Maurice William Fitzmaurice

It is with great sadness that the family of Maurice William Fitzmaurice announces his peaceful passing on Sunday, August 13^th at the age of 101.

Maurice was born in Bracebridge on June 26, 1922. He is predeceased by his parents Peter and Lillian Fitzmaurice and his siblings Douglas, Melville (Jack), and Peter. His wife Mary passed away at the age of 97 in 2022.  Maurice is survived by his children: Cecilia, Teresa, Mary, Gerard, Mark, Maurice, Jean, Tim, Jacinta and Susan. He is also survived by his 18 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

From an early age Maurice was always fascinated with flying. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 so he could make his dream of becoming a pilot a reality. He served as an officer and a flight instructor overseas in Great Britain during WWII. Returning to Bracebridge in 1945 after the war, Maurice went to the University of Toronto to study Chemical Engineering. After completing one year, he returned to Bracebridge and began his professional career working for Mr. Burgess, an Ontario Land Surveyor (OLS). He quickly became an O.L.S himself and with his partner, Don Boyer, they ran three offices in the Muskoka area. Upon Don’s death in 1971, Maurice maintained the Bracebridge office. Maurice mentored many apprentices over the years, who went on to become Ontario Land Surveyors themselves.

Maurice married Mary Carleton on December 26, 1949. When they married, they agreed they wanted to have enough children to field a baseball team. Their dream of having a large family came true with ten children and whenever anyone asked “What was Dad’s greatest source of pride?” he would say his wife and family.  Education was extremely important to them and they helped put all their children through university. As parents, they knew their children would be successful so long as they had a good education. 

Maurice and Mary eventually moved to Toronto after he sold his Ontario Land Surveyor Business and he began working with the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors.  They loved living in the city where they could take advantage of all the city had to offer and were close to their family. In 2019, Maurice and Mary celebrated their 70^th wedding anniversary.

Maurice had many responsibilities in his life, but he always felt the need to serve his community. He worked on the town council in Gravenhurst for several years. In 1963 he was chosen to be the Liberal candidate for the District of Muskoka in the provincial election.  When he moved back to Bracebridge he was a member of the Rotary Club of Bracebridge. He had many hobbies throughout his life:  sailing, reading, walking, wine making, photography, and his all-time favourite passion, golf. He golfed well into his 90’s.

Maurice’s qualities were countless: he had a very keen sense of right and wrong, he had an aura of high-minded seriousness, he never shirked his responsibilities, he embodied the spirit of fair play and justice, he was a very good listener and storyteller, and in his own words, “perhaps too much of an optimist.”  Excellent health practices during his life helped him to achieve his goal of living to 100 years of age. May you rest in peace and enjoy being reunited with the love of your life, Mary.

Interment will take place at the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery on Friday, September 8^th at 11:00 am.