James Daniel Fitzgerald (1891-1945)

FITZGERALD, HEINTZ, GREGG

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:11

From Nevada Evening Journal April 10, 1945 (page 3)

Last Rites Held This Morning For J. D. Fitzgerald

Funeral services for James D. Fitzgerald, 54, native son of Story county, who passed away early Saturday morning in the hospital at Leon, Ia. were held this morning at 10 o'clock at St. Patrick's Catholic church with the Reverend James D. Mahoney officiating.

Alma Baldus presided at the organ playing softly during the reading of the requiem mas by Father Mahoney and accompanying when she and Raymond O'Donnell sang appropriate hymns during the service. Mr. O'Donnell sang as a solo "O Take Me to Thy Sacred Heart."

The pall bearers were Mrs. Fitzgerald's five brothers, Lew A., Harold, George, Fred and Edward Heintz and her brother-in-law, Roy F. O'Donnell, the latter of Ames.

Burial was in the St. Patrick's cemetery. Following the brief service at the graveside the firing squad from American Legion Post, No. 48 fired the salute followed by taps.

A Rosary service was held at the Morfoot Funeral Home last evening at 8 p. m. In attendance at this service was Mrs. Fitzgerald and her daughter Evelyn of Leon, her son Donald and wife of Ames and her son Pvt. Robert Fitzgerald who arrived home early Monday morning from Camp Hood, Texas where he is training in the Infantry.

Others here from a distance for this service were Miss Pauline Wagner of Garden Grove, fiance of Pvt. Robert Fitzgerald, Mrs. Jim Fitzgerald, Emmett Fitzgerald, Mr. and Mrs. F. P. Lyden and daughter June, Mrs. Thomas Fitzgerald and daughter Mary Jane all of Des Moines; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Fitzgerald of Collins, Mr. and Mrs. Pat Fitzgerald of Colo, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Kinsella of Ames; Mr. and Mrs. R. F. O'Donnell of Ames and possibly others.

Among the immediate family of the deceased here for the funeral service this morning was his sister Kathryn, Mrs. George Gregg who arrived last night from Santa Ana, California.

Born Near Nevada

James D. Fitzgerald, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Michael Fitzgerald and grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Fitzgerald pioneer residents of Story County, was born on a farm near the Fitzgerald homestead, on January 18, 1891.

He attended the Nevada schools and also attended Iowa State Teachers' college, Cedar Falls and the Capital City Commercial college in Des Moines.

He was a veteran of World War I having been for eight months at Camp Pike, now Camp Robinson.

He was married to Miss Marguerite Heintz on Oct. 8, 1919 at St. Patrick's church in this city by the late Rev. Michael Nicholls and last fall he and Mrs. Fitzgerald celebrated their silver wedding anniversary.

Following their marriage they lived for three years on the Hopkins farm north of Nevada then moved to the Fitzgerald Homestead south of Nevada where they lived for 14 years.

After spending three months in California they returned to Nevada and eventually back to the farm until they purchased a farm five years ago in the southern part of the state. Their farm was near Garden Grove and Leon in Decatur county.

Mr. Fitzgerald had been in poor health for the past year and a half and last January 31 entered the Leon hospital for surgery. He had apparently recovered until two weeks before Easter when he was again taken ill and re-entered the Leon hospital a week ago last Thursday where he passed away quite suddenly from an embolism early Saturday morning.

Military Service.

A military memorial services was held in his honor at the Stewart Funeral Home in Leon Sunday afternoon at 3 p. m. This service was in charge of Point La Grove Post, No. 450 of Garden Grove of which he was commander and the Leon Legion Post. The Rev. Father Schuman, chaplain, conducted the full military service which was largely attended after which the body was brought to Nevada.

The deceased is survived by his wife, Marguerite Heintz Fitzgerald, two sons, Donald of Ames and Pvt. Robert of Camp Hood, Texas, and by his daughter Evelyn a freshman in high school.

He is also survived by his sister, Kathryn Fitzgerald Gregg of Santa Ana, California. His brother Michael passed away May 1935. The father died in March of the same year and the mother during their residence in Marshalltown a number of years before. The parents and brother are buried in the Riverside cemetery in Marshalltown.

A large number of relatives and friends were in Nevada this morning for the last rites at St. Patrick's church.