Bernadette Joan Fitzsimmons

ST. JOSEPH – Bernadette Joan Fitzsimmons, 79, of St. Joseph, passed away on Saturday, March 17, 2007, at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 26, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Benton Harbor with Father Bill Jacobs officiating. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Friends may visit with the family from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday at Kerley-Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home in St. Joseph where a prayer service will be held at 5:00 p.m. Memorial donations may be made to the Catholic Community Center. Notes of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.starks-menchinger.com. Joan, as she was known by her friends, was born on April 20, 1927, in Mason City, Iowa, to Lloyd and Isabel Mary (Findlay) Evans. . On October 21, 1948, she married Floyd “Fitz” Erin Fitzsimmons, Jr. who preceded her in death on July 8, 1983. Her husband, Fitz, was the son of local sports promoter, Floyd Fitzsimmons, Sr., who in the 1920’s and 1930’s promoted numerous sporting events throughout the Midwest. The premier event for local sports buffs was the 1920 World Boxing Heavyweight Championship held at the House of David in Benton Harbor, Michigan in which Jack Dempsey fought Billy Miske and won by a knockout in the third round. Joan was employed at the United States Post Office in St. Joseph, and retired from Whirlpool Corporation. In her retirement she worked with several community programs including The Loft, The Priscilla Byrns Heritage Center and the Salvation Army where she was friend to many of the youth that participated in those programs. Joan was loved by her family and surrounded herself with her children and grandchildren. In recent years, Joan suffered from Alzheimer’s Disease and resided with her daughter, Erin Skeans, who lovingly cared for her. She was a member of SS. John & Bernard Parish. She is survived by her children, Floyd “John” Fitzsimmons, Michele Fitzsimmons, Mary (Joseph) Margol, Erin Skeans, and Laura Barber; a brother, Joseph (Irene) Evans; two sisters, Patricia Diebold and Jean Herring; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and a daughter, Kathy “Katie” Quattrin.