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OBITUARY: Phyllis Fitzgerald, 91

Phyllis Rose Fitzgerald, 91

Former Stow resident and Center School teacher

Phyllis Rose Fitzgerald (Trabucco) 91 of Stuart, Florida formally of Wareham and Stow, Mass. passed away on March 16, 2023, after a brief illness.

Phyllis was born Sept. 14, 1931, to Rose (Crossen) Trabucco and Charles Trabucco at Boston ‘s Lying–In Hospital, and raised in Watertown, Mass. She graduated from Watertown High School in 1949. In 1953, she married the love of her life, Joseph A Fitzgerald, also of Watertown.

After settling with her family in Stow in 1961, Phyllis received her BA in Education from Fitchburg State College in 1971 and taught grades four through six at the Center School in Stow. She completed her M.Ed. in 1976 and went on to develop and direct Special Needs Education Programs throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.

Phyllis loved spending time at her family summer home in Sebago, ME, and golfing in the winter at her Florida residence. She loved entertaining and will be missed by family, friends and neighbors in Maine, Massachusetts and Florida.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband of fifty years Joseph A Fitzgerald (2002), her sister Clair Kuipers (2019) of Boxborough, Mass., brother-in-law Dennis Kuipers (2018), and nephew Dennis Kuipers.
Phyllis is survived by children Joseph (Cindy) Fitzgerald of Spring TX, Charles (Cathy) Fitzgerald of Woodstock Georgia, Barbara-Jean Fitzgerald (Brenda Pizzanello) of Durham North Carolina, Thomas (David Horvath) Fitzgerald of Marblehead Mass., and her sister-in-law Betty Swanson of Stow. She is also survived by her grandchildren Rory, Brendan, Casey, and David, and many nieces and nephews.

Arrangements being made by Chapman Funeral Home Wareham, Mass. Private burial will be in Bourne, Mass. A celebration of life will be held later this summer.