Town of Windermere to honor Foundation Academy alum Evan Fitzgibbon

The town of Windermere is honoring U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Evan Fitzgibbon with a procession at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, along Main Street.

All members of the community are invited.

Fitzgibbon, who graduated from Foundation Academy in 2017, was one of two soldiers killed during a Ranger School training incident Tuesday, Aug. 9.

Foundation honored Fitzgibbon with a Candlelight Vigil Tuesday, Aug. 16, at Lion Field.

Fitzgibbon had dreamed of attending West Point since the third grade. At Foundation, Fitzgibbon played football and was captain of the team his senior year. He also enrolled in the Civil Air Patrol — an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force — and worked his way up the ranks. He earned the Billy Mitchell Award, given to Civil Air Patrol cadets who complete the second phase of the cadet program, and eventually became a commander.

“It’s just surreal — now that I’ve gotten into the school of my dreams,” Fitzgibbon told the Observer of his West Point acceptance in 2017. “I know what to expect, but I don’t know what God has planned for me there. But the main thing that I hope to accomplish is to just be developed into the best leader that I can be.”

The community will gather between Sixth Avenue and Windermere Elementary School to pay their respects. 

American flags are encouraged.