When the Japanese owner of a Paris golf shop heard “Brockton” – he replied, “FootJoy”! But it wasn’t the first time that Gail had heard about Brockton while on one of her many trips – there was Rocky, Marvin, World War II boots, Al Davis, Tech Tourney, Kenneth Feinberg and Thorny Lea’s Herbert Warren Wind of “Amen Corner”; just a few of the numerous “City of Champions” conversations Gail had during her travels.
With the most profound sense of loss and with the deepest sadness, the family of Gail Susan Fulginiti, shares the news of her death after a courageous battle with cancer on Friday, October 18, 2013 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Gail was the daughter of the late Dominic and Irene (Harding) Fulginiti and was a lifetime resident of Brockton where her family opened Fulginiti’s Furs on West Elm Street in 1915. She is survived by her beloved sister Leta Fulginiti and Leta’s longtime companion Paul Murphy, along with Brady – their adored Chow who all reside in Barnstable and at TPC/Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. She also leaves numerous cousins and friends.
Gail was a graduate of Brockton High School, Bridgewater State College and received her Master’s in Reading from Eastern Nazarene College. Her career, in many educational settings, was varied and took her throughout the United States and Europe. Her work life started when she was hired to update the patient files of Dr. Sidney Farber in preparation for the initial computerization of the earliest findings of the Jimmy Fund. That experience was followed by her first teaching assignment at the Hancock School in Brockton. Wanting to see more of the world, Gail spent the next years visiting the sights of Europe from Copenhagen to Paris to Rome and from Madrid to Venice and Athens with many stops in between including such special events as the Winter Olympics while working for the Department of Defense on Bitburg Air Force Base in Germany. Upon her return to Brockton, she became a member of the citywide reading department.
Looking to travel in the United States, Gail accepted the position of Senior Education Consultant for the school textbook publisher, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and remained with them for eighteen years – one day finding herself giving a professional speech in front of hundreds of teachers in Houston, teaching demonstration lessons in New Haven classrooms, conducting educational workshops in Boston and New York City or advising a handful of educators at their school on Block Island, Rhode Island. But all the while she was still available to her loving Brockton family and friends and even found time to participate in the teacher’s charity “Potpourri” shows. Recently, she was pleased to be asked to be a member of the planning committee for her Brockton High School reunion and enjoyed immensely renewing old acquaintances. In addition, she actively kept up with the political scene, both local and national and of course, with unwavering loyalty, all the ups and downs of her Boston sports’ teams. Gail completed her educational career as a Special Education teacher and retired from the Brockton Public School System.
Gail was most appreciative for the strength, care, compassion and dedicated support given to her during this battle with cancer by her cherished partners – her sister Leta along with Paul and Brady. Also by the endless hours of doing for her and praying for her provided by her drivers, cousins, friends, coworkers, and neighbors and people of compassion such as Sue Plante. She felt herself extremely fortunate to have such unsurpassed experts and their staff members from the Boston medical community guiding her fight: Dr. Bleday and Dr. Irani at Brigham and Women’s; Dr. Tanabe from Massachusetts General and her medical oncologist, Dr. Abrams along with Nina, Heather, Whitney, Jane, Rachael, Rose and Mary at Dana Farber. She was grateful for their boundless optimism and unwavering kindness during her surgeries and many treatments. She was also deeply affected by the invaluable insights provided to her by Dr. Ross Donehower at Johns Hopkins. Gail’s life was filled by a devoted family, everlasting friendships, fascinating travel experiences and by a proud career in educating teachers and students.
Visiting hours will be held in the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont Street (Rte 123) Brockton, on Tuesday 4-7pm. Her funeral procession will gather at the funeral home on Wednesday at 8am followed by a Funeral Mass in Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 9am. Entombment will follow immediately in her Garden of Peace crypt at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Randolph Center (Route 28 Avon then a few hundred feet straight through the Randolph light, across from the ice rink.) Please consider donations in Gail’s name to the Jimmy Fund, c/o Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168.