Wilma Louise Fitzner

August 19, 1941 - June 15, 2024

On Saturday, June 15, 2024, Wilma Fitzner took her final breath. While deeply missed by her family and friends, thankfully her struggles with breathing have come to a peaceful end. Wilma was 82 years old.

Wilma Louise (Fankhauser) Fitzner was born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania on August 19, 1941. She and her brother, Albert, were raised on a working dairy farm in Wilkins Township. Dairy farming ran rich in the Fankhauser genes, with Wilma's father carrying on his family's Swiss Dairy Farm as a first generation American. Wilma's family of four, including her parents John Fankhauser and Sara (Thompson) Fankhauser and her brother, were an active part of the local community and a vibrant Swiss American community. Wilma's childhood was marked by the commingling of family and business, recreation and responsibility. In a house surrounded by extended family and farm "friends," Wilma was shaped into the caring, dependable and bright person whose memory will be held dear by all who knew and loved her.

Wilma is survived by her brother, Albert Fankhauser (Roseann), as well as her three children, Lisa Meyer, Adam Fitzner (Patty) and Danielle Peroni (Michael) and five grandchildren, Erick and Samantha Meyer, Finn Fitzner, and Clara and Violet Peroni. She was a proud, loving, and loyal sister, mother, grandmother, and wife. Wilma's "partner in crime" and constant companion was her husband of 54 years, Bob Fitzner. Bob and Wilma were married (on Wilma's birthday) in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 19, 1967. Bob passed away 2 years prior to Wilma, in May 2022.

Wilma graduated from high school in Wilkins Township. She received her undergraduate degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and went on to obtain her Masters in Business Administration at Indiana University. She earned top honors in school and, as legend has it, she qualified for Mensa but never felt the need to complete the formal application. Part natural instinct and part formal education, Wilma had a keen sense for organization and management. These skills shined in her career as a business teacher, secretary and paralegal – and at home as she seamlessly juggled the roles of working mom, home business manager, and chief carpool and activity orchestrator for three kids who were always on the move.

Wilma was not one to sit idle. She was the ultimate wingwoman. For Bob and her kids, in her community, and at work, she was the person that could be counted on to help accomplish any task. But her ability to execute never came with a hard edge. She had a gift in balancing the silly and serious, work and warmth, an incredible work ethic with the touch that somehow made it all fun. She was the nighttime bedside book reader (and part-way-through-the-chapter snoozer) for each of her kids. She sang songs and recited rhymes in the car or the doctor's office waiting room to help pass time or raise spirits. She led Brownie and Cub Scout troops and volunteered as the swim team parent. And somehow amidst this, she kept all of the details straight and did not miss a beat.  She knew the fine balance of how to positively motivate you with words of encouragement or provide a firm "kick to the butt," when to hold your hand or just listen when you needed an ear. She was the kind of person who put others first. You could always depend on Wilma, no matter what.

Her files were shipshape and her handwriting was impeccable. She was a master communicator, author of a great end-of-year letter to accompany the Christmas card and writer of the best emails and notes. Wilma had a wide variety of interests and activities. She was an excellent trap shooter, loved to read and solve Sudoku puzzles, played the bells in a church group, enjoyed birdwatching and feeding her hummingbirds, and in recent years she took up mahjong, hand and foot, and bingo. She was a member of DAR and kept track of family genealogy, with roots on her mother's side that trace back to Alexander Hamilton.

When it came to her children and grandchildren, Wilma took a front row seat in their lives and exploits. She instructed them in the art of preparation, celebrated the successes, and consoled the defeats. She was the mastermind behind Camp Grandma & Grandpa and loved hosting her family at home on the Chesapeake. But she also took her show on the road. She was a supporter of every academic achievement, new adventure, musical performance, sports game and meet, with some of the most inventive and colorful cheers known in the sport of ice hockey!

Wilma and Bob raised their family in Claymont, Delaware, but retired to a home in Earleville, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay. They spent winters in Texas, and traveled the US and internationally to spend time with family and friends, in search of new experiences and cultures. When looking to make their final move, they found a wonderful, caring community at Manor House in Seaford, Delaware, where they spent their last years.

A mass to celebrate Wilma's life will be held at 10am on September 28, 2024 at St. Rose of Lima, 301 Lock Street, Chesapeake City, MD. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. Pulmonary fibrosis was the condition that ultimately extinguished Wilma's flame, but her light and love will long be felt.

Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation 230 East Ohio Street, Suite 500 Chicago, Illinois 60611 https://fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/PFFTribute/WilmaFitzner

arrangements by Galena Funeral Home of Stephen L. Schaech