Obituary of Florence Winnifred Fitzpatrick

"It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude…
It’s gratitude that brings us happiness"

For 95 years, Florence (Flo) Fitzpatrick lived her life taking that motto to heart. She approached each day with joy and curiosity. She embraced her family and friendships with a sense of contentment and treasure. To her, finding a good parking space was a gift.

She was born in Saskatoon, March 3, 1923 to William and Florence Williams. She was their third daughter, a sister to Joan and Rosalind and big sister to Jim. She was raised for 12 years in Saskatoon and then moved to Regina with her family.

Flo began her teaching career at the age of 18 – a career that grew from teaching in a one room schoolhouse in Holdfast to becoming the head of the Speech and Language Program for the Regina Separate School Board. Numerous children benefited from her expertise and dedication as she helped them resolve their speech challenges. She always wanted to see them become the best they could be. Her constant pursuit of learning took her back to university in Regina, Saskatoon, Seattle, Minneapolis and Toronto; all while working and being a mother to Pat. She really was ahead of her time and with the support of her family she achieved many goals including teaching classes in Speech and Language Development at the University of Regina.

She met the love of her life, Howard Fitzpatrick, and they were married in 1949. Her immense faith sustained her through the loss of her first-born son, James, in infancy, in 1955, and the untimely death of her beloved husband, Howard, in 1962, when he was only 47 years old.

With grace and joy she continued to grow her family. She, Grandad and Pat lived together and formed a family bond that made their home welcoming to all who entered. The pack of neighborhood boys enjoyed many fun-filled football games, scientific experiments and cars.  She took great delight in hosting and attending Christmas celebrations and family gatherings in the summer. She was a great host and a welcome visitor who always brought laughter and energy. The fact that so many of her distant nieces and nephews continued to have regular phone conversations and cherished visits is a testament to her ability to create meaningful relationships. Everyone loved Auntie Flo.

Flo was kind and supportive, thus maintaining many long-standing relationships with neighbors, colleagues and friends. It was hard to be just an acquaintance to Flo. She had a good memory and a keen interest in everyone she met. Sadly, as happens when one is 95, she has said goodbye to many dear friends.  But for those who remain, she will be deeply missed.

I think it’s safe to say that the pride of Flo’s life was her son Paddy. They shared a powerful and loving bond. She was keenly interested in all that Pat was working on. Her inquisitive mind was eager to share in his education and engineering activities. Each day she would inquire about his work and encourage him to solve any problems he would encounter. Likewise he was caring and attentive to her needs and failing health. Their relationship climbed mountains, travelled over oceans and grew memories in the back yard that will surely remind him of the blessings he had in gaining Flo for a mother. They were both blessed.
After retiring in 1983, mom enjoyed volunteering at the Open Door Society, playing bridge, gardening, singing in the church choir and travelling, especially to Ireland to see her sister Ros and road trips with her brother Jim. She spoke often of their journeys and the fun they had together. She had a close friendship with her sister-in-law Syd beginning in university. As a matter of fact she introduced Syd to Jim and well, that story began from there.

In 1993, she gained a new family of grandchildren when Pat and Gail married. She wholly embraced Rob, Mike and Desiree and shared many experience with them. She attended and cheered at hockey, soccer and football games, went to the children’s museum, attended high school graduations and the weddings that soon followed. No matter what path her grandchildren chose, she was always supportive and encouraging. Then came the great-grandchildren; new beautiful blessings to share her laughter and enjoyment with. Kaesen, Deakin, Kiptyn, Barrett and Jacob filled her with excitement and joy. Her eyes lit up and the sight of them and she so much looked forward to the arrival of a new baby coming this summer. In her final days, her greatest pleasure was seeing new pictures of the children and she always asked “What’s new with the kids today?”

As her health declined, she was supported and cared for by many different people. The night before she passed, she praised her caregivers for their kind and compassionate care. She died peacefully with Gail and Pat by her side on May 31, 2018.

Flo will be remembered by her loving family, her son Pat, daughter-in-law Gail, her grandchildren Rob McCaffrey (Brandi), Mike McCaffrey (Justine)and Desiree Seime, (Joel) and great-grandchildren Kaesen, Deakin and Kiptyn McCaffrey and Barrett and Jacob Seime as well as her sister-in-law Syd, many nieces and nephews and life-long friends and colleagues. Anyone who met Flo will remember her for her joyful laugh and kindness.

In lieu of flowers, donations to MaterCare International or Operation Eyesight would be appreciated.