Frances Humm Fitzgerald

Frances Humm Fitzgerald, 95, passed away peacefully on May 30 after a short stay at Hospice Home Care.   

Frances was preceded in death by her husband, John Fitzgerald, her son and daughter-in-law, Timothy and Doris Jean Fitzgerald.  She is survived by her children: Mary Frances Ugarte (husband Carlos) of Calhoun, GA; Mary Beth Eisenhard of Bristow, VA ; Matthew Fitzgerald (wife Julie) of Milford, MA; Mary Kay Fitzgerald of Little Rock; Chris Fitzgerald (wife Polly) of Vail, CO;   John Fitzgerald (wife Lisa) of Little Rock; grandchildren Luke Fitzgerald, Lydia Fitzgerald, Carlos Ugarte, Lita Pardi (husband Fred), John David Eisenhard (wife Emily), Katie Eisenhard (husband Ben Lugiai), Patrick Eisenhard (wife Emily), Daniel Eisenhard (wife Kelli), Mark Fitzgerald, John Fitzgerald (wife Sarah), and Archer Fitzgerald. She is also survived by 14 great-grandchildren:  Nicholas and Oliver Fitzgerald; Luca and Matteo Pardi; McKenna, Ainsley and Brooke Lugiai; Matthew, Trevor, and Jace Eisenhard; Grayson Moser; Kyla Eisenhard; Bailey and Shelby Eisenhard.

Frances was born on August 4, 1928, to John and Margaret Klecker Humm of Long Island, New York.   She was a devout Catholic at St. Christopher’s Church in Baldwin. Upon high school graduation, Frances attended Saint Mary of the Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana.  She majored in Home Economics graduating in 1950.  From there she moved to Ithaca, NY to study for her master’s degree at Cornell University.  It was there that she met John James Fitzgerald, the love of her life, who swept her off her feet.  Frances and John had seven children between 1953 and 1968.  When they moved to Little Rock in 1964, their combined love and passion of food and restaurants eventually found their way out of their heads and hearts into serving their favorite recipes at their restaurant – affectionately named “Captains Nine.”  (As they would tell customers and friends – we have seven children, they all wanted to be captains to give orders and not take orders!)

In 1990, Frances was chosen by the Arkansas Professional Chefs and Cooks Association as Chef of the Year.  In 2004, Frances was named to the Hall of Fame for the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Culinary Foundation.  Captains Nine Restaurants and Catering was well known in Little Rock until Frances retired in 1996.

Frances and John were founding members of Christ the King Catholic Church. Frances was also a member of the Saint Mary of the Woods College Alumnae Association, a member of CHI Saint Vincent’s Auxiliary, and a retired member of the Arkansas Culinary Foundation.

In her later years, Frances volunteered at Christ the King as a lector until she reached her 90^th birthday! She also volunteered at CHI St. Vincent Infirmary over 11,000 hours, and at Our House, a local non-profit in Little Rock.

Frances enjoyed traveling to visit her family throughout the United States, and she was a prolific reader. She also enjoyed every movie on the Hallmark Channel and Murder She Wrote with Angela Lansbury!

Visitation will be held 5:00-6:00 pm, with Rosary at 6:00 pm on Thursday, June 6 at Smith Little Rock Funeral Home, 8801 Knoedl Court, Little Rock. Funeral Mass will be held 10:00 am Friday, June 7, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 4000 N Rodney Parham Road, Little Rock. Burial will follow at Saint Francis of Assisi Cemetery in Bigelow.  

Memorials may be made to Hospice Home Care, 2200 South Bowman Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 72211, 501-558-4100, hospicehomecare.com.