KATHLEEN FITZPATRICK

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KATHLEEN FITZPATRICK

(nee SCOTT)

October 8, 1925 - May 24, 2025

With sadness, the family of Kathleen Fitzpatrick announce her passing, four months short of her 100th birthday.

Kathy was born at home on a farm in Ninga, Manitoba on October 8, 1925. She was the youngest child of Irish immigrants Thomas and Mary Ann Scott. There was snow on the ground and they were still harvesting and she always teased her favourite sister Olive, that she was the only child to be born in the new brick house. Her first 12 years of education were spent at both the Ninga and Boissevain Schools. Growing up on a farm in the depression was both fun and a lot of work. When the Second World War began, there was a shortage of labour, and it was extra challenging as her father was injured in a farm accident. She wasn't fond of stooking hay or shovelling grain, and decided she didn't trust cows, but she was strong, she learned a lot, and she used to say the hard work didn't harm her any. She wasn't always at work. She loved playing baseball with her friends, especially when they competed with other towns. She also skated a bit, but she only had her brother's skates, which were four sizes too big, so she claimed she wasn't very good.

Kathy came to the big city of Winnipeg for the first time ever in 1944, to attend the University of Manitoba. Her first year soldiers were still using the university housing so she had to board with a local family whose favourite meal was steak and kidney pie. Kathy couldn't even look at kidney the rest of her life. In her university years, Kathy worked at both Brandon General Hospital and at the hospital in Port Arthur (now Thunder Bay). Kathy enjoyed every minute at U of M and made friends that lasted a lifetime. She attained a Bachelor's Degree in Home Economics in 1948.

Kathy married Robert (Bob) Fitzpatrick at St. George's Anglican Church in Brandon, Manitoba, in November of 1948. They moved to Winnipeg and first lived in a basement suite in a house they managed on Stradbrook Avenue for a year, before deciding to move to the 1950s suburbs and to a small bungalow on Waterford Avenue in Fort Garry. From 1948 to 1950, Kathy worked at the Winnipeg Municipal Hospital (now Riverview Health Centre) at the King Edward Memorial Hospital building, as a dietician. At the time, they treated TB patients. In 1950, Kathy gave birth to her first son, Jack, in Killarney, Manitoba, where she had been evacuated during the massive Red River flood of that year. She had two more sons, named Blake and Mike, in 1953 and 1954. The first years were hard. In 1953, Winnipeg had one of the worst polio epidemics ever seen in North America. Her two oldest sons caught it and Jack was taken to quarantine at the Municipal Hospital a few steps away from where Kathy had worked. Both boys were among the fortunate and recovered, but it was an experience that haunted her through her life. Kathy appreciated her children and made the most of their childhoods. She was the mom that made them matching outfits, which she took lots of pictures of, and threw backyard birthday parties inviting all the neighbourhood kids. She made a point of connecting with family and friends, and they spent weekends and road trips visiting relatives and renting lake cabins. In 1963, they did the Winnipeg tradition of moving a few streets over, to Manchester Boulevard. Bob worked for, and then became one of the owners of Maple Leaf Construction, and he couldn't have done it without the support and hard work of Kathy. They were a strong team.

Kathy was a long-time member of St. Paul's Anglican Church and volunteered for various charities. She was also an avid golfer and curler at the old Wildewood Club for many years.

Kathy and Bob bought a cabin on Gull Lake, Manitoba in the 1960s, and they spent decades of happy summers there, hosting family and friends, and enjoying all the beautiful sunsets over the lake. As their sons got married and had kids, Kathy told them the grandkids could call her anything but granny. Granny it became. She was famous for her chocolate roll cake, "granny's buns", and big family dinners. With three sons and the grandkids, there was always ruffian behavior, and someone was always being chased out of the kitchen and straight outside, with Kathy behind them whipping a tea towel and laughing. She had the kind of house and cabin where there was always a jar of candy and homemade cookies. Family and friends were forever welcome.

They loved to travel, and after Bob sold his Maple Leaf shares to his sons and retired in 1985, he and Kathy downsized to a condo on Swindon Way, and they really started going places. During their marriage, they travelled extensively in the U.S.A. and Ireland, as well as visiting Jamaica and road-tripping through Canada. They loved their car rides but a highlight was a 50th wedding anniversary cruise to Alaska their children surprised them with. Over the years, they began to spend more and more of their winters in Hawaii and then in Victoria, enjoying an escape from the snow.

After Bob became ill, they moved to assisted living, choosing the Portsmouth Retirement Home. After Bob's death in 2013, Kathy remained there until a couple of years ago, when her quality of life and mobility declined, and she needed more care. She spent her last years at Brightwater Senior Living of Tuxedo, until her heart finally ran out of beats and death came to her as a friend. To live a long life is both a blessing and a curse. She lived a good life and she witnessed some wonderful family milestones and world events but she also lost everyone she knew in her youth and endured a great deal of pain. She believed she would be reunited with her loved ones in death and we know they are all together now.

At 99, Kathy was predeceased by her parents, all her siblings (Eileen, Mabel, Tommy, and Olive), her husband Bob, her youngest son Mike, and most of her friends and extended family. She leaves to mourn her sons, Jack (Bev), Blake (Shelley) and her daughter-in-law Cheryl. She also leaves her grandchildren, Mary Ann, Rob (Rhyn), Erin (Scott), Garrett (Laura), Jacquie, and Meghan. Last, known to them as "old granny", she leaves her great-grandchildren, Payton, Charlotte, Drake, Remington, and Kael.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Realcare, Brightwater Senior Living of Tuxedo, and the Grace Hospital for their kindness in taking care of Kathy in her final days. Also, special thanks to Tim Sale and Lorri McInnes for always being there for her.

Cremation has taken place and Kathy will be interred with her husband Bob at Chapel Lawn Cemetery at a private family funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Paul's Anglican Church in Fort Garry.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 14, 2025