Commander John J. Fitzpatrick

The end of an Era

The Navy’s last Airship pilot and world record holder is gone.

 Born on 11 February 1936 in the Hudson (NY) hospital to John H and Mabel (Kelly) Fitzpatrick, John Joseph Fitzpatrick, fondly known by his many friends as Montana Jack, launched on his final flight on December 9th, 2024. His first 12 years were spent in Valatie New York followed by the next six in East Riverdale, Maryland.

 At 18, he joined the U.S. Navy. He completed Electronic Technician School and did a short stint at the Naval Small Craft Facility in Annapolis, Maryland. He began Flight Training in 1956, Airship Training in 1957, and was assigned to Airship Squadrons 2 and 3 in Brunswick GA and Lakehurst NJ. He was a crew member on a Navy Airship that set a world’s record for un-refueled operational flight. He then completed a tour of duty in Attack Squadron 23, deploying aboard the U.S.S Midway, where he qualified as OOD underway. He attended Air Intelligence Officer School and completed a tour at the Naval Intelligence Center in Washington, D.C. He then transferred to the Training and Administration of the Naval Reserve (TAR) program and was transferred to Naval Air Station (NAS) Willow Grove, PA.

 His last tour was at the Naval Air Reserve Training Unit at NAS Norfolk, VA where he participated in Operation Homecoming - the debriefing of Navy POW’s from Vietnam. While at NARTU Norfolk, as the Naval Intelligence Command Mid Atlantic Representative, he was promoted to Commander and retired from Naval service in 1974.

 He married Judith Yawn in 1959. They were married over 18 years and had 7 children: Sean (Laurie) of Lawrenceville GA; Kathleen of Olympia WA; Captain (retired) USN, Patrick (Janet) of Bigfork, MT; Michael of Missoula MT, Christopher (Andrea) of Lawrenceville GA, Kerry (Sarah) of Lawrenceville GA and Thomas (Kelly) of St. Petersburg FL.

 He held a B.S. with Honors from LaSalle University in Philadelphia.

 After retirement, Fitzpatrick moved to his dream location of Missoula MT. In all, he lived in 15 different states. But he always returned to Montana, “The Last Best Place.”

 He met Eileen Vail in Missoula in 1981, and they married after a brief courtship. Eileen had 8 children of her own: Ron (Sheri) of Oakland CA, Kati (Mohammad) of Surrey BC, Canada; Terye (Greg) of Lolo MT, Tim (Henrietta) of Dunlap TN; Tom (Khwan) of Ban Chang Rayong, Thailand; Peggy (Bill) of Valley Springs CA; Jim (Corky) of Oberarnbach, Germany; and Mary of Melbourne, Australia. They both sort of adopted one another’s kids, although they were mostly all grown up and had left home by then.

 When they met, Jack and Eileen had both just found the Lord. Their marriage of 43 years has been one of discovering the Lord and constantly learning more about Him. They spent five of their most important years at the Christian Service Center in St. Petersburg where a wonderful family of committed Christian believers shared their lives and a treasure trove of teachings about Jesus, His kingdom and His written word with them. Those years strengthened the bonds of their marriage and were the beginning of spiritual growth.

 He started 8 different businesses over the years. Two survive to this day: “Lord and Jackson Locksmiths”, and “The Dwelling Place” of Missoula.

 His life was one of discovery, first exploring the woods of upstate New York in which he spent many hours just roaming about and learning. Then he discovered the library which had the same effect on him. Then it was learning about anything and everything. He discovered music and singing. Each new thing was a thrill and made him even more eager to learn.

 He also discovered the joy of barbershop singing and joined the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA) in 1967. The friends he met though this beautiful artform number in the thousands – and he knew them all by name. At 81 years old, he founded a new barbershop society, with almost 2000 members in three countries.

 Fitzpatrick was preceded in death by his parents, his brother William, and a myriad of good friends. He leaves behind his beloved wife of 43 years, Eileen; their wonderful family, which includes 15 children, 36 grandchildren, 36 great grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild; as well as friends all over the world—particularly Jim Lockwood, Mike Parrott, and Paul Cohen. And he sends blessings and thanks to Sue Monroe for showing him the righteous path to eternal life.

 He wishes with his dying breath that everyone will call upon that same Lord Jesus Christ and surrender their lives to Him—a very small price to pay for eternal life.