James A. Fitzpatrick
April 25th 1937 – November 10th 2019
Life Summary
Jim Fitzpatrick passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his loving family on Nov 10th.
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James Arthur Fitzpatrick was born in Janesville, WI on April 25, 1937. The son of Arthur Fitzpatrick and Rosanna Lancaster, Jim was the youngest of three with two older sisters, Shirley and Carol.
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He graduated from Janesville High School in 1956 and went on to attend Milton College where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.
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In 1962 Jim was drafted into the Army and served two years at Fort Ord in California as a medical lab specialist. In 1964 he was discharged from the Army and moved back to Wisconsin.
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When he was 29, he was set up on a blind date and met the love of his life, Kitty Dunlevy. They married two years later in blizzard conditions on December 28th, 1968. Jim and Kitty had two lovely daughters, Cara and Kate.
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Jim worked in pharmaceutical sales for 37 years, eventually retiring in 2002.
Jim was an avid gardener and his favorite flower was the day lily. He was active in the local day lily society - even hybridizing his own day lily and naming it after his wife, Kitty Rose.
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One thing Jim loved more than anything was spending time with his grandsons. They had a tradition of going out for breakfast every Sunday to many local restaurants where they were considered “regulars.”
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Jim was preceded in death by his father, mother and two sisters. He is survived by his wife Catherine (Kitty) Fitzpatrick, daughters Cara Fitzpatrick of Portland, OR, and Kate (Tony) Salathe of Sun Prairie and his two grandchildren, Collin and Corey Salathe.
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A visitation will be held at Gunderson Funeral Home Thursday Nov 14th from 4:00-6:00pm. A mass honoring Jim will be held at 11:00am at St. Dennis catholic church on Friday Nov 15th with visitation at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the UW Health Carbone Center or St. Dennis church. The family wishes to thank Dr. Albertini, Dr. Morris and the team at the UW Carbone center as well as Agrace Hospice.