William Fitzgerald

William Fitzgerald
Friday, August 24, 2007

CASPER -- Memorial services for William Fitzgerald, 78, will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, 2007, in Newcomer Family Funeral Home.

He died on Aug. 21, 2007 at the Wyoming Medical Center following a brief medical illness.

He was born on Jan. 27, 1929 in Saratoga. He was raised in Saratoga on the Fitzgerald Ranch. He graduated from Platte Valley High.

After graduation, he was drafted in the United States Army. During his military career he was a sergeant and was in the Korean War where he spent 10 months on the front line.

Following his military time he returned to Saratoga where he met, fell in love and married Sally Ackerson on Oct. 11, 1953.

He had various jobs and lived in many towns around the state of Wyoming before returning to Saratoga in 1978. Upon returning to Saratoga, he started Fitzgerald Equipment. After eight years of selling farm equipment he returned to road construction. He retired "for real" at the end of summer 2006.

During the winter months he lived in Quartzite, Ariz. In Arizona, he had many great friends who he loved to spend time with. He was a friend that they all could rely on from helping them make repairs to their homes, bringing propane to them or being the resident doctor. Some of them would not go to the hospital until he came by and told them they needed to go. He loved to call his family that lived in the colder areas and brag about how warm it was in Arizona.

During the summer, he would return to Casper and work for McMurry Ready Mix. He always looked forward to returning to work, even though he said he was retired.

He enjoyed participating in rodeo events, roping, leather work, chariot races and telling stories about all the mischief he and his two brothers got into when they were growing up.

He was a great person who always had a smile on his face and a few great stories to tell. He will be sadly missed by family and friends.

He is survived by his daughters, Patty Patterson and husband of Mooresville, Ind., Bev Rainsdon and husband of Dubois, Idaho, and son, Glen and wife of Evansville; brothers, Bobbie of Casper and Tommy and wife of Bellevue, Wash.; eight grandkids and two great-grandsons.

He was preceded in death by both parents, wife, a sister, and granddaughter, and a very special companion, Doris Jones.