Michael John Fitzpatrick

Michael (Mike) John Fitzpatrick, 69, of Boones Mill, VA, passed away on Sunday, October 8, 2017. Mike was born on January 10, 1948, in the Bronx, New York. He graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, NY, in 1965, received a BA in English from Fordham University in 1969, an MA in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971, and took graduate credits in administration from The College of New Jersey in 1978-9. After graduating from Wisconsin in 1971, he began his career in education teaching at Archbishop Molloy. In 1975 Mike and his wife Kathy left Queens and moved to Titusville, NJ, where each had long careers in the public school system. Mike worked in several different capacities for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District: first as a Bulldog (high school English teacher and district English supervisor), next a Timberwolf (principal of Timberlane Middle School), and then a Bullfrog (principal of Hopewell Elementary School). He retired in 2004 but came out of retirement to be an All Star (acting principal of Stony Brook Elementary School). After Mike’s second retirement from the NJ school systems, Mike and Kathy moved to Boones Mill, VA. In 2008 Mike left retirement once again to be a Panther (adjunct instructor of English at Ferrum College). He was happy to be back in the classroom after 20 years in administration. He fell in love with Ferrum and embraced campus life by regularly attending his students’ plays, musical productions, sporting events, and campus symposiums. An insatiable reader of nonfiction, novels, and, especially, the New York Times, Mike’s decades of acquired knowledge made him a crossword puzzle whiz (pen-only) and a desirable Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy teammate. His varied interests included supporting local theatres, expanding his general handyman skills, fishing and clamming, experimenting with cookery (especially soups, breads, and muffins), following his favorite Ram, Badger, and Panther teams, and enjoying his French sheepdogs (Briards). In VA he was able to pursue his love of woodworking and gardening. He shared his passion for gardening with his colleagues and students through Ferrum’s Giving Garden. Mike is preceded in death by his parents, Agnes Marie (Crawford) Fitzpatrick and William Edward Fitzpatrick, Jr. He is survived by his wife of nearly 45 years, Kathleen (Pujanauski) Fitzpatrick, and three children, Nora (Fitzpatrick) Dantzler and husband Ben of Charleston, SC, Emily (Fitzpatrick) Konisky and husband Dan of Atlanta, GA, and Colin Fitzpatrick and partner Joe Klosterman of San Francisco, CA; two grandsons, Ben “Connor” Dantzler IV and James “Brady” Dantzler, and one step-granddaughter, Lucy Konisky; and four siblings and their spouses, William Edward Fitzpatrick III and wife Ginny of Hollywood, SC; Mary (Fitzpatrick) Daly and husband Jim of Littleton, NH; Jean (Fitzpatrick) Aranella and husband Bob of Mahopac, NY; Brendan Fitzpatrick and wife Darcy of New Canaan, CT; and numerous nieces and nephews. A celebration of Mike’s life is planned for Saturday, November 25th at the Ferrum Chapel. Reception and visitation will begin at 11:00 followed by a memorial service at 12:00. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to Ferrum College, PO Box 1000, Ferrum, VA 24088.