Fred A. Stodolak

Yet it is unusual to be loved by everyone – but Fred A. Stodolak often seemed to fit that description.

Stodolak, a resident of Brick Township, New Jersey, peacefully entered eternal rest to rejoin the love of his life, Loretta, on Thursday, January 11, 2024.

A lifelong resident of the Garden State, Fred was born on Tuesday, October 14, 1930 to parents Josef and Catherine Stodolak, entering the world just eight days after Loretta, and just a couple towns over. He grew up in Passaic and attended Bloomfield High School.

Shortly after high school, Fred mustered up the courage to ask to go on a blind date with a young woman who instantly struck his fancy – he took her to Waterfalls Inn in Garfield for dinner, then a local event hall for dancing. At the end of the night, when he asked if he could see her again, she kissed him and said yes.

She said yes again when she became Loretta Stodolak on Sunday, December 23, 1951.

The honeymoon was short-lived, taking place when Fred was on furlough following U.S. Army training, and he departed for a tour of duty in the Korean War days later. He served with distinction and honor for 18 months as a Corporal in the U.S. Army, overseeing a motor pool for high-ranking commanders. Upon his return, he and Loretta settled down in Fair Lawn, New Jersey and had three children: the eldest, Debbi, Frederick, and the youngest, Lori. The family later moved to Toms River, where they continued to reside well into the 21st century.

Fred studied engineering at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey and supported the family initially by working as a toolmaker before landing a job as an engineer in the Clifton offices of the W.R. Grace & Co. chemical company. From there he enjoyed a fruitful 20-year career with AlliedSignal (today Honeywell) at their Morristown, New Jersey corporate headquarters, ultimately becoming the firm’s Director of Telecommunications. Following that, he worked in information technology and communications in an executive capacity for the New York City-based Saks Fifth Avenue luxury department-store chain.

When not at the office, Fred was the quintessential family man. Early in their marriage, he and Loretta would go dancing every weekend, often with their favorite style – the oberek, a traditional Polish folk dance characterized by a dizzying series of lifts and jumps – on full display. Later in life, at weddings, the floor would invariably clear to give them center stage. As the kids grew up, summer vacations at the beach in Lavalette became the getaway du jour. And when the kids became adults and started families of their own, Fred would take Loretta to Atlantic City just about every day for lunch, followed by a few hours at the slots. During this time, he also maintained an immaculately clean backyard pool every summer and would routinely fire up the grill for burgers and dogs.

Fred was also a deeply avid and ceaselessly loyal fan of the New Jersey Devils, who rewarded him with three Stanley Cup championships in less than a decade, in 1995, 2000, and 2003 – and far less understandably, the New York Jets, who won the third Super Bowl ever played in 1968 and haven’t been back to once since. Fred’s groans may have been loudest of all among the many family members present on Thanksgiving Day in 2012, when Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez committed a blunder now immortalized as the “Butt Fumble.”

Fred was predeceased by his father, Josef Stodolak, and mother Catherine Stodolak (Opalko); his siblings, Walter, Julie, and Josie; and Loretta, who entered eternal rest on Sunday, December 5, 2021, with Fred by her side.

He is survived by his aforementioned three children and their spouses (Debbi and Pete Zicky of Clermont, Florida, Frederick and Rebecca Stodolak of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, and Lori and Gavin DeCapua of Waretown, New Jersey), as well as seven grandchildren and their partners: Peter and Ashley Zicky of Davenport, Florida; Ilona and Aaron Bailey of Orlando, Florida; Amy and Mark Spivey of the Cliffwood section of Aberdeen Township, New Jersey; Kevin Stodolak of Kissimmee, Florida; Cindy and Dan Charles of Astatula, Florida; Devin Striker and Nicolette Surko of Matawan, New Jersey; and Mackenzie Striker of Orlando, Florida. He is also survived by a pair of great-grandsons: Devin and Nicolette’s sons, Lux and Oziah Striker.

Fred’s entire family would like to extend its sincerest and deepest thanks to the entire staff at Complete Care of Shorrock Gardens in Brick Township – including Janine, Valerie, Tina, Ahmed, Chef Steve, and all of the other kind and professional staff members too numerous to mention.

A visitation has been scheduled to take place at the Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home, 703 Main Street in Toms River, beginning at 9:30 a.m. until the service at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, January 22. Close family and friends wishing to attend and pay their last respects should then be prepared to depart for the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 350 Province Line Road in Wrightstown, New Jersey for a committal service . Afterwards, all are invited for a repast lunch.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation at https://t2t.org/.