Edmond J. Fitzgerald; Noted Watercolorist

Edmond J. Fitzgerald, 77, a former naval officer who won renown for his watercolor paintings. Fitzgerald was listed by American Artist in 1983 as one of 14 living legends of watercolor. The publication compared his love for painting the outdoors with that of 19th-Century artist Winslow Homer. His paintings are included in permanent collections at the White House, George Washington University, the Seattle Art Museum, the U.S. Maritime Naval War College and IBM, and his murals decorate the American Museum of Natural History. Fitzgerald was a naval officer during World War II and continued to serve in the reserves until he was 65. A commissioned artist, he painted portraits of 15 admirals. Fitzgerald was an honorary president of the American Watercolor Society, and past president of Allied Artists of America. In Cincinnati on Wednesday of cancer.