Mark Fitzsimmons, 1951-2006
From The Patriot Ledger:
A South Shore attorney and former state representative died in a drowning accident on Nantucket.
Mark Fitzsimmons, 55, of Marshfield, died Friday afternoon when he apparently became caught in a riptide off the south shore of the island near Clark’s Cove.
Mark was a good friend of my father’s and our family. It was Mark who bodily hauled my father out of class his senior year of high school and marched him down to the guidance counselor’s office to fill out an application to Harvard. Twenty-five years later, Mark—despite being a Yalie himself—helped me during my own admissions process to Harvard.
Mark and my father shared a good-natured rivalry for decades, my father being a Harvard Republican and Mark being a Yalie Democrat. I went to The Game (the Harvard vs. Yale football game) with my dad and Mark several times. He was a good man, a funny guy, and a damned good lawyer, from what I’ve heard.
Mark also got my dad a ticket to the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park, where Ted Williams made one of his final public appearances before his death. My father said it was one of the best days of his life.
It’s still sinking in—everyone’s in shock. I offer my condolences to Mark’s family and friends. This is a very sad day.
—07/19/06