UT Fitzgerald

UT Fitzgerald was born on April 5, 1940, in Pulaski, TN to Pearl Evelyn Muse Fitzgerald and James Thomas Fitzgerald.  He grew up in Pulaski with his siblings, Thomas Calvin Fitzgerald (deceased), Vera Joyce Chaffin (deceased), Mary Louise Lane (deceased), and Barbara Ann Cole.  As a kid, UT loved fishing and being outdoors with many fond memories of playing with friends and working on the family owned and operated Fitzgerald Dairy Farm.  UT attended Giles County High School, and went on to complete Steam Engineering School in Great Lakes, Illinois.  UT enlisted in the United States Navy in 1962, and completed his Basic Training in San Diego California that same year.  He was a Machinist Mate in the engine room on the USS Saratoga out of Norfolk, Virginia.  He traveled all over the world to interesting ports while on active duty, including Italy.  He was part of the Saratoga crew on high alert, and poised off the coast of Cuba in the Bay of Pigs during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  He served his full term of 3 years and completed his tour prior to the start of the Vietnam conflict.  Upon completing his tour with the Navy, he returned home in the spring of 1965.  He initially took a job as a foreman at a shirt factory in Pulaski, TN.  Soon after he took a position at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL, researching rocket propellant that would later be used for the Space Shuttle.  His company transferred him to Louisville, KY in 1968, and he and his family have remained there ever since.  UT met Betty Lou Hefner while she was attending Martin College (now University of Tennessee-Southern).  They were married on June 26, 1966, and celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary just this year.  They welcomed their beautiful daughter Susan Beth on January 27, 1969, and lived a good life together in Mount Washington, KY.  They were blessed with two wonderful grandchildren, Holly Lisabeth Phillips and Joshua Cary Fitzgerald Phillips.  UT loved gardening and was very proud of his wonderful tomatoes.  He loved being outdoors in general and enjoyed woodworking for many years.  He also loved to give back to those in need, and volunteered over the years with Post 220 of the American Legion.  UT and Betty loved traveling together and were able to make trips all over the world including Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Germany, Brazil, Thailand, Hong Kong, Egypt, Alaska, and Hawaii.  UT was a devoted husband, loving father, and doting grandfather.  He loved his family deeply.  All who knew him thought UT to be a kind and generous man.  He had integrity, fortitude, and compassion.  He was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, and held strong to his faith.  Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Thursday, August 1, 2024 at McFarland-Troutman-Proffitt Funeral Home with burial to follow in the Mount Washington Cemetery.  Friends may visit from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and after 9 a.m. Thursday.  Memorial gifts are suggested to Hosparus of Louisville or Glioblastoma Foundation, P.O. Box 62066, Durham, NC 27715 (glioblastomafoundation.org)

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