Eloise "Penny" Harth Fitzsimmons, lovingly known as Penny and affectionately called "Grandma Bubbles" by her grandchildren, passed away peacefully at the age of 83 on June 25, 2026.

Penny was born on October 31, 1942, in West Bend, Wisconsin to Ellsworth and Louise Harth.

She graduated from West Bend High School in 1960. She studied Journalism at Principia College and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, before earning her degree in Early Childhood Education from Westminster College. She eventually earned her Masters Degree in Education while teaching at Jackson Elementary School.

Penny devoted nearly three decades to teaching young children. She taught kindergarten in Reading, Ohio, first grade in Sandy, Utah, and then spent more than twenty years teaching first grade at Jackson Elementary School until her retirement in 2004. She loved her students, and they loved her back.

Of all her accomplishments, Penny was proudest of her three children. Being their mom was her greatest joy. To Brynn and Reiley, she will forever be “Grandma Bubbles,” a nickname inspired by her tradition of arriving with bottles of bubbles ready for play.

Penny loved traveling to Hawaii with family, gardening, rummage sales, and gathering with her beloved Bunco group, “The Bunkettes.”

Penny had a quiet strength, a quick wit, and a wonderfully dry sense of humor. She had an enthusiastic sweet-tooth, possessed an effortless sense of style, and was rarely without one of her signature hats.

She is survived by her beloved children, Jeff Fitzsimmons (Keller), Jill Fitzsimmons, and Barbara Fitzsimmons; her cherished grandchildren, Brynn Fitzsimmons and Reiley Anne Fitzsimmons; her brothers, John Harth (Gail Ficca) and James Schloemer (Andrea); as well as many extended family members, dear friends, and a lifetime of beloved grandpets. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ellsworth Harth and Louise Roth; her stepfather, John Roth; and her brother, Thomas Schloemer.

We’d like to offer our condolences to QVC for their imminent financial insolvency, due to the loss of their best customer.

A private celebration of Penny's life will be held by her family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are welcomed to the Louise Roth Scholarship Fund, to P.E.O. Chapter DZ, an organization dedicated to helping women advance through education, or to your local animal rescue.

**Louise Schloemer Roth Scholarship Fund**

Mail to:

Greater Milwaukee Foundation

2153 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Suite 4000

Milwaukee, WI 53212

Attn: Will Janisch

Make checks payable to West Bend Community Foundation

Memo: Schloemer Roth Scholarship - in memory of Penny Fitzsimmons

**P.E.O. Chapter DZ**

211 Vine Street

West Bend, WI 53095

Make checks payable to P.E.O. Chapter DZ

Special thanks to Penny’s team of amazing caregivers during the last year of her life, especially Nancy Covert. We are forever grateful.

She will be deeply missed, and lovingly remembered, especially every Halloween when we reach for our witch's hats to celebrate her birthday, in the spring when the gardens begin to bloom, and anytime we see a rummage sale sign.