07/19/2026
Sister Margaret Fitzer, SSL ~ 1948 – 2026
Sr. Margaret Fitzer was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to Elizabeth and Rodney Fitzer on July 30, 1948. She was the oldest child of three children. Her parents and brothers, Richard and Donald predeceased her.
Margaret grew up in a family where expectations were high and where hard work was an indication of the care and love a person expended to make life better for others. She exemplified these traits in all that she did throughout a rich and varied life of service to others. After her graduation from Bishop Amat High School in La Puente, California in 1966, she entered religious life with the Sisters of St. Louis and after completing her BA degree, she taught in Nativity Elementary School, El Monte and St. Anthony Claret Elementary School, Anaheim from 1969 – 1972.
Recognizing her gifts, Margaret was asked to pursue a master’s degree at the Institute of Formative Spirituality in Duquesne University, Pittsburgh where in her own words she began her journey of “self-exploration and spiritual growth.” The program taught her “to look deeply, to listen attentively, to be suspicious of her good intentions, and to trust in God”. Upon the completion of her studies, she spent the next eight years as Formation Director of young women entering religious life with the Sisters of St. Louis. Her ministry gave her the opportunity to listen to others’ questions, struggles, and concerns and to help them hear what God was telling them.
Following a year of rest and renewal at Weston School of Theology in Boston, Margaret spent a year as Director of Adult Spirituality in Our Lady of Grace Parish, Encino before embarking on a new phase of her life as Executive Director of the Religious Formation Conference in the United States from 1990- 1995. This ministry brought her in touch with religious throughout the country as she organized conferences and workshops to help prepare young women and men as future ministers in the Church.
Ever living up to her own high expectations, Margaret turned her attention to other needs in our evolving society and after studying and receiving a master’s in social work at USC, she became a counselor at St. Mel Elementary School, Woodland Hills and later at Louisville High School, Woodland Hills and Nativity School, El Monte. She also served on the Sisters of St. Louis Leadership Team and as a Consultant in the Office of Assistance Ministry in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles until she retired in 2019.
In a life filled with incredible ministry to God’s people, one would wonder if Margaret had any time for herself but even then, she was an avid reader, enjoyed walking and attending live theater as well as dabbling in watercolor painting.
Unfortunately, signs of early dementia had become evident during the last few years that Margaret was working and in 2021 she moved to St. John of God Memory Care, Los Angeles where she received loving care until it closed in 2024. Her last two years of journeying with Alzheimer’s were spent in Claremont Manor’s Memory Care, Claremont.
Margaret died on July 8, 2026, and will be missed by her religious community, the Sisters of St. Louis, her nephews, Jason and Jeff, her many friends, and by all whose lives she touched. May she rest in eternal peace and be reunited with her parents, and brothers.
The Sisters of St. Louis are deeply grateful to the staffs of St. John of God’s Memory Care and Claremont Manor’s Memory Care for their compassionate care of Margaret during her last years. The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Bernardine of Siena Church, Woodland Hills on Thursday, July 30 at 11:30 a.m. followed by a reception of light refreshments in the Parish Hall. Burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City on Friday, July 31 at 11:00 a.m.
