-1982 and retired in 2006.  Online condolences and memories may be expressed on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/charles.a.fitzgerald.3 

Whitepages lists their residence as 

1115 Ashland Ave.,  Wilmette  IL 60091-1603.

Should we receive more information we can then update our blogspot.

            Thank you,

                ~ Carol for the PCN 

From: Carol Faulkner     Sent: Friday, January 01, 2016 4:41 PM   Subject: NWA Charlie Fitz-Gerald

CHARLIE FITZ-GERALD – Flown West

Charlie Fitz-Gerald   1946-2015

Dear Friends & Family,

Charles A. Fitz-Gerald passed away yesterday, December 30th, after a brief fight with a very aggressive cancer.  In accordance with his wishes, we will not be hosting an immediate public memorial service; however, he had a lot of dear loved ones and we've received requests for a way to reflect on his life.  We invite you to share any sentiments or stories here on his facebook page.

If you are interested in receiving information regarding a future celebration of his life, please message or email me, Emily Fitz-Gerald Prozeller or Gus Fitz-Gerald.

Thank you.

Thanks to Bob Mokos for sending this in. 

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Charlie Fitz-Gerald began his professional life in 1969 flying C-9s for the Navy Reserves finally retiring from the Reserves in 1997.  He worked for a bank in Chicago from 1976 to 1978.  Charlie was hired by Braniff in 1978 and stayed until the furlough in 1980.  A second airline opportunity came along two years later with Northwest where he stayed until retirement.  His last airplane assignment was the 747-400 out of DTW.  After retirement from NWA in 2006, Charlie was hired by NetJets and stayed until a furlough in 2010.  Charlie and his wife. Christine, were living in Wilmette, IL.  He was 69 years old when he passed away.