Allen Fitzgerald passed away on August 4 in Hingham, Massachusetts at the age of 91, deeply missed by his loving wife, Bella; his devoted son and daughter, Bob Fitzgerald and Lynn Conroy; their affectionate spouses, Irmela Fitzgerald and Jim Conroy; and five doting grandchildren and their spouses: Mark Fitzgerald and his wife, Andrea; Brian Fitzgerald; Christiana Fitzgerald; Erin Conroy and her husband John Hennessy; and Scott Conroy. He also leaves three great grandchildren, Caroline and Grace Fitzgerald and Flynn Allen Hennessy.
Allen was a genial, giving man, a talented photographer, a certified Master Gardener, a skillful boater and salt water fisherman, a pioneer in the amateur use and enjoyment of personal computers, and a genuine pillar of the Norwich, Connecticut community who cleaned his own fish and brewed his own beer. A World War II veteran of the United States Navy, he was the proprietor of the Robert Young Insurance Agency for 45 years and a lifelong leader of many local charities and volunteer organizations. As a 1940 NFA graduate, he had served as Chairman of the Board of the Norwich Free Academy, the Slater-Norton Association, and the Pierce Memorial Home in Brooklyn, Connecticut; was a past president of the NFA Development Corporation; sat on the boards of the local Salvation Army, the Johnson Home, and the Maplewood Cemetery Association, which he also served as treasurer; was a volunteer firefighter with the East Great Plains Fire Department and its treasurer as well; wrote a newsletter for the Norwich Senior Citizens; taught them computer skills; and volunteered as a counselor on a suicide prevention hotline. Allen contributed to the Central Baptist Church as its treasurer, a Sunday school teacher, and a moderator, and authored its monthly newsletter.
Though Allen could hardly have given more to his family and his fellow human beings, he may best be remembered as an amiable man, always smiling, never cross or disagreeable, a model of kindness and true charity, with an offbeat sense of humor. He will be greatly missed by his family, his many friends, and his grateful community.
Private family services will be held in Hingham, Massachusetts. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the National Parkinson’s Foundation at www.Parkinson.org or the Salvation Army at www.salvationarmyusa.org.