RIP Tom Fitzgerald and Steve Donoghue

[USMCR79]

This weekend I found out that 2 of my collecting friends have passed away - Tom Fitzgerald from Leominster Massachusetts (originally from Holyoke Massachusetts) passed in December 2022 and Steve Donoghue from Holyoke Massachusetts (Retired Chief of Police) passed on February 22, 2023.

 

OMSA Members may recall both of these collectors since they were both members of the old New England Medal Collectors Club from the 1970's and 80's.

 

As a young collector in the mid 1980's both of these guys took me under their wings (maybe because I was born in Holyoke??) and helped me learn what I know today. Both were Marine Corps Veterans so I suspect they may be enjoying a beer together and swapping stories in Heaven.

 

I will miss them both and was proud to call them my friends.

 

RIP and Semper Fi Guys

 

Bill

[tdogchristy90]

Sorry to hear this Bill. Prayers up, sir. 

[6th.MG.BN]

Bill,

I don't know if I knew Tom, maybe from the West Springfield, Ma shows.

I did know Steve. He was a great guy and always had some great items, most of them local pickups.

RIP to both.

Ken

[mrrm]

Sorry to hear of the passing of these two gentlemen.   I knew Steve Donoghue from the West Springfield MA. "BIG E" gun shows and would run into him from time to time at local flea markets and was recently wondering how he was doing, now sadly I know.   He invited me to view his collection at his home, very impressive, while there he gave me a few items that were not in his collecting field.  He was shot in the line of duty as a Holyoke Police Officer, he had the newspaper clippings that he showed me.  

[USMCR79]

1 hour ago, mrrm said:

Sorry to hear of the passing of these two gentlemen.   I knew Steve Donoghue from the West Springfield MA. "BIG E" gun shows and would run into him from time to time at local flea markets and was recently wondering how he was doing, now sadly I know.   He invited me to view his collection at his home, very impressive, while there he gave me a few items that were not in his collecting field.  He was shot in the line of duty as a Holyoke Police Officer, he had the newspaper clippings that he showed me.  

Thanks - Tom flew under the radar but was very knowledgeable in the collecting field - Steve wrote some excellent articles on collecting in the OMSA Journal and was one of the first collectors to collect groups to recipients and to research "The Man Behind the Medals".

 

Bill

[TCSchultz]

Thanks for posting this remembrance of Tom Fitzgerald and here's a picture of him I took just a few months before he passed away.  He was very proud of his Marine Corps Service and a very knowledgeable medals collector as well.  He is missed and thought of often.