Francis Fitzgerald

Francis was born on July 14, 1924 in James City (Kane), Elk County, Pennsylvania. He was the 12th child of the the late William and Catherine Irons. Shortly after his birth, Francis was adopted by his aunt and uncle, the late Francis and Ione Fitzgerald.

In 1943, he enlisted in the US Army for the duration of WWII. He was deployed to the European Theater as part of the 87th Infantry division. He earned the EAME medal and the Purple Heart Medal for wounds sustained during the “Battle of the Bulge”. Francis was honorably discharged after attaining the rank of 2nd Lt. in 1946. Three months later, he was married to Helen Steffan at St. Michael’s Greek Catholic Church in Sheffield, PA. He was briefly recalled to service 19481949 as a 1st Lt., and ultimately remained an active Army reserve officer until 1954.

In 1950, he received an Accounting & General Business degree from Warren Business School. Francis worked at The Penna. Gas Company, B.C. Weiser Ford, Sylvania Electric Products, Struthers Wells Corp., R.W. Norris Co., and The Bureau of Employment Security before starting at National Forge Company as Industrial Relations Supervisor in 1959. He worked there for many years as the Director of Human Resources. In the mid1990s, Francis resigned to become the Vice President of Human Relations at Northwest Savings Bank, where he remained until his retirement.

Francis was a member of the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, and a charter member and former president of the Sheffield Rod and Gun Club. He also enjoyed coaching youth baseball and spending many hours at his hunting camp, “The Ponderosa”, with his close friends and family.

Francis is survived by 2 children: Thomas (Ingrid) Fitzgerald of Warren, and Cynthia “Cindy” (Lee) Sondericker of Bridgeport, WV; 7 grandchildren: Adam (Jennifer) Sondericker of Mount Clare, WV, Kara Tustin & John Bargo of Bridgeport, WV, Matthew “Matt” Fitzgerald, Andrew “Andy” (Katharine) Fitzgerald of Hamilton, ON Canada, Austin Fitzgerald & Melissa “Missy” Weirich of Warren, Sue (Austin) Smith of Brooklyn, NY, and Steve (Kelly) Smith of Warren; 7 greatgrandchildren: Ethan Tustin, Jeremy Tustin, Sydney Bargo, James “Jay” Sondericker, Lee Owen Sondericker, McKenna Fitzgerald, and Willem Fitzgerald; 5 sisters: Mary Lou (George) Gigliotti of Bradford, Ruth Boyle of Duke Center, LaWanda Livak of Salamanca, N.Y., Isie Iona “Peg” Irons of Atlanta, GA, and Ella Elizabeth (Robert) Kaczmarek of Duke Center; and 1 brother: James (Mary Lou) Irons of Eldred. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife and 5 brothers Thomas (Thom), Gilbert (Gib), Gordon (Gord), William, and Rex Irons.

Family will be receiving friends on Wednesday March 22, 2010 from 2:00pm to 4:00 PM and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Borden Funeral Home, 203 W Main St, Sheffield, PA. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. Thursday at the funeral home. Burial will follow on Thursday March 21 in Sheffield Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Sheffield Public Library and the Erie VA Medical Center.