Colleen Anne Fitzsimmons, age 86, passed away on February 7th, 2021 in Walnut Creek, CA. Colleen was born (1934) and raised in Los Angeles, the second of four children of parents Jack and Helene (Dory) Crowley. She attended Catholic Girls High School, where she captained the basketball team and played on the volleyball and swim teams, graduating in 1952. She also attended UCLA, where she earned a degree in Education in 1956. After college, she taught 6th grade at the 54th Street Elementary School and worked as a bookkeeper for a produce broker before committing her full-time effort to raising her family.
Colleen married James Edward (“Ed”) Fitzsimmons in 1958, her devoted husband, who was at her side ever since and at the time of her passing. In addition to Ed, she is survived by her sister Joan Mahoney and her five children, Celeste, Katie Goodman, Tom, Tim and Michael. She also leaves behind four grandchildren (Emma, Jamie, Declan, and Jack) whom she held very dear. She was predeceased by her brothers Jack and Tom Crowley.
Colleen was a loving, caring wife for over 62 years, and as the mother of five children, brought her formidable management and organization skills and an active, nurturing role to so much of their schooling and extracurricular activities. After her children were grown, her love of family led her into genealogy research, and she enjoyed traveling with Ed on several active, educational Elderhostel vacations. She had and passed on to her children a thirst for knowledge and life-long learning.
Colleen was a strong and devout Catholic, and she lived her faith through countless acts of kindness, such as volunteering her sewing skills (which clothed and costumed her own children for years) to help families at Concord’s Bay Area Crisis Nursery, and knitting custom hats for friends and parishioners who were undergoing chemotherapy and for premature infant departments in hospitals around the country. She also volunteered as a mentor for elementary students at St. Francis of Assisi school in Concord.
In the final years of her life, Colleen suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. In that time, she was lovingly, attentively cared for by her daughter, Celeste and devoted caregivers Irma Mask, Catherine Hult, Margaret Kreis, Cindy Ramsey and Jacky Areas.
Humble and kind, intelligent and strong, generous of spirit, and utterly dedicated to family, Colleen’s beautiful example and memory will always be cherished by all who knew her.
The memorial mass is restricted by pandemic protocols but may be viewed on the St. Francis of Assisi Church, Concord Facebook page on February 25th at 11:00 AM. Instead of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to a charity of your choice dedicated to helping children in need.
