Adventurous writer found her dream job

Kelly Fitzpatrick

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By Jeff Kunerth, Staff Writer

It seemed to those who knew her that Kelly Fitzpatrick must have created the job for herself when she became night-life columnist for the Orlando Sentinel.

"It was the ideal job for my sister because of her personality. She's the most outgoing person in the world," said Kathy Murphy, 32, of Apopka. "A writer, that was always what she wanted to be. The dream she had came true."

Fitzpatrick, 36, of Orlando, died Friday. The cause of death has not been determined, but her husband, Casey Dayhoff, said he thinks it might be related to sleep apnea.

As a child, she kept a journal and wrote stories. At Lake Mary High School, she worked on the student newspaper and pursued her ambition as a journalism major at the University of Central Florida.

After graduating from UCF with a degree in journalism, Fitzpatrick joined the Sentinel 15 years ago as a copy clerk, progressed to covering entertainment for the Sentinel online and became the newspaper's night-life columnist in 2005.

Her personality social, friendly, engaging, fun-loving, eager to try new things made her a perfect fit for her beat. She liked to have a good time and enjoyed sharing the experience with others.

"One of the reasons the entertainment beat was so great for her was she always wanted to be around people and exploring new places," said Eileen Curtayne, her cousin.

Her reviews of downtown entertainment venues were always written with the customer in mind. Fitzpatrick was the stand-in for anyone who ever walked into a bar, a nightclub, a lounge or a dive.

If she found the price of the drinks too high, she said so. If she had a good time, she wrote that, too.

"Entertainment writing can't just be about entertainment it has to be entertaining. Kelly got that," said Mary Frances Emmons, her friend and former co-worker.

Fitzpatrick's death cost downtown Orlando one of its strongest advocates, said Sentinel Editor Mark Russell.

"She had a vibrant personality that permeated her work and made her a celebrity in her own right," Russell said. "She became one of the voices for that community celebrating it as well as providing critical analysis when she saw things that needed improvement."

Fitzpatrick, who was born in Bronx, N.Y., and grew up in New Jersey before moving to Orlando as a teenager, became the protector of her two younger sisters at the age of 10 when their father died. She was always the first one to respond when someone needed help, always willing to do whatever was necessary to make things right, Murphy said.

"Anything happened, Kelly was right there," Murphy said.

As a child, she formed a doo-wop group with her cousins called the Robin Sisters. As an adult, she made an audition video for the "Survivor" television show. Her sense of humor and love of adventure were well-known to all. Her smile defined her face; her belly laugh expressed her soul.

"She was very playful. She was just a creative, fun person," said Curtayne.

Fitzpatrick was hard to beat at barroom trivia, especially if the subject was movies of the '80s, Star Wars, Bon Jovi or pop culture.

When she married Dayhoff on Nov. 8, 2008, they arrived at their reception in McRaney's Tavern, an Irish pub in Winter Park, to the "Imperial Wedding March" from "Star Wars." A friend crafted a special beer for the occasion, Wedding Bliss, as a gift.

Kelly looked like royalty in her wedding dress even while singing her heart out to the Rock Band video game.

"She loved karaoke, and seeing her perform in her wedding dress was priceless," said her friend Sandra Carr.

The wedding invitations were done in a retro style showing Casey and Kelly riding a champagne glass like it was a rocket heading off on another adventure.

"She was taking the next step in her life," Carr said. "This was definitely her new journey, and it's just sad it had to be so short."

Besides her sister Kathy, Kelly Elizabeth Fitzpatrick is survived by her husband, Casey Dayhoff, of Orlando; mother, Mary Fitzpatrick, of Sanford; sister Helynn Spaulding of Sanford; grandmother Eileen Morris, of Toms River, N.J.; and cousins, uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews.

Carey-Hand Cox Parker Funeral Home, Winter Park, is handling arrangements.

jkunerth@tribune.com or 407-420-5392

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