Oswego – Joan M. FitzGibbons, 79, of East 7th Street in Oswego, passed away Thursday, Thanksgiving morning, with her husband Jack, and her 7 children, by her side.
Mrs. FitzGibbons was born in New Rochelle, NY, the daughter of the late James and Therese (LaGoe) Galvin.
She graduated from St. Paul’s Academy. She attended Oswego High School, and was a 1948 graduate of Hilo High School in Hilo, Hawaii. She then graduated from Oswego State Teachers College. She received each of her degrees in 3 years. She was a member of Alpha Sigma Tau.
She taught for one year in Bethpage, Long Island, and for one year at Riley School in Oswego.
She married John E. FitzGibbons on July 25th, 1953, after which she stayed home to raise their 7 children.
Mrs. FitzGibbons subsequently became Director of Social Services at St. Luke Health Related Facility, retiring in 1995.
She was a member of the College Council at SUNY-Oswego from 1978-2000, and served as chairperson from 1980-1985.
Mrs. FitzGibbons was a member of The Garden Club, Zonta, Winter Club, The Oswego Opera Theater Board, The Oswego County Historical Society, and The Oswego Country Club, where she helped organize many children’s activities.
She was a communicant of St. Paul’s Church.
She was an avid reader, a lover of the theater, and a strong advocate for the arts. She attended the Stratford Shakespeare Festival every summer for 36 years, with her close friends, Charlene Davis, Rosemary Nesbitt, Gerry Scullin, and Kathleen Pendergast.
She is survived by her husband of 56 years, John E. FitzGibbons; her seven children, Jean (Rick) Sabatini of Bloomfield, NJ, John (Tara) FitzGibbons of Oswego, Joan (Christopher) Dain of Oswego, Ellen (Joseph) McCloskey of Oswego, Jerome (Jennifer) FitzGibbons of Bloomfield, NJ, Mary Tara (Kevin) Stack of Bloomfield, NJ, and Kathleen (Kevin) Hunt of Syracuse; her sister Julienne Smith of Oswego; her brother James (Geneva) Galvin of Oswego; 13 grandchildren, Ben Leonard, Jean and George FitzGibbons, Sean Dain, Mary Margaret McCloskey, Mary, Elizabeth, and Charlotte FitzGibbons, Padraig and Siobhan Stack, and Margaret, James, and Thomas Hunt; and many nieces and nephews.
She was predeceased by her sister Jean Galvin Kelly; and her brother, Jerome Galvin.
Funeral services will be held at 9:00 Tuesday, in St. Paul’s Church.
Burial will be in St. Paul’s Cemetery.
Calling hours will be held from 4:00 to 7:00pm Monday, at the Dain-Cullinan Funeral Home, 112 East Second Street in Oswego.
Contributions can be made to the Oswego Opera Theater; PO Box 3039, Oswego, NY; or to the Friends of Oswego County Hospice, PO Box 102, Oswego, NY 13126
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