DeLois (Bell) Fitzpatrick

DeLois Bell was born on May 15, 1932, in Dallas, Texas, to Earnest Bell and Catherine Smith. As a Sunday’s child, she was full of grace from the very beginning. With her mother, father, and three sisters, De moved several times before she even started school; it was a pattern that would repeat throughout her life, as she moved across Texas, across the U.S., and across the ocean. 

Her family left Texas for Jacksonville just as De entered high school and right before she unexpectedly lost her beloved mother. She and her younger sister Joann were sent to live with their elderly grandparents in Texas, until she graduated high school. 

Despite her monumental loss, De graduated at the top of her class and, over her father’s dismissals that “girls don’t need college,” she attended North Texas State, where she graduated with a BS in secondary education (with honors) in 1953. She taught high school for a year before obtaining an elementary education certificate and accepted a teaching position in Port Arthur, Texas. Before she could begin teaching there, though, she made a spontaneous decision to move abroad to teach the children of U.S. Airforce members in England and Germany — a decision that would change the course of her life. 

While in England, she traveled extensively across Europe and to Egypt and the Middle East, gaining a global perspective and appreciation for other cultures that would inform her teaching and politics throughout her life. She also fell in love with the English countryside and a handsome Irish man from Chicago. Thomas Fitzpatrick, a former service member working on the Air Force missile program, swept her off her feet and they returned to the States and married in Baltimore. They moved often over the next few years following Tom’s jobs:  to Bridlington, England, where they welcomed their firstborn son, back to Baltimore, then to Little Rock, where they welcomed twin daughters, then to Milwaukee, where their last daughter was born — four children in 2½ years! 

After moving out to the countryside in Wisconsin, Tom was transferred again to Downers Grove, where they stayed for 13 years. De raised kids, volunteered at her church,  took on substitute teaching jobs, and worked as a research assistant, a job she loved. 

After another move to New Orleans, De and Tom attempted retirement. It didn’t take… and before long, they moved to North Carolina for another job. After a decade in the sun, they moved back up north to be close to the kids and grandkids. Their house in Byron became the gathering spot for kids and grandkids to spend long weekends and holidays and build favorite family memories. Finally, in their 80s, the couple moved back to Downers Grove, where Tom’s health began to decline. De took care of her beloved husband until he passed in 2020. She continued to be a source of love, light, guidance, and humor until she passed away surrounded by her children in July 2026. 

De is survived by her children Mitchell Fitzpatrick, Angie (Curt) Neuman, Amy Stephens, and Mary Fitzpatrick and grandchildren Jack (Beth), Dan, and Rachel (Kate) Stephens and Grace Fitzpatrick.

A private burial will be held Saturday, July 25, 2026.

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