Marion Luella (Brunelle) FitzGerald passed away on October 14 at the UVM Medical Center. Born in Winooski, VT on March 30, 1936 to (the late) Philomene and Henry Brunelle, she grew up there among a large family of 13 brothers and sisters. At 18, she married John C. Fitz Gerald (of Chittenden) and for almost 20 years, the family traveled extensively with the Air Force, then finally retired to Essex, VT.

Beloved wife, mother, grandmother ("Memere"), sister, aunt, and friend Marion is survived by her husband of 61 years, and her eight children; John, Kathy, Matthew, Mark, Joel ("Luke"), David, Nathan, and James and their spouses; 23 (of her 24) grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren, seven of her siblings, and countless family members.

At 16, Marion worked as a nurse's aid, which she loved and later returned to. When her children were all school-aged, she enjoyed working with people in several factory settings. Once the family settled in Essex, she worked as an IBM temp. Then she began her career at Camp Johnson Base Exchange, and for nearly 20 years, felt right at home among military families. She retired in 1995 as retail manager.

Marion loved to play! She was a fantastic dancer, and in her glory on any dance floor, from jitterbugging, to country line dancing. Saturday night cards at her Dad's brought her years of joy, and eventually became a regular event in her own home. She loved bingo, especially attending with her bingo buddies. She was a talented crafter, gifting her family with beautiful embroidered heirlooms. She loved watching birds and nurturing houseplants, in fact, she just loved nurturing.

Marion was a blast to travel with. Her laughter was the best part of any trip. But the thing that made her our WORLD was her love and devotion to her kids and her grandkids. She was the best cook in the world, and made every holiday magical. Being loved by her was the greatest gift possible. She adopted many (by heart), and at some point, became "Memere" to just about everyone.

In her honor, there will be a Funeral Mass November 6 at 11:00 am in Holy Family Parish, Essex Jct., followed by a memorial gathering at the the Parish Center next door