James F. Fitzmaurice III of Wyckoff, NJ passed away peacefully at home on Monday, August 17th. He was a devoted and loving father, partner, son, brother, uncle, and an outstanding friend.
Known as Jimmy to his family and Jim or Fitz to his friends, he was born on June 7, 1966 to James F. Fitzmaurice Jr. and Jacqueline L. Fitzmaurice in the Bronx. He grew up in Oakland and later Wyckoff, NJ and attended both Indian Hills and Ramapo High School, where he graduated in 1984. For several years he worked with his father and later his brother-in-law in the stone industry and started his own company, VTA Enterprises. Since he was a child, Jimmy always had mind for the mechanical and loved working with his hands. As an adult he followed his lifelong passion working as a mechanic and restoring vintage cars. He first owned Urban Farm Exxon Station in Franklin Lakes and later K&Z Autobody in Wyckoff.
He is survived by his children Zachary and Katherine; his partner Sue Sandberg and her children Katie, Megan and Jack; his mother Jacqueline L. Fitzmaurice of Wyckoff; his father James F. Fitzmaurice Jr. of Greenwood Lake, NY and his wife Patricia; his sister Kathleen Long of Glen Rock and her son Andrew; his sister Patricia Fitzmaurice, brother-in-law Thomas Harty, and their children Victoria, Thomas, Alexandra, and Colin; and his brother Joseph Fitzmaurice, sister-in-law Andrea, and their children Joey and Danalyn. He is predeceased by his wife Elizabeth Schaefer Fitzmaurice who passed in 2011 and is survived by her parents Charles and Carol Schaefer and her siblings Carolyn Weininger and Charles V. Schaefer.
Jim was the best kind of person. He was always there for anyone who needed a hand. He will be greatly missed by his children, family and friends.
Donations in honor of Jim can be made to the American Heart Association or the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation, 160 Essex St, Suite 101, Lodi NJ 07644, where Jim helped Betsy’s parents establish an ongoing music therapist in honor of Betsy.
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