School board V.P. Fumarola dies

Name will remain

on ballot for April’s

Mat-Ab school election

BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG

Staff Writer

Friends, family and co-workers have described Arthur Fumarola as an opinionated, outspoken man of integrity, a man who will surely be missed by many.

Fumarola, the vice president of the Matawan-Aberdeen Board of Education, passed away at his Matawan home on Thursday. He was 74 years old.

“Everybody knows the man of integrity he was,” Fumarola’s wife of 49 years, Margaret, said. “He’s going to be missed, mostly by his family, but by his community and the school board as well.”

Fumarola had previously beaten lung cancer, but it appears that the chemotherapy was too much for his weakened body and triggered a fatal heart attack.

Fumarola was serving his fourth nonconsecutive term on the board and was running for his fifth term this year, Superintendent Bruce Quinn said.

Fumarola’s name is currently on the ballot to run for election, board President Cathy Zavorskas said. It is past the deadline to have his name removed, and the only way to do so is through a court order, she said.

Rather than go to court to have the name removed from the ballot, his family is going to honor him by running his campaign, she said.

Zavorskas said it’s important for people to understand that just because he passed, his seat shouldn’t automatically go to the opposition, she said.

If Fumarola does win the election, his seat will be considered vacant, and the board will accept applications for the position. After an application and interviewing process, the board would vote to appoint someone to the seat. That person would remain on the board for one year, but have to run for election next year in order to finish out the remaining two years of the term, she said.

Fumarola was described by many as the type of man who couldn’t be stopped once his mind was made up, and despite his recent death, his family plans on working hard to ensure his legacy lives on by continuing to run his campaign.

“Mr. Fumarola was a very good board member. He cared deeply about the school district,” Quinn said.

It was important to him to give every single child an equal opportunity at an excellent education, Quinn said.

“Art truly understood the meaning of leadership,” Zavorskas said.

He never used his position to gain power, she said, but “was instead a person that wanted to empower people.”

Zavorskas praised Fumarola for understanding that he wasn’t the person that made decisions, but was one of the people involved in making a decision, and was part of a system designed to give children the best education possible.

Quinn respected Fumarola’s unique perspective, especially on bringing kids into the school system. Quinn said that Fumarola once told him that he didn’t believe in doing things to stop new kids from coming into the district, but instead believed in embracing new families and offering them the chance for a free education.

“He really had a respect for every man,” Quinn said. “He just wanted to see all kids succeed and display their talents.”

In addition to the Board of Education, Fumarola also served two past terms on the Matawan Borough Council. He was also the fire commissioner of Matawan, the past president/treasurer of Matawan Falcons Pop Warner Football, past commissioner/manager of St. Joseph’s Little League and a past basketball referee for St. Joseph’s. He is also a member of the Matawan Hall of Fame. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War.

Fumarola was born in the Bronx, N.Y., and is a 37-year resident of Matawan. He graduated from New York University and worked as an accountant/manager with International Ladies Garment Workers in Union, N.Y., for 44 years, before retiring in 1993.

Fumarola is survived by his wife, Margaret Mary Altilio of Matawan; and his three sons and two daughter-in-laws, Adam Fumarola of San Francisco, Calif., Michael and Kellie Fumarola of Neptune City, and James and Andrea Fumarola of Matawan. Also surviving are his daughter and son-in-law, Maria and Troy Gallo of Holmdel. His brother, Michael Fumarola of the Bronx, N.Y., and his sister, Anna Fumarola of Old Bridge, are also surviving, as well as six grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his sister, Frances Templeton, in 2002.

Funeral services were held on Monday at the Day Funeral Home, Keyport. His cremation was private.