Obituaries

Donald James FitzgeraldFBI Agent

Donald James Fitzgerald, 77, an FBI agent for 28 years, died of cancer Dec. 25 at Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie. He lived in Bowie.

Mr. Fitzgerald was one of the first FBI agents at the scene of the 1972 burglary of the Democratic national headquarters at the Watergate complex.

The five burglars, some of whom spoke Spanish, had been caught at gunpoint by three plainclothes D.C. police officers. The crime scene was determined to be under the city's jurisdiction, so Mr. Fitzgerald and fellow agents left.

He was an FBI linguist during the Cuban missile crisis and often worked in Puerto Rico for the bureau. From the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, he was the FBI's liaison to Capitol Hill. He retired in 1981.

He was born in Yonkers, N.Y., and served in the Marine Corps from 1948 to 1952, with service in Korea. He joined the FBI in 1953 and graduated from Manhattan College three years later.

After retiring, Mr. Fitzgerald was a consultant to the Central Intelligence Agency.

He was a coach for Bowie Boys and Girls Clubs, a member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI. He was a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Bowie for 42 years.

His wife, Carole A. Fitzgerald, died in 1990.

Survivors include six children, Donald Fitzgerald of Pasadena, James Fitzgerald of West Chester, Pa., Carolyn Gabelman of Gambrills, Thomas Fitzgerald of Crofton, John Fitzgerald of Huntingtown and Theresa Santilli of Centreville; two sisters; and 21 grandchildren.

-- Patricia Sullivan