Madison- Janice Ann FitzGibbon, age 78, passed away on Thursday, March 19, 2020 at Oak Park Place Nursing Home in Madison. She was born on June 22, 1941 in Madison to Paul and Bernice (Carlson) Schlereth. She married John FitzGibbon on July 9,1971 in Westport.

Janice was a graduate of University of Wisconsin and held a Master’s degree from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Though a graduate of both, everyone knew Janice as a Badger fan. She was a regular at hockey games, women’s basketball games, and she never missed a badger football tv broadcast. If the badger defense wasn’t doing well, even the neighbors could hear her favorite cheer on the TV “Schmuck him!”.

Janice was a school teacher. Her first job was teaching physical education in Greendale, WI. After marrying John, she spent several years working the farm with him in Columbus. Teaching was her passion, later taking positions in DeForest, and then Madison school district. Janice’s proudest moments as a teacher had to include the years, she coached the freshmen women’s basketball team in DeForest. Janice spent endless hours writing grants for her schools to get physical education equipment, teaching English to the Hmong community, and building a summer school program GEMS.

Upon retirement from teaching, Janice and John moved to rural Whitehall to continue the agricultural work John loved. John and Janice enjoyed traveling and were known to take long road trips to visit family and good friends.

Janice is survived by three children, John FitzGibbon of Kenosha, Joseph (Sarah) FitzGibbon of Lake Mills and Jana (Ian) Ringstad of DeForest; seven grandchildren; a sister, Bette (Schlereth)Sugden of Madison and brother Paul Schlereth of Kenosha.

Janice was preceded in death by John, her husband of 47 years.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2020, at ST. MARY OF THE LAKE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 5460 Mary Lake Road, Westport, with Msgr. James Gunn presiding. Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until the time of the Mass. Burial will follow at St. Mary of the Lake Catholic Cemetery.

Janice FitzGibbon

June 22, 1941 - March 19, 2020

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