John & HeeAnn Fitzgerald: A Legacy of the Heart

John and HeeAnn Fitzgerald knew they wanted to support a cause close to their hearts.

After being patients at Holy Cross Hospital, they knew where they wanted to leave their legacy.

"Talk about incredible service," says John. "It's what they did for us. We want to do something in return for them. The care you get there, I've never seen anything like it."

The Fitzgeralds have added Holy Cross Hospital as a beneficiary of their charitable remainder uni-trust.

Their gift will not only help save lives but also further the research of heart disease affecting countless people in our community and beyond. It also gives a nod to the generosity of the Fitzgeralds.

They met in 1988 while John was working in Hong Kong and HeeAnn was visiting her daughter there. For the Fitzgeralds, it was fate.

"I was an Irish man working in Hong Kong," says John. "She was a Korean woman living in Michigan."

They married in 1989 and lived in Hong Kong and Singapore while John was opening up UPS stations in Asia.

John's 35-year career with UPS ended in July of 1994 when he retired. The Fitzgeralds then moved into a home they built in South Carolina.

Their boat, "Irish Mist" was in South Florida and every time they visited they fell more in love with the area.

"We liked Florida so much we relocated," says John. "Primarily because the boating is so much more fun down here."

The Fitzgeralds live happily with their Shih Tzu Molly.