EDMUND C. FITZMAURICE, 70, a longtime Hingham resident, and retired executive in the New England advertising community, died on Sunday, Nov. 12th at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston after a long and brave battle against Parkinson's Disease and its complications.
Mr. Fitzmaurice started his career as a District Manager with General Foods in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He then transitioned to the advertising agency side of the business, first as a Media Supervisor with Leo Burnett in Chicago. From there, he held a number of positions with increasing responsibility at some of the largest ad agencies in New England at the time, and with his expertise and responsibility spanning media/marketing, research and account management.
In Boston he worked for Cabot Communications two different times, initially as Vice President/Media Director and later as Senior Vice President/Marketing Services. His longest tenure was a Senior Vice President/Marketing Services at Humphrey Browning MacDougall, which had the highest ad billings in Boston for a number of years, even as a relative newcomer to the market. Mr. Fitzmaurice built Humphrey Browning's media department from scratch, and was renowned for the importance he placed on good intelligence, comprised of the right research and facts, to devise intelligent media plans for clients.
Mr. Fitzmaurice wrapped up his career as President and Partner of MacDougall and Fitzmaurice. Over the course of his long tenure in advertising, he worked on a number of major accounts such as Converse Athletic Shoes, Dunkin' Donuts, Fidelity Investments, Dutch Boy Paints, Stanley Tools, Parker Brothers, and even the introduction of the Massachusetts State Lottery, positioned as "The Game," which ultimately became the most successful lottery in the country.
Mr. Fitzmaurice was truly an ad man of the old school. More than that though, he was a true family man. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary (Derrick) Fitzmaurice of Hingham; his children Edmund of Darien, CT, Michael of Norwell, MA, James of Larkspur, CA, John of Hingham, MA and Susan Hendison of Norwell, MA. He also leaves behind his daughters-in-law, Roseanne (McInnes), Karen (Johnson), Marilu (Stuart); his son-in-law, Matthew Hendison; his seven grandchildren, Edmund, Jaclyn, Emily, Andrew, Matthew, Isabel and Benjamin, and his brothers Robert of Santa Fe, NM and David of Tucson, AZ.
A Memorial Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, Nov. 17th at 10 AM at the Church of the Resurrection, 1057 Main St. (Rt. 228), Hingham.
Friends may visit at the Downing Cottage Funeral Chapel, 21 Pond St., Hingham on Thursday evening from 5-8 PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY 10163.
The interment is to be private.