Earl Fitzgerald - dad, papa, son, brother and friend - passed away Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, due to complications related to lung cancer.
Earl was born June 12, 1950, to Leatrice Moody and John Francis Fitzgerald in Lewiston. He was raised in Clarkston with his brother and sister on the family farm. He attended Holy Family Catholic School, graduating from Clarkston High School in 1968. He received a business degree from Lewis-Clark State College in 1971 while working at Paulucci's Shoes in Lewiston.
Earl married Kristine Campbell in 1972. Together they had a daughter, Danielle Marie. That marriage later ended in divorce. He married Laurie Jensen in 1993. They had a daughter, Tierney Jane, and later divorced in 2010. After that, he decided to focus on taking care of the family farm.
In addition to his love for his daughters, he had a boundless love for farming and taking care of his cows. While owning and operating Peola Farms in Clarkston, he was able to farm his entire life. He would have never stopped, but he was forced to due to his physical conditions. Earl loved his cattle and took pride in the Angus herd that he had built over the years. Recently, one of the things he enjoyed most was to drive out to see the "nursery," which he called the baby calves that ran around in the field.
Earl was a supporter of the Asotin County Fair. He spent more than two decades on the Asotin County Livestock Sales Committee. During that time, he also supported his daughters in their 4-H journeys. In the last few years, he enjoyed supporting his grandchildren in their projects at the Latah County Fair. Earl was a member of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers and the Moose Lodge No. 751.
Earl had a lot of great friendships throughout the years. He always welcomed friends to stop by the shop and have a beer. He had an infectious smile and a distinctive laugh that you could hear across the room. Earl never asked for help but was always willing to lend a hand when needed. Thank you to his close friends who were there to help the last year of his life.
Earl will be missed tremendously by his daughters, Tierney Fitzgerald of Clarkston and Danielle (Chad) Heimgartner of Juliaetta; grandkids Harley, Mercedes and Hank Heimgartner of Juliaetta; his mother, Leatrice Fitzgerald of Clarkston; brother Jim (Chris) Fitzgerald of Cheney, Wash.; sister Jeanette Bemis of Federal Way, Wash.; and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.
He was preceded in death by his father, John Francis Fitzgerald.
Celebration Mass will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Holy Family Catholic Church in Clarkston.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Joseph Cancer Center.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home.
