Thomas Fitzsimmons

THOMAS FITZSIMMONS Thomas Fitzsimmons died peacefully early morning July 24, 2017. He was born Oct. 21, 1926 in Lowell, Mass. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Karen, his son Sean (Lisa), granddaughter Caitlin, son Ian (Jean), grandson Duncan. Thomas served in WWII as an underage merchant seaman just after Pearl Harbor and was discharged from the USAAF just after Hiroshima. A lifetime renowned poet whose work was celebrated by both Japanese & American musicians, Thomas was a writer/editor for The New Republic (Washington, DC) and feature writer for The Asahi Daily News (Tokyo, Japan). The author, translator, or editor of more than 60 books including a series from Univ. of Hawaii Press: "Asian Poetry in Translation: Japan," and "Reflections," Thomas was the Emeritus Professor of Literature, Oakland University, Michigan. He received many honors including 3 National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and several Fulbrights to countries in Europe and Asia, and under the auspices of USIS presented a 16-month, 18-nation poetry reading / performance / lecture / workshop tour throughout the Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Since moving to Santa Fe 27 years ago, he has given many poetry readings & published 15 books of his poetry with art work by his wife Karen. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, July 30 at 2 PM at Rivera Family Chapel, 417 E. Rodeo Rd.