Betty Fitzgerald

Betty L. Fitzgerald, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 23, 2022.  Born in October 1935, in Washington, D.C. to her late parents, Thomas F. Kelley and Eula Lee (Windham) Kelley Mitchell, she was raised in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She married and had four children, Leigh Ann Hurt and partner Philip Riddell, Wyatt Hurt, Ashley (Hurt) Eifler and Stephen Hurt. Later, she married John S. Fitzgerald, the love of her life, who had two sons, Mark and wife Missy and the late Michael Fitzgerald.

After attending Mississippi University for Women for one year, Betty volunteered as an American Red Cross nurses’ aide in Bethesda, Maryland, and several years later served as the secretary to the Director of the New Haven, Connecticut, Chapter of the Red Cross. Later in her life after moving to Uvalde in 2000, she became Branch Manager for the Red Cross, serving five counties in the Texas Hill Country, and continued to remain active.

In 2016, she received the American Red Cross Clara Barton Award, one of the highest national honors for volunteers; and in 2019, she was recognized as a Volunteer of the Year by the Kerrville Branch. While she always was humble about her contributions, she loved her Red Cross adventures but most importantly, she loved helping people.

Betty’s career also included work as a legal secretary for many years in Springfield, Massachusetts, for several firms, and prior to that, as an assistant in broadcasting in Hartford, Connecticut. Her last job was at the now former Uvalde Antiques and Action Plumbing.

“Mimi” as her grandchildren called her made friends everywhere she went. She accepted everyone, flaws and all, and she loved her family so much. The whole city of Uvalde knew what all her children and grandchildren were up to and when we were coming to town because she was so proud of all of us.

One of her favorite sayings was “Bless them, change me”. This was something that she truly lived by. Mimi was a one-of-a-kind. She loved with her whole heart. She dreamed her big adventures and loved her simple moments watching the deer, rabbits, birds, road runners, and butterflies on her back porch.

She is preceded in heaven by her parents, including her stepfather, Richard Mitchell, and stepmother, Adele Kelley, son, Michael Fitzgerald, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.

In addition to her loving husband Jack, and children, she leaves a brother, Gordon Perry; 12 grandchildren – Maxwell Fuller, Elizabeth Hurt, London Hurt, Luke Hurt, Thomas O. Eifler, Christopher Eifler, Alaina Eifler, Eloise Eifler, Jake Hurt, Justin Hurt, Jaqueline Hurt and Jaelyn Hurt; as well as Edward Riddell, Tamsyn Riddell and Sophie Allen, several cousins and numerous nephews and nieces, all of whom she loved dearly.

The celebration of Betty’s life will be held on Saturday, January 29, at 11:00am at St Philip’s Episcopal Church in Uvalde. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to St Philip’s Episcopal Church , your local hospice, or The American Red Cross.