Harold Fitzsimmons, Jr., born August 29, 1940, passed away on October 20, 2026 in Yakima, WA. An avid family genealogist for decades, he always appreciated an obituary that gave the facts but also told the story of a life. Here’s his story.

Harold grew up in a loving family and had many happy tales of early life in Pacific Grove and later Stockton, CA. His father, Harold Sr., a kind and patient man, passed away when “Junior” was only 24 years old. He was close to his mother, Ida, and in later years the two spent many hours going through photos, letters and documents, tracing the family’s history back many generations. His younger sister, Barbara, was a joyful part of the Fitzsimmons family. In the last 10 years of his life, Harold spoke to his younger brother, Jarold, every day at 11am, often reminiscing about childhood.

According to family lore, Harold had to move out of California because he had racked up too many speeding tickets. His job as a longshoreman was hard work but the pay was great, enabling him to have a series of legendary cars in his twenties, including a prized 1957 Chevy and 1957 Ford Thunderbird. He loved driving and for many years took road trips to Oregon and California to visit friends and family, returning with stories of going over 100mph on stretches of deserted highway. But it was his “skylarking” - paying more attention to the passing scenery than the traffic - that his kids remember most about riding with him.

He made his way to Washington and began attending the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Wapato, WA where he met a beautiful young woman named Gail Nieland. The two married in April 1968 and began raising a family amidst the orchards of the Lower Valley, later moving to Yakima as the family grew. Through difficult times, he provided for his family and enjoyed taking the kids for adventures and later teaching them to drive (including, of course, how to do donuts in the snow in empty parking lots). His children knew they were loved, often heard “We’re sure proud of you” and could rely on him to patiently listen to their tales of adventures and misadventures.

Friendship was important to him, and he was blessed with close relationships that lasted for decades. You could often hear him greeting friends on the phone, “Well, how the heck you doing, fella?” He met Terry Heller during their time in the Marine reserves and had endless tales of their hijinks and shenanigans together. The Crawford family have been dear friends for more than 50 years and Harold was always happy to spend time in their company. Leroy Duckworth was a special friend, always quick with a joke, and along with Harold, was one of the stalwarts of the Saturday morning breakfast group for 30 years. And Fred Nyberg has been near in so many important moments, offering love and support when it mattered the most.

He was a generous friend in good times and bad, and was especially tender when loved ones were ill or in times of mourning. The losses in his own life taught him the importance of showing up for others - telling funny stories, singing hymns or simply being present - he didn’t shy away from hospital rooms, called regularly and looked for ways to bring comfort.

He enjoyed his career as a carpenter, especially the chance to find elegant solutions to complex problems. He worked for Huylar Construction and several other companies for nearly 40 years, working on dozens of school projects across the Yakima and Lower Valleys. He was most proud of his work on the Children’s Village campus and the fun, creative elements that would serve young patients for decades to come.

Harold never stopped being a kid at heart. He loved the annual camping trips to the Cove Palisades State Park with Larry and Nita Morgan for the chance to ride carefree in the boat and play in the sun and water all day. An excellent water skier since he was young, he slalom skied (only one ski) until he was nearly 60, ending each ride by releasing the line and coasting gracefully onto the shore. Later, into his 80s, he would regularly play Nintendo Wii’s ski jumping and bowling, often beating the scores of the rest of the family. He loved the TV show M*A*S*H, and had seen the episodes so many times that he laughed just as much with the sound off as on.

Nothing gave him more joy than spending time with his granddaughters. For many years, Harold and Gail would have the girls at their house on Wednesday afternoons and he was always ready for costumes, hide and seek, sidewalk chalk, video games or whatever else they could dream up. He cherished the opportunities to take them to the park to play and would often say about these precious moments, “How lucky can a guy get?”.

He wasn’t one to offer words of wisdom, but a few Harold-isms will always endure. 1) Bringing a dozen donuts can often help you get in the door, see the doctor, or smooth things over. 2) You can’t change people, all you can do is love them and pray for them. And, 3) - a lesson learned after being invited to a backyard party and arriving to find the barbeque unassembled and still in the box - always eat a sandwich before you go, just in case.

His voice will always remain in our hearts. Whether it is “ONE NINETEEN ON THE ROAD!”, the call up the stairs we heard as kids to get up and going, and only many years later thought to ask what it meant (his Marine unit’s call to action). Or when he insisted that spiders were named “Oglethorpe and McGillicuddy” - harmless, silly monikers meant to dissuade our fears. Or perhaps, what he’d often recite in a sad moment, “And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, but there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.”

Harold Fitzsimmons is survived by his wife of 58 years, Gail, daughters Amber Calhoun (son-in-law David) and Abby Ross (son-in-law Casey), granddaughters Lydia and Sarah Calhoun, his brother, Jarold, Anderson Eng, whom he loved like a son, and many dear friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Harold Sr. and Ida, his sister Barbara, and his beloved sons, Kevin and baby Wayne.

Please join us on Friday, October 30th at 1:00 at Tieton Drive Bible Chapel, 4305 Tieton Drive, to celebrate Harold’s life.

Thank you!

Amber Calhoun