Ann Marie Fitzpatrick

Ann Marie Fitzpatrick (nee Freidel) passed away after long illness in Los Angeles, California, on October 10, 2025.

Ann was born in Wisconsin on December 18, 1942, the daughter of Leonard and Agnes Freidel, and the younger sister of Rosalie and Jim. The family moved to Portland, Oregon, shortly after Ann's birth. Though she moved away in adulthood, her hometown of Portland remained near to her heart, and she often spoke of the natural beauty of the area. She loved the trees and forests, the river gorge, the mountains. Most of all, though, she loved her large extended family in Oregon, and enjoyed visiting them as often as she could throughout the years.

In 1966, Ann married Christopher Martin Fitzpatrick, a recent immigrant from Ireland, and they began their life together in the Los Angeles area. Their children, Melissa and Chris, were born during this time, and the family moved to San Diego in 1971. Ann was a devoted mother who sewed clothes and toys for her children, baked their birthday cakes, cheered them on at soccer games. She could always be counted on to make the holidays special, whether by baking stollen at Christmas, or painting beautiful eggs at Easter-time, or making shamrock hats for St. Patrick's Day.

Ann was still a young mother when her husband Chris's kidneys failed. She obtained training so that he could dialyze at home, rather than having to go to a dialysis center. Three nights a week, she would set up the dialysis machine before Chris got home from work. She would help him get dialysis started, and while he dialyzed, she got dinner on the table, and made sure the kids got to bed on time.

Ann loved children, and worked for several years at Atonement Lutheran Preschool, where, in addition to working with the children, she made lifelong friends. She later was a teacher's aide with San Diego Unified School District, where she worked with children with special needs.

Ann was passionate about travel. Over the years, she visited Ireland, England, Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Japan, among others. In the years after her husband's death in 1994, she hosted students from around the world who were in San Diego to learn English. She stayed in touch with many of them, and visited several of them in their home countries.

She was a gregarious person who made friends wherever she went. Her friends were important to her, and she kept in touch with old friends from childhood, from her children's school days, from work, from exercise class at the pool, from volunteering at Mama's Kitchen. Once you were Ann's friend, you were likely to be her friend for life.

Ann was devoted to her family. She was close to her sister Rosalie, and with her nieces and nephews in Oregon. She was always there for Melissa and Chris when they needed her. And she was a proud and loving grandmother to Alaina and Cormac.

Over the years, Ann contended with multiple medical issues that led to numerous hospitalizations. With each setback, she was determined to get through it and go on. Life was precious to her, and she wanted to keep enjoying life as long as she could.

Ann is survived by her children, Melissa Haylock (Luke) and Chris Fitzpatrick (Jazmin); grandchildren Alaina Haylock and Cormac Fitzpatrick; and her sister Rosalie Newman.

A celebration of life will be held in San Diego at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to Mama's Kitchen in San Diego, where Ann volunteered for many years. More information can be found at mamaskitchen.org

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