Mary Fitzpatrick

It is our honor to share the life and passing of our cherished mother Mary. She was born on June 15, 1939, in Dubuque, Iowa to Donald and Berniece Schilling. She was a little sister to her brother Walt. She spent the majority of her adult life in Bellflower and Murrieta, CA, with the last 12 years here in West Haven, UT. She was married and bore 3 children while in Bellflower; Tom, Kathy and Marie. She later divorced. Mary was a strong, independent woman, a multitalented multi-tasker, who was self-employed for over 30 years grooming dogs. She was known to all as the Savior of animals, great and small, with an affinity for our feathered friends. She enjoyed jewelry making and was generous of her time, love and of her homemade gifts. A natural green-thumb, she loved gardening and time spent outside. She was a furniture refinishing expert and bargain shopper extraordinaire. She was a great cook and her unique and extravagant birthday cakes were appreciated throughout her grandkids lives. Her quick wit and wicked sense of humor remained to the end and endeared her to all who knew her. Mary was blessed with 5 grandchildren; Christina, Matthew, Johnny, Alyssa and Kevin. She was preceded in death by both her son, Tom, in 1983, her brother Walt in 2008, and her grandson, Johnny, in 2012. She is survived by a loving family and many friends. She was especially close to her daughter and son-in-law, Marie and Ray Chung, whom she resided with. Her grandson, Kevin, was the apple of her eye and a great aid to her in times of her physical limitations. For this she kept Kevin and his friends in a never ending supply of smoothies. She was also cared for by her "eldest daughter", Lori Tallmadge, at her life's end and enjoyed a lifelong friendship and love with the Tallmadge family; Larry, Alberta and Lisa. Mary was also survived by her sister-in-law, Adele, and nieces and nephew; Lisa, Donna, Tina and Rob. Mary held a special place in her heart for her other "son", Mark Larue, and her dear friend Debra Ryder, her children and grandchildren. She was burdened with poor health the last 10 years of her life but continued with a strong spirit and compassion for others until her entry into Heaven on September 9, 2013, due to complications from scleroderma. Although greatly missed and never duplicated here on Earth, we know she was greeted by her many family members, friends and numerous pets upon her entry into Heaven. This knowledge helps sustain us through our tremendous loss until we all meet again. Great thanks for the care and support of friends and family members and to the kind people of the Gentiva Hospice group. Special thanks to social worker Bridget, nurses Lissa and Tammy, as well as Chaplain Dan, for their compassion and empathy that helped sustain us through this most difficult time of our lives. There will be no services and in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation, in honor of Mary, to the Scleroderma Foundation at www.scleroderma.org.