Lucie Hall Fitzgerald

FITZGERALD, Lucie Hall, died peacefully in her sleep at Croasdaile Village in Durham, North Carolina, on December 22, 2022. She was 85 years old.

Lucie was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, on February 22, 1937, and raised in the Fan District of Richmond. She attended Fox School and Collegiate where she made life-long friends. Lucie, Marianne, and Chip enjoyed life on Park Avenue where they roller-skated on the sidewalk and tossed water balloons made out of notebook paper at the boys across the street. (“Rubber balloons were scarce during the war. The paper ones worked fine, but you had to throw them fast.”) Teenage years were spent at 2114 Stuart Avenue where Lucie transferred to T.J. High School. By then, old enough to drive, she and her sister picked up buddies in an old Plymouth, The Green Machine, and headed out to school. Social life was in full swing for these sisters, and whoever answered the phone first was the one who got the date.

After high school, Lucie attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg and married William C. Fitzgerald. Lucie and Bill first lived in Waukegan, Illinois, and then returned to Richmond where they moved into their first home on Allen Avenue. They later left the city for King William, Virginia, where they settled into life at Mt. Pisgah, Bill's childhood home on the Mattaponi. There they raised two children; spent time with horses, dogs, and Aylett neighbors; and braved those long commutes to and from Richmond.

Much later in life, after the end of her marriage, Lucie received her B.F.A. from VCU's Painting and Printmaking School (1989) and a paralegal degree from J. Sargeant Reynolds (1995). During much of this time, she worked at McGuire Woods and at Lawyer's Title. Back in Richmond once again, she was able to reconnect with her Collegiate friends and make new ones at VCU and in her new home at Mount Vernon Apartments. Lucie loved her little courtyard cocktails with buddies and pool parties down the block on Hamilton Street.

Lucie was known for her compassion, artistic talent, intellectual curiosity, and humor. She volunteered her time at Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Clark Springs Elementary, the Richmond Public Library, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She was a dedicated tutor at the Read Center who followed and supported her client for several years. An avid reader and learner, Lucie traveled to France, Greece, Japan, Mexico, and Italy; and throughout the U.S. Her favorite spots however, were not too far-flung—Gloucester Banks on the York and “Wee Beach” on the Bay. She never rested her head on a pillow that didn't have a stack of books and papers beside it: bookmarks sticking out of fine art volumes; old and new art books; titles by Jung, Joseph Campbell, Spong, and Karen Armstrong; piles of VCU and VMFA flyers; and sketchpads.

Lucie's time at VCU's Painting and Printmaking School gave her a belated chance to answer her calling and develop her passion. There she worked with gifted professors and colleagues, explored self- expression in a supportive community of like-minded artists, and fed the life of the mind. Her children are eternally grateful for the role VCU played in a life fulfilled for their mother.

Intuitive to her core, Lucie had spot-on insights about people and situations. Her metaphors and “intuitive speak” comments were wicked and funny. She was an exceptional mother who knew how to connect, empathize, and empower. She was a bright person who never made another person feel small. She was a gifted artist who never wanted to be called one: “People throw that word around too much.” She changed her mind about politics as she aged, seeing the world from different perspectives as her own circumstances changed. She never stopped asking questions or finding wonder in the world.

Lucie was preceded in death by her parents, Charles E. Hall II and Mary Champe Hall. She is survived by her daughter, Virginia Fitzgerald Brooks (Tom) and son, Tazewell Fitzgerald (Katie); her four grandchildren, Fletcher, Jia, Eliza, and George Henry; her sister, Marianne Hall Miller (Tom); her brother, Charles E. Hall III (Jane); and her nieces and nephews.

Lucie's family would like to thank the hospice staff at Transitions LifeCare in Wake County and the nursing staff at Croasdaile Village Health Center for their care and support.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Lucie's memory be made to VCU's Department of Painting and  Printmaking  https://www.support.vcu.edu/give/Arts or to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. A private memorial service will be held at a later date.