Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home

ROCKPORT- Annie Niemi Fitzgerald, 84, a devoted wife, sister, mother, Auntie, and Grammy and Great Grammy, died Tuesday, August 9, 2016, at Maine Medical Center in Portland, after suffering a medical event.

She was born on Finn Hill in Warren to Finnish immigrants, John and Ida Koskela Niemi on November 3,1931. She began her education at Anderson School speaking only Finnish. She quickly mastered English with the help of the older students interpreting for her with the teacher. After Anderson School closure Annie attended Warren High School for two years. She completed her high school career at Union High School with the class of 1950. She continued her education at Fisher Business School in Boston. After graduating from Fisher Annie had several jobs but went on to work at the Augusta Mental Health Institute for nearly 30 years, until retiring in the early 1990’s. After retiring she worked at Kno-Wal-Lin Home Healthcare sharing her compassion with her patients. Annie earned her associate degree in Mental Health Technology on June 4, 1977.
Annie was a member of the Finnish - American Society of Thomaston that was not only important to her but her search of Finnish heritage.

Other than her parents and her beloved husband Norman E. Fitzgerald, Annie was pre-deceased by two sisters, Miriam Korpinen and Esther Maklin; one son Charles Nolan; and two grandchildren, Cathy and Brian Fitzgerald Jr. Annie leaves behind her beloved twin sister Eva Burns of Union, as well as her children and their spouses; Harry E. and Nancy Fitzgerald, Brian D. and Emily Fitzgerald all of Rockland, Linda E. and Ray Vienneau of Harwinton, CT, Gary and Joanne Fitzgerald of Bethlehem, CT, Ruth and David Smith of Cushing, Wendy J and David Postupack of Imperial Beach, CA, and Wanda Fitzgerald of Richmond, Maine.

Annie leaves fourteen grandchildren; Michael, Mark, Erin, Sara, Jennifer, Samantha, Rachel, Stephen, William”Nick”, Olivia, Jessica, Justin, Mariah and Travis. She also had 17 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Annie’s life will be held at 11:00 A.M., Friday, August 19, 2016, at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland. The Reverend Linda Campbell- Marshall will officiate. A reception will follow at the funeral home’s 104 Limerock facility, followed by interment at Post Sunny View Cemetery in Warren.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Wanda’s group home, “Pleasant View Ranch”, 64 Alexander Reed Road, Richmond, ME. 04357; or The Finn-Am Society of Mid-coast Maine, P.O. Box 488, Warren, ME. 04864