Michael Fitzpatrick Memorial

Memorial

For those wishing, memorials can be directed to the family to establish a commemorative monument to honor Mike's joy for life and love of nature.

The family is looking to donate a commemorative bench that overlooks Lake Michigan alongside a walking path in Racine, WI that Mike used to take.

Obituary

Michael “Mike” D. Fitzpatrick was born in Oak Park, IL on July 23, 1957, the son of William and Elaine (nee: Schutter) Fitzpatrick.

Mike was an exceptionally clever and curious young scamp, with a fondness for tinkering and model building (many of which were set ablaze and gloriously hurled from an upstairs window). Legends of childhood games along with his six younger siblings have been revealed piecemeal over the years during family parties. Between water fights – leading to indoor electrical storms and “Don’t Break the Ice” battles, there were just as many war stories from playtime as there were lazy, day-long wiffle ball games throughout the summer.

When family chores were needed, Mike was always eager to volunteer for the job. Whether it was secretly gluing his mother’s collectable Hummels together or working with his siblings for their self named company, “The Slagahovi Brothers”, known for their bottom-dollar rates and tip-top service.

Mike was a gifted student at St. Giles Grade School in Oak Park, IL, with a strong propensity for math and science. After graduating eighth grade, he moved on to become a Fenwick Friar. He excelled academically and participated on the swim team. That must have been where he learned his famous and gravity-defying “fish out of water” poolside act.

Following Fenwick, Mike pursued a degree at Bradley University in Peoria. He didn’t graduate, but he learned a lot there – some of it even academic. As a young man, he cut his teeth in the world of construction, working side jobs under John Grochowski, the man that would one day become his father-in-law and lifelong friend. Mike showed no lack of ambition when it came to many of his bold home projects and essentially rebuilt his family’s first home. He welcomed his three children, Ryan, Matthew, and Kristin, into that home.

He was gentle and showed his children strength through restraint, with the exception of that one Christmas morning Sock’em Bopper fight. He also instilled the idea that conflict could be addressed in non-violent, creative ways. His encouraging nature created a fundamental confidence for his children to live freely and pursue their unique identities – something he later said he was most proud of in life.

For the majority of his work-life, Mike “brought home the bread” working for Gonnella Baking Co. in Chicago. Despite having a busy family and work life, Mike always made time for his most beloved uncle, Richard Schutter (even if there wasn’t ever enough time for a full game of Risk).

Mike and his family later moved to Johnsburg, IL, where they resided for 10 years. There Mike was able to pursue his passion for nature by landscaping a barren ¾ of an acre plot. While living there, Mike began working for Highland Baking Co. in Northbrook. After more than three decades working in the bread industry, he’d be the first to tell you, “it’s a crumby job, but I make a lot of dough.”

He fully embraced the sounds and looks of the 70s. He remained a rocker in perpetuity, but his love of music extended far beyond classic rock into folk, blues, the one and only Jimmy Buffett, and – more recently – zydeco.

Mike loved to travel and could tell you about a dozen different stories of the car breaking down on vacation. He especially cherished his trips to Europe, Kathmandu, and New Orleans. He spent the last part of his life in Racine, WI, where he built a community of friends around himself. Being a die-hard Bears and White Sox fan from Chicago, he miraculously developed relationships with most of the restaurants in Milwaukee and Southern Wisconsin. Many of which turned into lasting friendships. A few years ago, Mike purchased the boat of his dreams and enjoyed spending as much time as he could on the water with his friends and family, despite having a very undertrained deck crew.

Everywhere Mike went, he brought joy, and fun. He made the world a little happier by just existing in it. The years he lived were done so much more richly than most.

Michael, an amazing father, brother, uncle, son, friend, and person suddenly passed away at his residence in Racine, WI on April 15, 2022 at age 64. He leaves his children, Ryan Fitzpatrick and his fiancée, Pepper Hagman, of Columbus, OH, Matthew Fitzpatrick and his wife, Emily Haworth, of Geneva, IL, and Kristin Fitzpatrick and her husband, Dylan Siegfried, of Milwaukee; mother, Elaine Fitzpatrick, of Sandwich, IL; former wife, Julie Fitzpatrick, of Silver Lake, WI; two sisters, Roseanne Fitzpatrick and Edward Motto, of Chicago, IL, and Eileen Salamone, of Hoffman Estates, IL; four brothers, William (Julie) Fitzpatrick, of Surrey, England, Thomas (Arleen) Fitzpatrick, Joseph (Brenda) Fitzpatrick, all of Hinsdale, IL, and Richard (Linda) Fitzpatrick, of Elmwood Park. His twenty-two nieces, nephews, numerous in-laws, other relatives, and friends also survive him. Michael was preceded in death by his father, William and his uncle, Richard.