Albert H. "Al" Fitz

Albert “Al” H. Fitz, 76, passed away Sept. 25, 2016. Visitation with the family, 7-9 p.m., Wed. Sept. 28, Downing & Lahey Mortuary West. Service at 10 a.m., Thurs. Sept. 29, Bethany Lutheran Church. Graveside service at 3 p.m. in Mount Hope Cemetery, Independence, KS. Predeceased by parents Flora and Albert Fitz, Sr.; sister Carol Haberstock; brother Jules Fitz; step-brother David Bracher; step-mother Dorothy Bracher Fitz; brother-in-law Andrew Siler. Lovingly remembered by daughters Dana (Jonathan) Fitz Gale, Rachel (David) Prusko; sisters JoAnn Siler, Rose (Gregory) Wilson, Karen (Steven) Homan; brother-in-law Cliff Haberstock; step-sisters Janice (Pete) Moeller and Phyllis Jenkins; step-brother Dwayne Bracher; grandchildren Emma, Malory, Nathaniel, and Liam, and many adored nieces and nephews. Al was born in Bartlesville, OK, in 1940, the eldest of 6 children. Growing up, he helped his parents run the family grocery and attended Zion Lutheran School in Independence, KS. Al graduated from Independence High in 1958 and Concordia in Seward, NE, in 1962. He went on to become a teacher and principal at Trinity Lutheran in Kalispell, MT and St. Paul’s Lutheran in Pomona, CA. In 1970, he moved to Alberta, Canada, where his two daughters were born. There, he taught science, coached basketball, and cultivated his great love of the outdoors. In 1989, Al moved back to Kansas and earned his Master’s in Education from WSU in 1998. He taught at Greiffenstein School until his retirement from teaching after 43 years. Al was an avid bird hunter, fisherman, dog lover, storyteller, and traveler who made friends everywhere he went. Al’s Christian faith was the cornerstone of his life. He valued laughter and family and always sought the joy in God’s creation. Memorials established with Bethany Lutheran Church, 1000 W. 26th St. S., Wichita, KS 67217; Zion Lutheran Church, 219 S. 10th, Independence, KS 67301; and Parkinson’s Association of the Plains, PO Box 771269, Wichita, KS 67277.