William John Fitzgibbons

Bill lived a full life. He passed away three weeks before his 94th birthday. He is preceded in death by his son, Jeff, and brothers Jim, Terry, and Bob, and sisters Eileen, Pat, and Rosemary.

He is survived by Jean Beal Fitzgibbons, his wife of 56 years, and daughter Tiffany Beal, as well as his brother, Dan Fitzgibbons.

He was one of eight siblings growing up in a house with 1 bathroom. His family never owned a car. They would walk nine blocks each way every Sunday as a family to Holy Name Church.

He grew up in a different time and was never a wealthy man, but never seemed to want for more than he had. He was drafted into the Army after high school and served proudly in the Korean War as a Sargent.

When he returned home, he went into the family business like his father and grandfather before him. He became a union brick mason and was recently awarded for 75 years of service.

There are many, many homes and buildings around Topeka that he had a hand in building, including his personal home that he and Jean lived in for 50 plus years.

He loved to travel, going to the Olympics twice. Once in Mexico City in 1968, where he was asked if he was part of the USA wrestling team. Of course, he was just there as a spectator. Jean and he also attended the Montreal Olympics in 1976. They enjoyed trips to London, Ireland, Scotland, Alaska, and China, not to mention several road trips throughout the US.

He was an excellent cook and prepared many of the family meals. More recently, he had challenges walking after multiple surgeries. He was relegated to using a walker. He still exercised daily on his stationary bike and watched many hours of news and sports on TV.

His favorite shows were Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune and, of course, watching the Jayhawks, Royals, and Chiefs.

He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.