Brian F.X. Fitzgerald died at home in Manhattan on March 8. He was 36.
Born in Manhattan, he attended school in Westchester and graduated from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in 2001. He was a weekend and summer resident of Southampton and while in high school and college worked at the Southampton Bathing Corporation during summer break. Survivors said he loved the beach, spending time there with friends, and often drove there just to look at the waves in winter.
After graduation from college, he traveled across the country with his brother, Stephen, and friends, eventually settling in Tahoe City, California, to work in the outdoor recreation business. Before returning to Manhattan to work for the History Channel, he lived in southern California, working for a short time in the motion picture business.
About six years ago, Mr. Fitzgerald made a lifestyle change, becoming a dues-paying member of the Iron Workers Union, Local 40, and spending most of his time working on the rebuilding of the World Trade Center complex. He traveled with his family on a long-planned trip to Ireland last September.
Mr. Fitzgerald is survived by his parents, Brendan and Lyn Fitzgerald; two brothers, Charles and Stephen; and his partner, Gabriella Pireno.
A funeral Mass was said on March 14 at the Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Southampton.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton.