James "Fitz" Donald Fitzpatrick

James Donald Fitzpatrick Jr – “Fitz” to just about everybody - was born on May 23, 1957, in Baltimore, Maryland. Raised in Irvington and Catonsville, he was a 1975 graduate of Catonsville High School where he played soccer and baseball. He attended the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) - initially seeking a degree in business. After a brief hiatus (and often-referenced stint at The Chesapeake Paperboard Co.), Fitz returned to UMBC, changed focus, and graduated with a degree in education.

Fitz started his teaching career at Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick County. There he also started his coaching career with the school’s JV Men’s Soccer team. He transferred to Linganore High School when the opportunity to move to a varsity coaching job arose. As legend has it, the principal at Linganore had a tradition of asking new teachers to introduce themselves and share a few words at the year’s first faculty meeting. When Fitz’s turn came, he stood up, introduced himself and said, “I’m here to coach soccer and maybe teach a class or two.” Oddly, that was the last year for that particular tradition.

After a long tenure at Linganore with stints coaching men’s and women’s soccer, a chance meeting at an “It’s Academic” taping led to a return to his alma mater. Fitz came back to Catonsville High to teach Advanced Placement European History and Advanced Placement Psychology. Of course, there was no keeping Fitz off of the soccer sideline for long, and he soon took the helm of Catonsville High’s Women’s Soccer team. In 2013, he took the team to the state championship game. It was a moment and a team that he always held as a highlight in a distinguished coaching career. Fitz served as head coach until 2018 when he took over as Catonsville’s Athletic Director and served until retiring in 2020. He was named to the Catonsville Recreation and Parks Hall of Fame in 2005 and a Catonsville High School Distinguish Alumnus in 2019.

The only thing to surpass Fitz’s love of coaching and teaching was clearly his love for his wife of 40 years, Kathy (nee Deeley). The pair were married in 1984 after what can only be described as a “whirlwind” courtship of seven years. Fitz maintained that he knew he was going to marry Kathy after the 1983 World Series. He held two tickets to an Orioles home game of the series and had to decide who to bring with the second. “I had to decide if she was worth a World Series ticket,” Fitz would share years later, “Once I decided that, then asking her to marry me was an easy decision.”

The couple made their home in Catonsville where they raised two sons – Timothy Ryan and James Donald III (Jay). Fitz was a dedicated father and spent a lot of time coaching the boy’s rec sports teams and building Lego with them. The family spent many summers working soccer camps together and traveling. A highpoint in their summer adventures was making it to games at every major league ballpark over the course of eleven summers from 2000 to 2011. Fitz also took great joy in being a grandfather to three grandsons James Donald IV, Michael Anthony, and Matthew Joseph.  [The family also has two dogs – Corby and Darby – who are living validation of the axiom that there’s no greater love than that between a grumpy husband/father and the dog he said he didn’t want.] In addition to his love of his family, Fitz was a life-long fan of the Baltimore Orioles and Notre Dame football. He also never met a lemon pie he didn’t like.

Fitz was predeceased by his parents, James Donald Fitzpatrick Sr and Joan Fitzpatrick as well as his sister Kathleen Brigid Davison. In addition to his wife, sons, and grandsons, Fitz is also survived by his daughter-in-law, Catherine "Katie" Elizabeth Fitzpatrick and siblings John Thomas Fitzpatrick, Mary Ellen Eaves, Christina Rose Gilman, and Peter Joseph Fitzpatrick and a slew of cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Family and friends may gather for a celebration of life at the Candle Light Funeral Home, 1835 Frederick Rd. Catonsville, MD 21228 on Saturday, November 30, 2024 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, with the memorial service taking place at 12:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donation be made to the Catonsville High School Comet Booster Club