Yes, life is very fragile; anything can happen at any given moment, and it does. Perhaps you are like me, I live my life believing people will live forever—but they don’t. This past Sunday, without warning, we lost a great man. The patriarch of our Fitzgerald family succumbed to complications with his heart. 

In an effort to be supportive, I asked if I could help write the obituary, which I have never done before. What an honor it was to spend the better part of two days thinking and writing about every aspect of my father-in-law’s life. I had to answer questions like “What did he do and why?” It was the “and why” part that really touched my heart. I believe I know him better now than I ever did. When do we ever get a chance to travel through someone’s life, step by step, analyzing each part? 

Everyone should write an obituary at least once in their life. What I found out about Des was that he was fiercely loyal to his family; everything was done for them. He was completely selfless in that regard. He not only wanted them to be provided for and cared for, but he also demanded that they be good people—and they are! And he was sometimes misunderstood. Life isn’t a straight line. His family was his “why.” And to that end, he never ever wavered from his goal. Well done Des, well done! What is your “why?”

With Gratitude,
Beth