John B. Fitzpatrick Jr., 93, Former Teacher, Media Director at Whittier Tech

John B. Fitzpatrick Jr., 93, of Haverhill, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 10 at Penacook Place, Haverhill.

Born in Brockton on Jan. 5, 1925 and raised in Haverhill, he was the son of John B. Fitzpatrick, Sr. and Marguerite (Fontain) Fitzpatrick. He attended St. Joseph Grammar School and graduated in 1938 and went on to attend Marist College High School from 1942-1944 entering Boston College as a sophomore in 1944. He then enlisted in the U.S. Army 6th Infantry Division as a private first class where he saw service in the Pacific Theatre during World War II and received an honorable discharge. Upon his return Stateside, he continued his education at Boston College and graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences and subsequently received his master’s in education in 1954 from Boston College. He was a lifelong educator employed first by the Haverhill Public Schools where he served at the Haverhill Trade School as an English teacher and librarian, then moving on to Whittier Regional Vocational High School when the school opened as a librarian/ audio visual media director until his retirement in 1988. While in retirement, he continued to teach at various schools in the area including a stint as Latin instructor at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, N.H.

He enjoyed reading, traveling, gardening, working on his home, attending Boston College football games in the fall, and was an avid Red Sox fan. He was a founding member of St. John the Baptist Parish in the Riverside section of Haverhill and a weekly communicant of the church. He was also a member of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the National Education Association and the Retired Teachers Association for many years. Fitzpatrick was also an avid supporter of Catholic education at all levels. In his retirement he traveled extensively with his family to locations such as Italy, Ireland, England, France, Finland, and Russia but most of all of loved spending his days with the love of his life Jeanette as well as with his two children and three grandchildren.

He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife of 63 years Jeanette (DiPirro) Fitzpatrick, two children Paul B. Fitzpatrick of Simsbury, CT and Kara B. (Fitzpatrick) Decoteau of Haverhill, his cherished grandchildren Casey Decoteau, Selena Decoteau and Christina Decoteau. He and his wife Jeanette would have celebrated 64 years of marriage on August 14. He is also survived by a sister Marguerite (Fitzpatrick) Petrillo of Methuen and brother James Fitzpatrick of Exeter, N.H., sisters in-law Katherine Fitzpatrick of Plaistow, N.H., and Antonette Fitzpatrick of Rockland, brother of the late Mary (Fitzpatrick) Kennedy of Haverhill, Joseph Fitzpatrick of Plaistow, N.H., and Edmund Fitzpatrick of Brockton, and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to extend special thanks to Merrimack Valley Hospice and the staff at Penacook Place for their loving and tender care during his final illness.

Visiting hours will be held on Friday, July 13, in the Driscoll Funeral Home, 309 South Main St., Haverhill from 4-7 p.m. Services will begin Saturday in the funeral home at 9 a.m. Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. John the Baptist Church, 110 Lincoln Ave., Haverhill at 10 a.m. Burial with U.S. Army Honors will follow in Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in John’s memory to either Merrimack Valley Hospice, 360 Merrimack St., Building 9, Lawrence, MA 01843 or to Northwest Catholic High School, 29 Wampanoag Drive, West Hartford, CT 06117.