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Douglas Fitzgerald, 77, of Franklin died March 27 at the Hope Health Hulitar Hospice in Providence following a long illness. He was the husband of Suzanne C. (Webber) Fitzgerald for the past 55 years.
Born in Natick, July 23,1948, the son of the late Reginald and Helen (Lord) Fitzgerald, Douglas was raised in Natick.
He graduated Natick High School (1966), the United States Naval Academy (1970) , and earned a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.
He lived with his family in Franklin beginning in 1977, returning in 2017 after a short time in Uxbridge.
Doug served in the Navy for six years, during the Vietnam War, retiring as a Lieutenant.
Following his naval service , Doug worked in defense contracting for many years before retiring in 2009.
He loved reading ,traveling, baseball - especially Ted Williams- and being part of his daughters activities when they were young and his grandchildren actives later on.
Following his retirement, Doug enjoyed woodworking and making furniture.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters, Kara Rutledge and her husband Mathew of Northborough and Kelly McCraw and her husband Joseph of San Luis Obispo, California.
He is also survived by his sister Deborah Abbott of West Creek, New Jersey and his grandchildren, Jackson and Shea Rutledge.
His funeral service will be held on Tuesday April 7 in the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin (ginleyfuneralhomes.com) 131 Main Street, Franklin at Noon.
Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Franklin.
Visitation will be on Tuesday April 7 from 10:00-noon .
In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkin’s Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741.give.michaeljfox.org.
