Eileen Fitzpatrick, 99, Caring Mother,
Grandmother and Great-Grandmother
Eileen Mitchell Fitzpatrick, 99, of Long Beach Island and Watchung, passed away peacefully on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025.
Eileen was born on January 8, 1926 in Passaic, N.J., to William Patrick Mitchell and Dora C. Mitchell (née Dyt). She was predeceased by her parents; her husband of 59 years, Joseph W. Fitzpatrick, and her siblings, William C. Mitchell and Dorothy Mitchell Keegan.
Eileen is survived by her sons, Michael of Aghaboe, Ireland and Taos, N.M., Brian (Diana) of Fair Play, Calif., and William (Patricia) of Westfield, N.J.; her niece, Patricia Keegan Abels; nephews, Mark Sullivan (Rose) and Brian Sullivan, and seven grandchildren, Katie Fitzpatrick Jalquin (David), Molly Fitzpatrick Carter (Ben), Megan Fitzpatrick Stauffer (Matt), Thomas Fitzpatrick (Kathleen O’Neill), Jeanne Fitzpatrick, Maggie Fitzpatrick and Billy Fitzpatrick. She is also survived by three great-grandchildren, Ryan Jalquin, Ava Stauffer and Liam Carter.
Eileen lived in Passaic, N.J., from birth through her wedding day in 1949. She attended St. Nicholas Grammar School and then The Academy of Saint Elizabeth in Convent Station, where she was awarded a full academic and boarding scholarship.
After graduation, Eileen worked as a bilingual secretary in New York City at McKesson & Robbins, and notably for David Rockefeller at Chase Manhattan Bank until 1950, when she moved with her husband to the USMC base at Camp Pendleton, Calif., during the Korean Conflict. After raising her children in Oradell, Eileen began a 16-year career as the office manager for Flight Operations of American Cyanamid Company at Teterboro Airport.
Eileen retired with her husband in 1986 to Long Beach Island, where she lived for 35 years until moving to McAuley Health Care Center on the campus of Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung. For many years, she enjoyed trips to Ireland, Mexico, California and New Mexico, and was an active member of the LBI Garden Club and the Long Beach Island Library, where she alternated between reading novels in English and Spanish. She used her Spanish-language skills to translate homilies at Mass in Mexico, to assist with cooking classes there, and to help immigrants in Ocean County. She also volunteered at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Southern Ocean County Hospital. She had a keen interest in her children and especially loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at the beach.
A memorial gathering will be held at Dooley Colonial Home, 556 Westfield Avenue, Westfield, N.J., on Friday, April 25, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Eileen’s Memorial Funeral Mass will be celebrated at the Holy Trinity Church, 315 First Street, Westfield, on Saturday, April 26, at 9:30 a.m. The burial of Eileen’s ashes will take place at a later date in Long Beach Island. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to The Academy of Saint Elizabeth, 2 Convent Road, Convent Station, N.J. 07961, or Saint Francis Parish, 4700 Long Beach Blvd., Long Beach, N.J. 08008.
April 24, 2025
