HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 221 Offered January 15, 2008 Celebrating the life of Lester P. Fitzwater, Jr. ---------- Patron-- Lohr ----------

WHEREAS, Lester P. Fitzwater, Jr., of Broadway, a respected citizen and dedicated community leader, died on August 9, 2007; and

WHEREAS, Lester P. "Junior" Fitzwater, revered as a pillar in the Broadway community, helped establish the Broadway Emergency Squad in 1953; and

WHEREAS, always willing to help people in need in the community in anyway they could, Lester Fitzwater and his wife, Betty Lee, began the Broadway Emergency Squad by answering calls at their home; and

WHEREAS, Lester Fitzwater manned the all-volunteer squad’s first emergency vehicle, a borrowed hearse, and he was a squad captain for 35 years; and

WHEREAS, Lester Fitzwater was instrumental in the Broadway Emergency Squad receiving up-to-date equipment and training, and he helped establish the emergency squad in Bergton, the Mathias-Baker Rescue Squad, as well as the Shenandoah EMS Council; and

WHEREAS, Lester Fitzwater served as the mayor of Broadway for six years from 1984 to 1990, and was well-known for his innate ability to work with his fellow residents and bring people together to serve the community; and

WHEREAS, an exemplary role model for his colleagues, friends, and neighbors, Lester inspired many residents to commit to public service; and

WHEREAS, involved in many community events and activities, Lester Fitzwater served for a time as Postmaster of Fulks Run and was a lifetime member of the Fulks Run Ruritan Club; and

WHEREAS, Lester Fitzwater was a faithful member of Broadway Baptist Church, where he was a deacon and active in the church's many missions at home and abroad; and

WHEREAS, Lester Fitzwater will be fondly remembered for his kind and generous nature and greatly missed by his devoted wife Betty Lee; his two daughters, Bonnie Sue Caplinger and Linda Jamison, and their wonderful families; his cherished grandchildren and great-grandchildren; a host of other family members and friends; and the residents of Broadway; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly note with great sadness the passing of a fine community leader and outstanding Virginian, Lester P. Fitzwater, Jr.; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Lester P. Fitzwater, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.