Obituary of John L. Fodor

John Louis Fodor, a native Staten Islander, passed away peacefully on December 9, 2021 at Seaview Rehabilitation Center after a long illness. He was 85 years old. He is survived by his wife Lynn Holly (nee Knutsen). A retired senior insurance executive, John was born June 22, 1936 in Princes Bay to John and Rose (nee Levay of Perth Amboy) and raised in Tottenville. He attended Tottenville High School, Wagner College and the College of Insurance in Manhattan while working as an insurance broker for Johnson & Higgins a position he held for 23 years prior to his retirement as a Vice President in 1993. After serving his country four years in the Navy, he started out his career as an average adjustor working his way up to broker where his forte was marine cargo and hull insurance eventually branching out to aerospace. He did a lot of fishing with family, especially his father which carried over into his adult years. His love of the water lead him to join the Navy where he did two tours on the USS Cadmus AR14 in the Mediterranean seeing Italy, Monaco with a 3 month layover in Cannes, France for repairs. His ship also went to the North Sea spending time in Scotland where he made many friendships that lasted long after he came back to the states. The Navy also took him to the Caribbean Islands, Puerto Rico and Cuba pre Castro. While stationed in Norfolk, he got his dream wish of driving a race car when a fellow sailor took him home to Roanoke where his father had a track and 2 Formula V cars. Doing laps at 110 mph was a thrill of a lifetime. His travels did not stop there. His company travel took him to Guatemala and Nicaragua in Central America, Switzerland, Germany, France, the Netherlands and many trips to Canada and within the United States. As a young man, John was a member not only of the Boy Scouts but also the Sea Scouts where his troop had the opportunity of rowing an old whaler from Tottenville to Sandy Hook to camp out overnight on the beach. He was always athletic, playing baseball for not only Tottenville High School but the Perth Amboy American Legion and PAL and was invited to try out for the Philadelphia Phillies. As he got older his interests extended to surfing which was fairly new at the time and became an obsession. He also took up skiing which he loved and became very proficient in slalom racing. He was a member of the Staten Island Ski Club and a past President. He was an avid tennis player and bowler, bowling on two leagues at Victory Lanes where he was a past President of the mixed league. Later he fell in love with jogging and participated in many of the Staten Island races. He was also musically inclined playing the trumpet and clarinet in the Tottenville HS band and also played for the Perth Amboy Lions Club and PAL marching bands. In his early 60's he began taking piano lessons at Snug Harbor. After retirement he was a Docent and past President for 20 years at the Staten Island Zoo handling many animals and birds and giving presentations not only at the Zoo but traveling to local schools and events. He loved working with a Kestrel and then a Merlin, both of which formed strong bonds with him. He bought himself a velvet suit and played Santa, a role he loved, for the children for many years up until his illness prevented him from continuing. In addition to Lynn his wife of 45 years, he is survived by a daughter, Kerri Fodor (Joseph Fierro), a sister Linda Smith and a nephew, Patrick Smith (Jennifer Owens). Visitation at the Matthew Funeral Home, Inc., 2508 Victory Boulevard, on Wednesday, 12/15, from 2:00 to 5:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 pm. A funeral service is scheduled for 10:00 am, at the funeral home, on Thursday, 12/16. Interment to follow in Moravian Cemetery.