Stories of John
Shared by the people who knew him.
I ran into Ellie last night at an Archbishop Carroll function and she told me of this site. I would like to share this story: My family lived two doors away from the Fitzpatrick’s on Shawnee Road. As a kid I was always doing something around the house…
— David Mauer
I remember when Uncle John bought Johnny and Kara an old Bronco to drive. I must have been there around the time he brought it home. I thought that was so cool and they were so lucky. To this day I want to drive a Bronco. And every time I see one I think of…
— Mary Veronica Harrison
I remember being a kid at Uncle John’s house on Spring Hill. Whenever we were in town Kara and I would beg to have a sleepover. I loved going over there. It’s funny because Tommy mentioned that Uncle John showed us some SNL skits in his sleepover memories and…
— Mary Veronica Harrison
For 10 years Harry and I were Uncle John’s “neighbors” in Roxborough. We would run into him at the Acme in Andorra or randomly see him at the Applebees and and end up joining him for dinner. When we moved into our house he showed up with the famous Roxborough…
— Mary Veronica Harrison
John was was first a colleague, but our relationship felt to be more of a father son relationship. He was an excellent mentor. He never hesitated to start a conversation with me, whether it was deeply personal or a work discussion. He provided profound…
— Rick Wilson
Johnny Fitz was certainly a "Man for All Seasons" as he was not only an accomplished attorney, he was a multi talented jack of all trades in his ability to fix almost anything!! An example was his ability on the sail vessel "Alliance" that he captained with…
— Charles F. Gallagher III
I came to know john thru my brother Jerry logue. I developed a nice friendship with John. He helped my brother Jerry after his stroke in 2022. He was a true friend to Jerry , I admired him so much . He will be truly missed.
— Michael Logue
We are heartbroken by the sudden loss of such a kind and caring man. John was always there for the Fry family, whenever we needed help. He gave his time, his advice, and his support so generously, always making us feel secure. As a lawyer, he was someone we…
— Vicki (Fry) and Bob Spiller
The summer of 2007, Annie and I were at a party in Stone Harbor, and Christina was at a party in Wildwood. And unfortunately for us, we all somehow managed to get ourselves into a little trouble that same night that left us needing some legal representation…
— Mattie Siegfried
I will add to Mimi’s accordion lessons story: once in a while Mom would have John take me with him to his lesson. I don’t remember Mimi being there. I guess I was about six or seven years old. It was truly an adventure to get on the P&W to ride down to 69th…
— Michael Fitz
John and I were kindred souls when it came to music. He had a great ear. Maybe it was our Uncle John’s interest in music that piqued ours. From the time we were six or seven, John and I wanted a piano but we settled for accordions. Uncle John bought one for…
— Mimi Rice
Classmate of John's at the Prep all four years. Always a smile. I chuckled when I just found the note by his picture in our senior yearbook..."To the only kid who always copied my math homework. Good luck! Fitz" Rest in peace, Fitz.
— Brian King
My heartfelt condolences to the Fitzpatrick family! My first job as a lawyer was with the law firm that eventually became MDF. John was down the hall from me and he was a wonderful mentor to me. He was very smart and creative in his arguments. I'll always…
— Carol Solfanelli
I’ve been thinking through lots of my memories with Uncle John, but mostly I keep coming back to the way he made me feel. He made me feel loved, funny, important, and always supported. I’ll remember the all things we did together, beach days, boat days…
— Annie Fitzpatrick Davison
Here is a a remembrance from my brother-in-law John Kelliher about my brother John: Sad news indeed. I remember playing guitar with John in your backyard in Dauphin. He showed me the chords to the Van Morrison song “Moon Dance.” He had such a relaxed…
— Anne Fitzpatrick Kelliher
As I recall, in the summer of 1978 John, Joe Ryan, John Cox and Marty Malloy took a trip to Ireland. I guess it was a 10 Day excursion to Galway and towns and cities north and east of Galway. They returned in late August to an Avalon house on the 24th Street…
— Michael Fitz
John and I shared a lot in common: St. Joseph's, the practice of law, and, most importantly, three wonderful grandchildren. We spent countless hours together on the sidelines of baseball, soccer, and rugby fields cheering on Liam, Benny, and Sunny. John never…
— Edward Fox
I have been best friends with John's brother Mike, who we all call Fitz, since the first grade. My fondest memory of Fitz's big brother, John, is when Fitz and I were in grade school and John was probably in college at St. Joe's. Every now and then, John…
— Tom Parker
John was a charmer, that smile, the bright eyes, his smarts “… could win over any jury”, as Mom would say, and he did --- many times! But way before the courtroom, John was turning eyes and touching hearts! As a young girl, I heard lots of compliments about…
— Ellie Fitzpatrick
John and I started our careers in the mid-1970s at the office of Joe Thompson as house counsel for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. It was a different era: no computers, no Internet, no e-mail. We had telephones but they sat on our desk. One of Liberty's…
— Bill McGovern
John owned a few cars that you would charitably describe as junkers. One of them needed a running start to get up a hill. There was another one that became even more memorable. We drove it to the shore one night. Our routine was to drive to the shore at night…
— George Alburger
My memories with Uncle John begin with our Fitzpatrick annual Christmas parties at Grammy’s. When we were all younger we would sing the 12 days of Christmas together. Uncle John was always the lead band member either his guitar or the piano. I was always so…
— Tom Fitzpatrick
During Covid I got back into painting. I started with a self portrait, and insanely enough my house burnt down soon thereafter. I never painted a self portrait again, but kept painting portraits of my kids, and my sister, anyone I could get a very clear and…
— Kara Fox
Christmas of 2024, I decided I wanted to do a light arch on the trees my parents have over the path leading up to the house. My dad and I used what we had and threw a string tied to a ball over and over to get the lights around, laughing and promising that…
— Christina Fitzpatrick
Uncle John was like a second father to me. He was my Dad’s best friend, my godfather, my confirmation sponsor, and the person I most looked forward to seeing at Fitzpatrick family gatherings. He was a constant, loving, and fun presence throughout my…
— Charles Fitzpatrick IV
My Brother John He knew what you needed before you even knew, be it a hug, a smile, a lesson in how to tie your shoes, or how to carry on. Often times, his communication technique was done in John’s quiet way – showing how much he loved you, how much believed…
— Anne Fitzpatrick Kelliher
John, a left handed writer, who took great pride in his horrible handwriting. While taking a test in law school, in his last semester of third year, he finished the test which was handwritten in a blue book. He returned home and an hour or two later, received…
— His brother Charles
John and I were both new lawyers together at Joe Thompson's firm, part of Liberty Mutual in 1974 - 1976. Our offices were close to each other. We went to lunch frequently and to McGillian's after work from time to time. My chief memory though of John was his…
— Steve Harlen
With deepest sympathy, please accept my condolences. John was a rare individual with a very kind heart. He will be missed.
— Ruthie Jane Henry
Being the oldest cousin on the Walsh side with Mary, my godmother, and Mother being close sisters, I have many fond memories of time with the Fitzpatricks - especially Charlie, John and Mimi. I spent a lot of time with them in the Overbrook apartment and then…
— Peggy Campbell Gadapee
Over a winter break, my brother, John, and I were in town. We decided to do a cover of one of Dad’s (and my) favorites as a punk song. “And It Stoned Me” was echoing throughout the house at 2x speed, with John on guitar and me singing. Dad came over and got…
— Christina Fitzpatrick
The first year I met John he called me Matt, along with Ben and Liam as some sort of Fitzpatrick hazing ritual. He also tried to enter my house through my family room window one time after the cops were called when I did the same after being locked out. But…
— Mike Davison
My dad randomly loved the show ‘Pimp My Ride’. I remember when he asked to put it on for the first time, I was so surprised. It just seemed so out of character. But then, whenever we were channel surfing and it was on, we would watch. Just me, my dad, and…
— Christina Fitzpatrick
My dad was a storyteller down to his bones. His favorite one starred him and his brother Charles as two washed-up cowboys who’d hung up their spurs sometime around 1962. He never explained the timeline, or why nobody else in the family remembered a decade in…
— Kara Fox
My Dad had a knack for doing things the hard way. He did not like a short cut. When I turned 16 he found a used Saab for my brother John and I to share. Only problem, for me, was that it was a stick shift. No problem for him, just another lesson to share…
— Kara Fox
Some of my favorite memories of Uncle John are in the Outer Banks. He loved the beach and playing with us all. He used to always do great sand castles or art on the sand. The best was when he would make me and Christina mermaid tails made of sand. I also…
— Annie Fitzpatrick Davison
My dad asked us to send pics and stories—I have so many stories, but my favorite one is that when Mike and I (Annie) moved into our house in Havertown we didn’t have keys yet and Mike was locked out so he went through the window to get in and someone called…
— Annie Fitzpatrick Davison
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Story 1 of 37, from David Mauer
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John A. Fitzpatrick
A Man for Others