March 6, 1956 ~ July 14, 2017We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Tom Fitzgerald, affectionately known as Tommy, Major Tom or simply Fitz.Tom was a dedicated son, husband, father, brother and uncle.Tom believed strongly in family, public service and education.After articling at the Ministry of the Attorney General, Crown Law Criminal, he became an Assistant Crown Attorney in Durham Region in 1985 and in 1993 he was appointed as the Crown Attorney in North Bay and later the Director of Crown Operations in the North Region where he mentored junior lawyers and was a respected member of the legal community.He worked tirelessly to achieve justice, to help victims of crime and to teach his colleagues the same skills and knowledge that made him an excellent prosecutor.Tom was born into a military family. He joined the Canadian Forces himself at the tenderage of 50 where he completed basic training as a member of the 2nd Battalion of the Irish Regiment alongside soldiers who were half his age.Tom was commissioned an officer and seconded to the Judge Advocate General’s staff in Ottawa for several years.His legal experience made him an enormous assetin assisting with the prosecution of a widely-watched homicide case in Kandahar.Later, Tom deployed for nine months to the NATO Training Mission Afghanistan, Kabul Military Training Centre Advisory Group, Camp Alamo Afghanistan where he helped develop local legal structures and procedures.On returning to the Crown Attorney’s office, Tom was appointed General Counsel for Central East and worked out of the Durham Region office where he renewed many personal and professional relationships. After a reluctant early retirement and despite his illness, Tom continued his teaching efforts by authoring the first book-length treatment of sentencing guidelines for offenders in the military justice system.Tom could not have been more proud of his children: Oliver (29) who was recently called to the Bar; Annie (26) who is a brilliant writer and entrepreneur; and Tamsin (24) whose passion and work for various good causes is boundless.Tom is survived by his children, his wife Joanne Ferguson Fitzgerald (nee Rogers), his mother Dorothy Fitzgerald, and his siblings Patricia, Colleen, David and Jenniferand all their children.The families of both Tom and Joanne offer their deepest gratitude to Drs. Teresa Petrella and Hany Soliman at the Odette Cancer Centre and Dr. Nicolas Phan at Sunnybrook.Lastly, words cannot express our thanks for the support and care received by the doctors, nurses and staff at the Supportive Care Unit (4F) at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa.Visitation will be held at OSHAWA FUNERAL HOME, 847 King Street West (905-721-1234) on Friday, July 21st from 4 – 8 p.m.Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel on Saturday, July 22nd at 11:00 a.m.Memorial donations may be made to the Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Medical Centre, 2075 Bayview Av