Mary "Dotty" Fitzgerald

Mary Dorothy McMorrow was born on October 15, 1935, and left us for heaven after a long battle with dementia on June 4, 2023. Known by her nickname, Dotty, she suffered no fools. She was a straight shooter and thought she was always the best-looking person in the room. Yes, she was and also the best dressed!

Dotty married her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Jack Fitzgerald, in 1953. Jack joined the Navy as an officer and took Dotty on the ride of her life for 30 years. They traveled from Weymouth, Massachusetts, to Northern and Southern California, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Italy, Washington, D.C., and Hawaii. Epic tales of adventure include:

• Rickshaw races in Hong Kong.

• Unauthorized ship-to-shore calls placed by Dotty and her brother-in-law! Ooops!

• Elegant events followed by singing on pianos and dancing all night long at Officer's Clubs.

It was a love story for the ages.

During her early travels, Dotty's bespoke suits, dresses, and hats were tailored at the finest Asian ateliers. Her confidence and impeccable wardrobe helped her to break the stereotype of what a wife and mother could be and look like in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Dotty understood the power of confidence coupled with being well-dressed. Together, they can change your attitude and your life for the better. She lived by that philosophy until the last day of her life at 87 years old with her nails polished, hair coiffed, and wearing a sporty tracksuit and sparkling Ugg shoes.

While glamorous, life as an officer's wife was rife with challenges. She met them fearlessly with grace, tenacity, and courage. These traits also carried her through her multiple health issues. (Breast cancer x 2, emergency appendectomy, infections post-surgery, wearing a wound vacuum for six months, back surgery, heart valve replacement, etc.)

Dotty and Jack eventually settled in Kailua, Hawaii, a quaint bedroom community of Honolulu on the windward side of Oahu. The lush low-key tropical town offered a slower pace of life and access to miles of white powdered sand beaches and a warm bluish-green ocean. They made “ride or die” friends there, absorbed the culture and lived their best life for over 25 years.

Hawaii remains the cornerstone of connection for her son and daughter and their families today. Lazy summer days at Kailua, Lanikai, and Bellows Beaches offered a priceless quality of time together and life long memories for all.

Dotty came into her own professionally when she was hired at Hawaii Loa University, now known as Hawaii Pacific University(HPU). During her tenure there as Assistant Director of Student Life for over 15 years, she and her team guided a cheer squad to a national championship in Orlando, FL, managed semester by semester student orientations, student social events and concerts along with coordinating prominent art gallery openings at the Hawaii Loa Campus. One of her favorite experiences was guiding a young woman with operatic talent through the Miss Hawaii scholarship program and escorting her to the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City, NJ.

Students gravitated to Dotty because of her relatability, young at heart spirit, and maternal nature. She mentored hundreds of young people and encouraged them to purse their dreams. Dotty leaves a powerful legacy through all of the young students she aided at HPU.

A family legacy she left for her children and grandchildren is "cocktail hour," which she and Jack honored for many years. It is the golden hour or two (no alcohol needed) for family to gather and share the events of their day. Good or bad. Sit with each other. Listen. Learn. Grow as a family.

Dotty is survived by her sisters, Anne Small and Pat Frates, daughter Elizabeth Fitzgerald, son Scott Fitzgerald; his wife, Susan; and her two grandsons and their wives, Tyler and Taylor Fitzgerald and Casey and Jaime Fitzgerald.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.DignityMemorialWildwood.com for the Fitzgerald family.