Doris Jean “D.J.” (Van Hoesen) Fritz, age 66, of Winchester, formerly of New York, passed away peacefully on October 30, 2021. She was the beloved wife of Michael G. Fritz.
Doris was born in Albany, NY, raised in the area, and was the daughter of the late Morton and Doris (Dryden) Van Hoesen. She was educated in the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District, received her B.S. in Economics from Russell Sage College, and her MBA from Simmons College.
For almost 30 years, Doris worked as an Investment Consultant and Portfolio Manager for Fidelity Investments. For over 10 years, she was a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (GBYSO). In her spare time, Doris enjoyed traveling worldwide, sailing with her family, reading, cooking and shopping. She was also an avid sports fan and dog-lover.
In addition to her husband, Mike, Doris is lovingly survived by her children: Catherine M. Fritz of Newport Beach, CA, and Megan E. Fritz and her husband Alex J. Federation of Seattle, WA. She is also survived by three brothers: Bill Van Hoesen and his wife Linda, Jim Van Hoesen and his wife Georgia, Grant Van Hoesen and his wife Lorrie, all of FL, and is further survived by an aunt, Mary Van Hoesen, several nieces and nephews, and many dear friends
Relatives and friends are kindly invited to gather for Visiting Hours at Costello Funeral Home, 177 Washington St., Winchester, on Thursday, November 4, from 4-7PM, and again on Friday, November 5, at 9AM, followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Eulalia’s Church, 55 Ridge St., Winchester, at 10AM. The Funeral Mass will be live-streamed at sainteulalia.org. Burial will occur in Wildwood Cemetery, Winchester. If desired, donations in Doris’ memory may be made to the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, click here in care of Dr. Jeffrey Clark.
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A Parable Of Immortality by Henry Van Dyke
I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength,
and I stand and watch until at last she hangs
like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says,
'"There she goes!"
Gone where?
Gone from my sight... that is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar
as she was when she left my side
and just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the place of destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment
when someone at my side says,
' There she goes! '
there are other eyes watching her coming...
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout...
"Here she comes!"
And that is dying.
DJ's Eulogy:
DJ was an incredible daughter, sibling, wife, mother, niece, mother-in-law, and friend. She valued her family above all else; dedicated to spending quality time with them all while working a very demanding job. She loved her daughters and husband, of almost 45 years, in such a selfless way; by always putting others first. This was demonstrated by her commitment to traveling regularly to NY to spend time with Aunt Toots, regardless of her busy life.
DJ was extremely intelligent and well read on a variety of subjects, which gave her the ability to talk you about almost anything. She was very generous with her time, resources, ideas and her friendship She loved life and enjoyed it thoroughly with family and friends, planning and traveling worldwide with many companions.
Her curiosity, love of learning, adventure and desire to share great experiences with others, fueled her travel plans. As a dear friend once stated, “she was the first person to teach me the skill of palming a tip” (lol) and I am sure many of you have heard her say the phrase, “this doesn’t suck.” (lol)
DJ’s creativity flowed into the kitchen as she had a great affinity for cooking, especially comfort food! She was always trying new recipes from various cookbooks…we have so many that Mike is going to hold a cookbook sale over the weekend. You name it…we have it! (lol)
DJ loved to shop and share her bargaining skills with others. “She taught her daughters to always ask if there are any additional discounts that can be applied at the register…and there always were.” (lol)
DJ was a teacher and taught us so many things. Too numerous to share. She was so adept at handling the ups and downs of life with her pragmatic, “take like by the horns” approach. And she had fun doing it.
She touched so many lives and had such a profound impact on others.
As a good friend once said, “You’ve enriched my life! You have taught me so much and I am so grateful. The best way I can think of to honor you is to “pay it forward”. That I shall.”
DJ fought a devastating cancer for over 5 years, a true rarity, and did so with courage, dignity, grace and determination. We are so lucky to have known, loved, and benefitted from her wisdom and humor, and her ability to see goodness and hope in all things thrown her way. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten. It has been said, the larger the personality, the bigger the hole left with their passing. I think we all feel the void and will continue to do so for a very long time to come.
I am going to leave you with a prayer.
If tears could build a stairwell
and memories were a lane,
I would walk right up to Heaven
and bring you home again.
No farewell words were spoken,
no time to say good-bye…
You were gone before we knew it,
and only God knows why.
Our heart still aches in sadness
and secret tears still flow,
What it means to lose you
no one will ever know.
Thank you so much for coming an honoring DJ’s life.