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2 16 11  FITZGERALD, Major Mark S. United Sates Army, 42, of Seabrook, NH, died suddenly on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at the VA Medical
Center in West Roxbury. Loving husband to Cynthia Boucher and father to their daughter Samantha Ashley of Seabrook, NH. Devoted
son of John and Elizabeth (Canaday) Fitzgerald of Boston. Brother to Michael Fitzgerald of Sarasota, FL, Kevin Fitzgerald
of Washington, DC, Maureen Marhold of Parrish, FL, Annemarie Chase of Derry, NH, Dr. Eileen Jenkins of Clarksville, TN. Graduate
of Masconomet High, Salem State College and Bentley Graduate School of Management. Over 20 years of service in the Massachusetts
Army National Guard. Twice deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Enlisted in 1990,
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant from Officer Candidate School in 2000. Served with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery,
1-101st Field Artillery Regiment. Awarded the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal (3rd award), Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (5th award), National
Defense Service Medal (2nd award), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan
Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with silver hourglass, M device and numeral 2), Army Service
Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2nd award), the NATO Non-Article 5 Medal, Massachusetts Medal of Merit, Massachusetts Expeditionary
Service Medal, Massachusetts Service Medal and the Massachusetts Emergency Service Ribbon. He was also a recipient of the
Honorable Order of St. Barbara. Visiting hours 4-7 PM on Wednesday and Thursday, February 16 and 17, in the Remick & Gendron
Funeral Home, 811 Lafayette Rd., Hampton, NH. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, February 18, at 10 AM
in Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Church, 289 Lafayette Rd., Hampton, NH. Burial with full military honors will follow in
the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, 110 DW Highway Rte 3, Boscawen, NH. Donations may be made in Mark's name to the Wounded Warrior Project at https://support.
wounded warriorproject.org or to the Samantha Fitzgerald College Fund, C/O Provident Bank, 1 Provident Way, Seabrook, NH 03874. For the complete obituary,
directions and an online guestbook, visit www.RemickGendron.com.  Published
in The Boston Globe on February 16, 2011
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Article
National Guardsman from Seabrook mournedMajor,
42, was Bronze Star recipient Today's most viewed articlesSamantha Fitzgerald runs to her father, Major Mark Fitzgerald, during his surprise
appearance at the Sacred Heart School's annual Christmas show last Dec. 16.Herlald File photo February 15, 2011 2:00 AMSEABROOK — Friends and family of Massachusetts
National Guard Maj. Mark Fitzgerald, of Seabrook, are mourning his Saturday morning death at the Veterans Administration Hospital
in West Roxbury, Mass. He was 42. Fitzgerald was featured in the Hampton Union in December when
he surprised his 9-year-old daughter, Samantha, at Sacred Heart School in Hampton with his return for the holidays following
an eight-month tour of duty in Afghanistan On Monday, while at the home of Fitzgerald's wife, Cynthia, Army Reserve Capt.
Mark Aldrich of Amesbury, Mass. talked about his friend of more than 12 years. "He was my best
friend, since 1998," Aldrich said of Fitzgerald. Aldrich spoke of the disease, ulcerative colitis,
that plagued and eventually claimed Fitzgerald's life. "In 2005, he was in Iraq," Aldrich
said. "He was visiting a local police chief and ate some food. "Two days later he became
really sick and was med-evacuated to Germany and then to Walter Reed," Aldrich said. Aldrich
said Fitzgerald spent three weeks at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C. While he did make a recovery from
that attack, Fitzgerald's disease was chronic, Aldrich said. "For all of us who knew him, we
always worried about him," Aldrich said, adding Fitzgerald had experienced five or six bouts with ulcerative colitis
over the past five years. "He was at my house two weeks ago," Aldrich said. "I talked
to him Friday, and he said he was doing fine, doing better," Aldrich said. "You're talking
about a great American," Aldrich recalled of his friend. "He was a Bronze Star recipient for service in Afghanistan
... He mentored the highest ranking police chief, a two-star general, in the Kabul City Police Command." Aldrich
said Fitzgerald had served in the military for more than 20 years. His service included two overseas deployments, the first
in 2004 to 2005 to Iraq, and in 2010, when he left in April and made his surprise return home in December. "He
was committed to the military, and he was a Field Artillery Battery commander at the 101st Field Artillery Battalion in Danvers,
Mass. from 2007 to 2009," Aldrich said. Fitzgerald was called up right after Sept. 11, 2001,
and ran a mission down in Cape Cod doing base security for three years before going to Iraq in 2004. He
had worked as a project manager at Sylvania until he left for Afghanistan last April, Fitzgerald said. At
Sacred Heart School, Interim Principal Maureen Cocchiaro spoke about Fitzgerald's sudden death at such a young age. "It was a shock to us as a community," Cocchiaro said Monday. "This
morning, the faculty met and prayed together as a faith community, over the intercom, for the family and for Mr. Fitzgerald,"
Cocchiaro said. "The children are making cards of sympathy and regret," Cocchiaro said.
"It's very sad when this happens to someone so young." Students in Grades 4 to 8 are welcome
to attend Fitzgerald's funeral, Cocchiaro said. Aldrich said arrangements are being handled by Remick
and Gendron Funeral Home in Hampton.
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