in 1930. They had been married 52 years when he died in 1982 at the age of 89. They had no children. Always involved with helping animals, Pegeen became involved with the Millennium Guild and the Vivisection Investigation League, eventually becoming president of both of those organizations. Previously, she had shared duties with Gypsy Rose Lee as being board members of the Greenwich Village Animal League. Fitzgerald's love of animals began as a child. A turkey meant for the Worrall family's Thanksgiving dinner was thought to be dead when it sprang back to life. The bird had been plucked; the family kept it as a pet and knitted a small sweater for it to wear until its feathers grew in again. Loyal listeners of the Fitzgerald's radio programs willed their cats to the couple. The Fitzgeralds at one time had ten cats in their New York apartment and 78 at their Connecticut home which were willed to them by their listeners. Through their daily radio program, the Fitzgeralds found homes for about 3,000 animals each year. Fitzgerald founded a private animal shelter for cats called "The Last Post" in 1982. The shelter, in Canaan, Connecticut, is a home for cats whose owners have died and who have willed their cats to the organization along with financial bequests for their care. Death Fitzgerald died of breast cancer at her home in Manhattan, New York on January 30, 1989, aged 84. She was survived by four sisters and a brother. Notes References External links Pegeen Fitzgerald collection at the University of Maryland Libraries "Pegeen Fitzgerald, First Lady of Radio Chatter, Has a Formula for Long Life: Don't Stop Talking" -- article from People magazine August 18, 1986 Radio couple garners devoted following over 44 years Christian Science Monitor January 13, 1982 1904 births 1989 deaths American radio personalities People from Norcatur, Kansas