Paul E. Fitzgerald

Paul Fitzgerald of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 14th, 2026, surrounded by his loving family.

Born on December 16, 1956 to Mary and John Fitzgerald, Paul attended Roger Ludlowe High School and grew up with a deep passion for music, eventually graduating in 1981 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the prestigious Berklee College of Music. After graduation, Paul built a successful career in business holding senior leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies Comcast and Time Warner, as well as advertising agencies in NYC, San Francisco and Philadelphia before becoming a partner in his own firm. Paul was well known for being humble, irreverent and bringing good humor and levity to any situation, as well as having a “whatever it takes” attitude to problem solving that enabled him to regularly exceed people’s expectations. It would be fair to say that Paul took life very seriously, but not himself too seriously. He had a natural good grace and gift for making everyone around him feel at ease, a high emotional IQ as it were. It was his gift of being genuinely himself without any pretense, and his caring about others, that led so many of his clients and colleagues to becoming lifelong personal friends and collaborators. They say the ultimate measure of a man is not what he does for himself but what he does for others, and Paul delivered surplus value to everyone around him.

Paul was also an accomplished jazz guitarist and teacher, as well as avid guitar collector. Jazz is essentially improvisation which suited Paul well. As his mother often humorously noted, “Paul made up and lived by his own rules.” As it turns out, he was always sort of playing Jazz, even when he wasn’t. He was either leading, or following yours. When you were in his company, you were jamming. In his later years, Paul devoted much of his spare time to teaching young students guitar. Proudly, he recently helped a young neighbor on the autism spectrum ascend to the stage where they played together in front of a live audience. It could be said that Paul’s greatest success was his ability to identify the talent in others and selflessly help them succeed. He took real joy in it, bringing out the best in you. Paul understood that living in service of others paid the greatest dividends in the end. Oh, and man did he love his dogs.

Beyond professional and personal achievements and community involvement, Paul’s true and greatest joy in life was his family. Paul shared over 19 years of marriage with his beloved wife Lynn Santana-Fitzgerald before her unfortunate passing in 2019, and together they raised two incredible young men in sons Jack and Dylan. With their parent’s diehard support and participation, the boys excelled in both academics and athletics with Paul and Lynn by their side every step of the way. Until Paul found himself a widowed father and rose above himself to meet the situation with a steady hand and unwavering commitment to the welfare of his boys. When not working, Paul was also coaching baseball, officiating swim meets, and playing family photographer. Jack and Dylan are without question the lasting legacy of Paul and Lynn, young men of whom they are both deeply proud. And it comforts many who knew them to think that Paul and Lynn are now together again, kindred spirits reunited for eternity.

Paul is survived by his dear sons Dylan and Jack, as well as his sister, Eileen Rice, his brother, Stephen Fitzgerald, and a number of nieces and nephews. A Private Memorial Funeral Service and Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, November 14th at Nazareth Moravian Church at 10:00 AM. A luncheon and reception will follow. A scholarship fund will be established in Paul’s name at the music school where he recently taught. Donations may be made to Musik Makers, 165 South Liberty Street, Nazareth, PA 18064.