Obituaries

Edward Hackett Fitzgerald, former right-of-way agent

Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost on Nov. 5.

Former right-of-way agent Edward Hackett Fitzgerald died Oct. 18. He was 72.

Ed was born May 12, 1950, and grew up in Parkchester, a large housing development owned by Metropolitan Life in the East Bronx.  As soon as he was able to get his working papers, he got a job at the D’Agostino’s supermarket that just opened in Parkchester. Research indicates that the assistant manager there gave him the nickname Whip. He worked there for several years.

As soon as he had saved enough money, he bought a VW Beetle, which he loved. His friends recall him driving and when a favorite song of his, like “Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay” or “Sunny,” came on the radio, he would give a slight shake of his head and reach over to turn the volume up.

He and his friends took many trips in that VW, including one to Acadia National Park in Maine and an insane trip in a blizzard to an unheated house in the Catskills.

While he went to St. Francis College in Brooklyn, he drove a cab in the cty. He had varied experiences but left New York after being hit head-on by another cab on the Grand Concourse. At that point, Ed left New York with a friend on a cross-country adventure, meeting and making friends along the way. They eventually made it to Oakland, where they stayed for a while with former Parkchester/Bronx friends and acquaintances.

Ed continued his journey, ending up in Kansas, where he lived on a farm and worked as a hod-carrier and later a framer on construction sites. California was calling to him, and he headed back west. He lived briefly in Southern California on Balboa Island, working in a leather shop where he learned to make sandals and belts (very groovy).

Ed next found himself in Eureka. He attended Humboldt State University and attained his bachelor’s in forestry, with an emphasis in fire science. It was at this time that Ed met Lori, his wife of 42 years. Soon after graduating from HSU, Ed got a job with Natural Resources Management, a firm that contracted to survey/cruise what is now Redwood State and National Parks. He loved that work and made great and lasting friends there.

Ed wasn’t one to let grass grow under his feet for very long. He had a few careers before he retired. He made many friends during his careers in real estate, working as an appraiser at the Humboldt County Assessor’s office and finally at the California Department of Transportation as a right-of-way agent. Up to his last day, he was making friends as a volunteer working on trails in what is known as the McKay Tract.

Ed was a true and loyal friend to all he met and a loving husband. He lived life his way, and he passed the same way: at home.

Ed is survived by his wife of 42 years, Lori; his two sisters, Catherine Galligan and Ann Fitzgerald; his nephew, Eugene Galligan; his two cousins, Markie (Margaret) Hartling and Eileen Sweeney; and cousin Michael Hartling (Jill).

The family thanks Ayres Family Cremation for preparing Ed for his final journey. A Celebration of Life is planned for the spring of 2023.

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Rachel Prioleau Walker, former Caltrans employee

Note: The following obituary appeared in the Ridgecrest Daily Independent.

Former Caltrans employee Rachel Prioleau Walker died on Nov. 6 in Ridgecrest. She was born in Kingstree, South Carolina,to parents, Charles Scott and Eliza Scott on Jab. 27, 1938.

Rachel can be described as a powerhouse of strength and courage, self-sacrificing, loving, with a generous heart. There are many beautiful stories that can be shared about this wonderful mother, wife, sister, grandmother, auntie, and friend. She loved her physical family as well as her spiritual family, and was baptized as one of Jehovah Witnesses in 1958 in San Bernadino, and pioneered for many years.

She loved her ministry and was well-regarded in her community for all that she did. She worked for Caltrans and then opened her own business as a day-care owner. Rachel was committed to helping anyone in her community and her presence will be missed.

Rachel is preceded in death by her parents Charles and Eliza Scott, her siblings, brother-Thomas Witherspoon, James Witherspoon, John Henry (Sonny) Scott, and Brianna Baeza.

Rachel leaves to cherish her memories, beloved husband (Ralph Walker), son-Terence Prioleau (along with his wife-Donna Prioleau), daughter-Tina Baeza (along with Luis Baeza), son-Andre Prioleau, daughter-Sharon Prioleau, daughter-Shaunda Walker, sister-Marianna Scott Jones (husband-Leroy Jones), brother-Robert V. Scott, and brother-Joe James Scott (wife-Missouri Scott) along with grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a host of family and friends.