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| Obituary
for Buddy Fitzgerel (Reprinted from Orange County
Register) - "Fitzgerel, Henry "Bud" Unexpectedly, Bud passed on November 12 of heart failure doing what he loved best, driving home from a car club meeting in Riverside in his prized sports car. Bud was born July 6, 1941 in Whittier, CA. His parents Hank and Ruby Fitzgerel preceded him in death. He lived in Whittier 67 years. Bud attended school in the East Whittier School District and worked for the same District for thirty (30) years. He also set numerous records in track at California High School. He went on to serve his country in the Army during the Vietnam War. Our brother was a son who cared deeply for his family. Caring for our mother in her later years, remembering his sisters, Bev and Sue by sending flowers on their birthdays. "Uncle Bud" knew how to keep his nieces and nephews laughing at all family special gatherings. Bud was a member of the Roadrunners car club of Whittier and officiated at the Bonneville Nationals. Bud will be greatly missed by his sisters, Bev Anderson and husband, Andy, Sue Marshall and husband, Jerry; 6 nieces and nephews; 10 great-nieces and nephews; 1 great-great-grandniece, and his dog, "Blackie". Services will be held Thursday, 11/20/08 at Memory Garden in Brea at 3:00 p.m. Visitation at 2:30 p.m. There will be a military honor guard represented. Memory Garden Memorial Park" |
| Buddy joined the Road Runners in 1959, when he was 18 years old. He had been in the Club 49 years, our longest tenured member, when he passed away at age 67. Buddy and his former Racing Partner, John Alvaney (deceased) still hold the XF/PRO record of 130.813, set at El Mirage in 1984 in their "Thrifty Fifty" Ford Coupe. Buddy raced in a variety of classes over the years at El Mirage, Muroc and Bonneville. |
| On Thrusday, November 20, some 100 family and friends celebrated Buddy's Life at services held at Memory Garden Memorial Park. There were lot's of stories and fond memories shared about our friend and fellow Road Runner, Buddy. Buddy's white '55 Ford PU and even his and John Alvaney's silver '50 Ford Coupe, the "Thrifty Fifty" were parked in front of the Chapel. The "Thrifty Fifty" found a new life as a street rod and "lives" in Temecula now. It still sports it's racing decals, Bonneville Record Holder info, Road Runners decals, roll bar, water and gas tank in trunk and flat head. The car looks like it could go do a lap at Bonneville or El Mirage today. How special and what a treat to see the car "in person". |
| Aside: Last year (2007), someone told me that they had been to the Men's Department at Nordstroms in the Brea Mall. They told me that the murals on the wall in the dressing room were pictures of Bonneville. Buddy and John's "Thrifty Fifty" is one of the race vehicles pictured. I'm told that the same mural is on the wall in the store at South Coast Plaza. It supposedly is a "standard" in many of the Nordstroms stores. I told Buddy about this and on his way home to Whitter one Thursday, following a Road Runners "Burrito Thursday" at Ed Martin Garage, he stopped at Nordstroms, Brea Mall, to investigate. Sure enough, there was his "Thrifty Fifty" Ford Coupe. Buddy talked to the store manager to try to find out how they got the pictures for the mural and some details about why that motif was selected. He was referred to Nordstroms Corporate Headquarters. I think Buddy's "search" ended there. Nordstroms never got back to him. |
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