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Ellen Virginia Fitzpatrick “Fitz”, 97, born Aug. 12, 1918 to James and Mary Alice Fitzpatrick in Washington, DC, passed away Aug. 26, 2015 in Tucson, AZ. She had been living in an assistant living facility for the last 12 years.
She graduated from Emerson High School, Gary, Indiana in 1937 and received a three-year nursing diploma from St. Mary’s Hospital, Gary, Indiana in 1941.
She was known in the community as the head nurse at Magma Copper Company, San Manuel Division. She began her career at San Manuel Hospital in 1956 and retired from there in 1981. Her duties included working in the emergency room and the obstetrical patient’s delivery room.
She worked in many facets of the medical field. Her previous nursing experience included working at Sacramento County Hospital; Magma Copper, Superior Division; Phelps Dodge, Ajo, AZ; St. Vincent’s Hospital, Los Angeles; Veterans Hospital, San Fernando Valley, CA; and private duty.
She served in the Army from 1943 to 1945 as a nurse with the rank of second lieutenant. While stationed in Guam she was one of the first nurses to administer a penicillin injection.
She joins her sisters Mary Vogel and Patricia Wells, brother-in-law Joe Vogel, and brothers Bernard Fitzpatrick and Jackie Fitzpatrick.
Fitz is survived by one brother James Fitzpatrick, Hawthorne, CA and many nieces and nephews including Alicia and Armando Carrillo and Charlene Acevedo.
Private services are pending.
She was fortunate to live such a long and basically healthy life.
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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