New York City Firefighter for 29 Years

Nov. 20, 2001

Michael Fodor’s entire life revolved around his family and his 29-year career as a New York City firefighter.

Fodor, 53, even extended his commute to his job in Manhattan in order to
provide a more bucolic setting for his wife and three children. When their
oldest child was eight, the family moved 15 years ago to the farm country of Warwick, N.Y., in upstate Orange County.

“We were living in Staten Island, and he wanted something better for us --
better schools,’’ said his oldest son, Michael, 23. “That [longer commute]
didn’t bother him that much.’’

A native of Staten Island, the elder Fodor served in his youth as a Boy Scout and an Eagle Scout -- an interest that he carried into adulthood as an assistant scoutmaster in Warwick. An avid reader, he was constantly buying books and conveying that passion to his children.

A longtime chemistry buff who performed experiments in his basement as a teen-ager, Fodor studied chemical engineering and science at the University of Maryland before transferring to the former Richmond College on Staten Island. Soon after leaving college, he joined the New York City Fire Department in 1973 in the South Bronx. He later became a lieutenant at a ladder company in Manhattan, where he was working on Sept. 11.

In addition to his oldest son, Fodor is survived by his wife of 28 years,
Deborah; a son, Andrew, 22; and a 16-year-old daughter, Ashley. Both sons have graduated from college, while Ashley is a high school junior.

-- Christopher Keating (The Hartford Courant)

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