On September 21, 2021, Kevin J.  FitzPatrick surrounded by family passed away peacefully after heroically battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Kevin was born on October 3, 1949, to Bernard and Corinne FitzPatrick in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kevin attended St. Thomas Academy (1967), the University of Minnesota (B.A. 1971), and the University of St. Thomas (M.Ed. 1977). As discussed below, Kevin became a highly regarded poet, who wrote in the voice of the Midwest.

In an Irish American family of eight children, Kevin was the quiet one. Kevin observed, reflected, and then acted. His intelligence boiled things down to their essence. He was a soft-spoken person of few words, but they were the right words and meant. Kevin also had a wry, laconic wit, easy grin, and kind heart.

Kevin unfailingly seemed true to his core self. Consistent with that fidelity to self, Kevin had a contrarian streak that he was unafraid to act upon. His father, Bernard, who had his own contrarian streak, enjoyed telling stories about his son’s willingness to go in his own direction.

One story that Bernard told was of Kevin in high school at St. Thomas Academy. A regular army sergeant was trying to inspire his class of juniors to work harder on the military component of their education. They should do so, urged the sergeant, to make certain that they all got promoted in rank for their coming senior year. The sergeant observed that of course every one of those juniors wanted to be promoted. Then he asked rhetorically: “Is there anyone here who really doesn’t want to get promoted?” Kevin raised his hand. Kevin later made good on his resolve - he graduated as a private. Bernard always chuckled telling that story about his son.

In an athletic family, Kevin was athletic too. In fact, none of Kevin’s siblings had his sweet, Ted Williams-like baseball swing that he never lost. But Kevin gravitated towards individual sports. For instance, Kevin boxed as an amateur. Kevin did so without saying much about it. That was his way. Kevin knew, however, that his father had boxed in high school and college. So, one day Kevin mentioned to his father that he had a three round bout that night at St. Paul’s old Capital City gym, if his father would like to come.

As Bernard recounted, in the first round Kevin was getting hit frequently and hard. He wasn’t throwing many punches. Bernard was becoming concerned. But in the second round, Kevin opened up and landed punches. In the third round, Kevin put his opponent away. Knowing boxing and his son,       Bernard understood exactly what Kevin had done - he had studied his opponent in the first round, figured out how to box him, and then took the fight to him. It was good boxing. It was classic Kevin.

After boxing, Kevin got heavily into martial arts, which he continued most of his adult life. For a while, he taught a self-defense class. In 1985, Tina Blomer enrolled in that class. Tina became the love of Kevin’s life. They were together until Kevin’s passing.

Tina is so talented that Kevin’s siblings marvel at her skills (she runs her own farm); and they are dazzled by her creativity (she can make anything from scratch, including excellent wine and handsome, comfortable furniture). Kevin’s siblings are grateful to him for bringing this strong, lovely, jewel of woman into the family. She became their sister.

Also in 1985, Kevin began as a Disability Program Specialist with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. He was proud of the meaningful public service work that he did there. Further, Kevin valued the friendships that he developed with many of his colleagues during his career. In 2015, Kevin retired after 30 years with the agency.

But Kevin’s avocation was writing poetry. He began in high school, inspired/mentored by Professor Joe O’Brien at St. Thomas Academy. Kevin’s early commitment to poetry was - to say the least - uncommon in St. Paul’s Merriam Park neighborhood where he grew up. That neighborhood, however, understood that Kevin’s striving to become a poet was consistent with who he was. And as did his family, the neighborhood respected and supported Kevin on his unconventional path.

Kevin eventually became a well-known, long-time member of the Twin Cities’ literary community. He wrote several books of poems, and had his poetry published in anthologies across the country. Kevin was a member of the Lake Street Writers Group. He was a founder and the long-time editor of The Lake Street Review, receiving submissions from around the world. Kevin taught writing and poetry classes, and generously mentored new writers and poets. Kevin gave many public readings. Moreover, others read his poetry on various public radio stations, including Minnesota Public Radio. And regarding Kevin and his poetry generally, iconic Midwestern poet, writer, and activist Meridel LeSueur said simply: “He’s a wonderful chronicler of the people’s journey.”

Along with addressing other subjects, much of Kevin’s poetry was personal. In particular, Kevin wrote poems about his family. Those are family treasures. An example is his short, observational poem, “In My Mother’s Voice.” There, Kevin wrote about his mother, Corinne, who had been wistfully reminiscing on the passing of her own parents. For those who knew the gentle-souled, ever-maternal Corinne, they will recognize that Kevin’s poem is pitch-perfect.

One thing I really missed

when they all died

was that there was no one

to tell the little things to

the things about you kids.

Oh, I had sisters and neighbors,

but they had their kids.

There was no one who cared anymore

the way your grandparents did

to hear all the little things

about school

or paper routes

or what the girls wore on Easter.

I missed that.

While much of Kevin’s poetry was family-centered, his larger poet’s voice was the heartland’s - direct, unadorned and with a solid sense of place. That voice came naturally to him. Kevin’s heartland roots ran deep. Both sides of his family had homesteaded farms on the Minnesota prairie.

In a St. Paul Pioneer Press review of Kevin’s book, Rush Hour, the reviewer said of Kevin’s Midwestern- voiced poetry:

"FitzPatrick channels a personal voice with his past. This plain speech, these understated emotions are the Midwest. We speak our own flat language here. The wheat fields and the endless snows efface our dramas. FitzPatrick translates the way we talk. Read him and hear yourself."

In brief, the power of Kevin’s poetry flowed from his person and from his place. Kevin wrote poetry as he lived - true to his core self and, more broadly, true to his heartland roots.

Kevin kept writing poems right up until cancer physically stopped him. Kevin did so because being a poet was central to who he was.

Kevin is survived by his beloved Tina and his seven siblings. Brian, Dennis (Judy), Ellen, Colleen (Kevin), Sheila (Frank), Patrick (Mary Pat), and Maureen (Douglas), as well as thirteen nephews and nieces, Conor (Mollie), Padraic (Lindsey Reif) Murphy, Brendan, Seamus, Miles Kane, Tim (Sophie Rouhandeh), Dan and Joe FitzPatrick, Kaitlin and Ryan Voight-FitzPatrick, Joshua Atiles, and Natasha (David Case) and Daniel Pagan. Kevin is also survived by three great-nieces, Rowan, Charlotte, and Maisie Murphy, and by great-nephew, Henry FitzPatrick.

Kevin’s family would like to thank the Hem-Oncology team, unit 7D at the Fairview University Hospital, and the incredibly caring staff at the N.C. Little Memorial Hospice of Edina.

In Kevin’s honor, his family has established the Kevin J. FitzPatrick Memorial Scholarship in Creative Writing at the University of St. Thomas. Please consider remembering Kevin with a Scholarship donation that will assist St. Thomas students majoring in creative writing. The donation site is: give.stthomas.edu/give/memorials/fitzpatrick/…

A celebration of Kevin’s life is planned for the Spring of 2022.