Aileen Alana Branick-Fitzgerald was born in San Francisco on August 20, 1930, the daughter of J. Laurence and Aileen Branick. She was the second of six surviving children, Gerry (Desmond), Patricia (Dugoni), Robert, Vincent and Barbara (Clark). She spent much of her early childhood in San Anselmo where she attended St. Anselm’s Elementary school, then later in San Francisco, at St. James Elementary School, and The Immaculate Conception Academy.
Alana began college at Holy Names College and later at Marquette University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in both Chemistry and Nutrition.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Alana attended Physicians and Surgeons College (UOP) in San Francisco, where she was the only woman and often “top man in the class.” She graduated with a D.D.S., and joined her father, Dr. Laurence Branick’s practice, on 24th and Guerrero Street.
She met Maurice Fitzgerald, a patient of her father’s, in the dental office, and married shortly thereafter in 1960. They had three children, John, Mary (Doherty), and Maurice Jr., before building a home in Hillsborough, where they were blessed with three more, Alana, Vincent and Brian. Alana and Maurice lived there together for the next sixty years.
Alana moved her practice to Burlingame, where she spent 40 years caring for hundreds of patients, many of whom became her close friends. She continued her studies at UCSF where she worked in the UCSF Pain Clinic. After retiring, she volunteered her dentistry at Samaritan House in San Mateo.
Alana quickly made friends with the other parents in the “carpool”, at North Hillsborough School. The nine women she called her “lady friends” Mary Claire, Mary Ann, Dolly, Pat, Bobby, Betty, Sue, Alice, and Jan, travelled, celebrated Birthdays, Christmas, and life’s milestones together. She treasured these relationships.
She was blessed with wonderful brothers and sisters with whom she stayed close. She also enjoyed the many warm summer days with friends at the St. Francis Yacht Club’s Tinsley Island.
Alana loved gardening, and with Maurice, beautifully landscaped their home. She especially loved roses, some of which were from her father’s garden. She loved reading biographies, heroic themed movies, her gym, her Irish heritage, singing, laughing. She fervently loved her country, the Rosary, her Church and her family, most of all her nine wonderful grandchildren, Jack, Molly, Ann, John, Elizabeth, Joseph, Olivia, Connor and Blake.
We will all miss her dearly.
Rosary will be held Wednesday August 6 at 7 p.m., Sneider & Sullivan & O’Connell, 977 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo. Funeral mass Thursday August 7 at 10 a.m. St. Catherine of Sienna Church, 1310 Bayswater Avenue, Burlingame.
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