Dale Ernest Fitzsimmons

Dale Ernest Fitzsimmons, 87, passed away July 17, 2018 at Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton, WA with his wife, Paula, at his side.

Dale was born on May 17, 1931 in Walla Walla, WA to Harold Ernest Fitzsimmons and Edna Mildred Price Fitzsimmons. He has a younger brother, Dean. His family lived in several small towns in Washington and Dale enjoyed operating equipment on the family farm in Waitsburg. He graduated from Yakima Senior High School in 1949, attended Whitman Business College for a year (founded by his parents) and then started school at the University of Washington in Seattle. He enlisted in the US Coast Guard in January, 1951 and scored a perfect 100% on the entrance exam. He was stationed at CG Air Station, Port Angeles, WA and received an honorable discharge in January, 1954. He returned to the University of Washington and received his BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1957 and his MS in Mechanical Engineering in 1964.

Dale Fitzsimmons married Ellen Nora McCully on June 13, 1954. They had four children: Linda Lee, Diane Leslie, Douglas Richard and Lisa Kimberly. Family camping trips with Dean's family were the highlight of the many summers, along with ski trips and vacations in the west (in their Winnebago) and Hawaii. Dale and Ellen raised their family in Kennewick, WA until their divorce in March, 1979. Dale met Paula Skoog Vertrees through the Desert Ski Club (he was an avid downhill skier until his early 80s.) They were married on March 30, 1980 and Dale became a loving stepfather to Ruth, Sarah and Jim (Paul) Vertrees.

Dale started work for the Hanford Atomic Products Operation of General Electric Company in 1957. Dale transferred to Battelle Memorial Institute when it assumed management under the name Pacific Northwest Laboratories in 1965. He worked in the fields of experimental heat transfer, fluid flow and thermodynamics related to cooling systems for nuclear reactors. He was awarded Columbia Basin Engineer of the Year by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1987 for his work in supervising simulations of nuclear reactors accidents. He retired from Battelle in 1991.

After his retirement, Dale and Paula moved to their new home near Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. They enjoyed snow skiing, boating, water skiing, family visits and traveling.

In 2010, Dale and Paula moved to Bremerton, WA to be closer to family and their cabin on Hood Canal. Although their family missed visiting them at Lake Pend Oreille, they still loved hanging out at Hood Canal and eating Dale's delicious barbecued oysters (freshly picked from the beach.) Dale and Paula always welcomed family and friends to their home and were wonderful hosts.

Dale had a great sense of humor and loved to tease. He was smart, clever, hilarious and kind. As a movie enthusiast, he recorded, indexed and stored hundreds of movies in his lifetime. He and Paula shared an ongoing rivalry – he cheered for the University of Washington and she was a Washington State University fan. Football was his favorite sport to watch; the Apple Cup was a must-watch event for them. He also loved their two dogs, Brandi and Frankie, and enjoyed many walks with them and Paula.

Dale was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Edna, his first wife, Ellen and his grandson, Brandon Gilkeson. He is survived by his wife, Paula Fitzsimmons; brother, Dean (and wife Shari) Fitzsimmons; daughters, Linda (and husband Mark) Kot, Rock Springs, WY, Leslie (and husband Tom) Rohn, Elgin, OR and Lisa (and husband Marc) Bauman, Kirkland, WA; son, Douglas Fitzsimmons, West Richland, WA; stepdaughters, Ruth (and husband Lyle) Keeney, Palouse, WA and Sarah Vertrees, Vancouver, WA; stepson, James Paul Vertrees, Olympia, WA; seven grandchildren, Heidy McWain, Alyssa Moseley, Jessica (and husband Mike) Kubany, James Bauman, Emma Bauman, Alex Keeney and Emily Keeney; two great-grandchildren, Kendra Linderman and Eli Kubany: and nephews, Craig Fitzsimmons, Mike Fitzsimmons, Dave Fitzsimmons and Scott Fitzsimmons.

Dale has been cremated per his wishes. A memorial service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Bremerton on Saturday, August 25th at 11 a.m. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer Association at https://www.alz.org/ or the charity of your choice.