The Tansey-Fitzsimmons Fund

Murray Fitzsimmons was a generous man, who loved a good laugh and a good political joust. But he also spent his career as a financier, so he valued the careful handling of financial resources.

That’s why setting up a fund in his name after his death in March 2017 was easy for his wife, Rosalie Tansey, to do.

The couple, long-time friends who married after their respective spouses had died, made Niagara their home, enjoying the region’s beauty and vibrancy, especially the Shaw Festival. They were generous to causes such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation, or the Canadian Cancer Society, and Murray left money to both the Shaw Festival and the Niagara Health System in his will. But when a neighbour told Rosalie about the Niagara Community Foundation, she was immediately impressed with its local emphasis and financial rigour. She knew Murray would have been impressed too.

Meeting with Executive Director Bryan Rose made it clear that a gift in Murray’s name would be a fitting way to honour Murray’s legacy – a permanent way to support causes that are important for the health and vitality of a region that both Murray and Rosalie loved.

Rosalie’s only regret? “I wish Murray had lived to know about the Niagara Community Foundation. He would have wanted to participate,” she said.

Thanks to Rosalie’s decision to honour Murray’s spirit and generosity, he will.