John Fiorello

John Fiorello, Esquire, age 84, of Wayne, passed Monday, October 24, 2022.

He was born in West Paterson to the late Anthony and Genevieve Fiorello (nee Arena). He graduated from Passaic Valley High School with the Class of 1955 where he excelled academically and musically. He was passionate about playing piano and was a member of the unofficial class band, the Velvetones, playing at high school functions and dances. John was raised in Totowa Borough and has lived in Wayne for over 60 years.

After high school, John attended Seton Hall University where he graduated in 1959 with a major in History. He continued his education at Seton Hall Law School where he obtained his Juris Doctorate Degree with the Class of 62. It was at Seton Hall that John met his lifelong friends Gus Loukedis and Peter McDonald. John was an ROTC student and immediately following law school he served on active duty in the United States Army for two years. John was stationed in the Pentagon with the Defense Intelligence Agency and was Honorably Discharged as a Captain. 

After completing service, John returned to Wayne where he began his work as an attorney in Paterson. It was there where he met the love of his life, Fran Curcio.  They married on October 6, 1968 and soon thereafter began their family. They had a loving and devoted marriage of fifty-four years that was blessed with three sons and two grandchildren. Fran was John's secretary and together they worked side by side until their recent retirement. Everyday John would thank Fran for being his wife and was certain to tell her he loved her.

John practiced law for over 55 years in Wayne, NJ.  During his career he had the distinction of serving as Passaic County Bar President and for years served as a trustee to the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA).  He also served for over 30 on the Family Law Executive Committee of the NJSBA.  John served as Wayne Township Attorney under Mayor Waks and was appointed as Special Counsel for the township under all subsequent administrations. John was selected as the Professional Lawyer of the Year by the New Jersey Committee on Professionalism and was selected by his peers as the Passaic County Family Lawyer of the Year. 

John was an active member of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church.  He served in many capacities, including several terms as the President of the Parish Counsel.  John loved to cook and enjoyed a good meal along with a great bottle of wine, for which he had an extensive knowledge and collection.  Most of all, he enjoyed sharing it with the people he loved. 

John also loved to read (anything historical) and was an avid Yankee fan.  No story about John would be complete without mentioning his love of theatre and music (specifically the Piano).  Is was rare to be at the Fiorello house without hearing John play.  He passed on his passion for music to his sons and grandsons. 

John will be remembered as the kind of person who thought before he spoke. He always strived to do what he thought was right, even when that meant taking a much harder road. John was a mentor to many colleagues as well as to his family, simply by treating others with kindness and respect and living his life doing the right thing.

John was a devoted family man.  He is survived by his brother Anthony Fiorello and wife Isabel, his sister in law Mariaelena Perosi and their families. John is also survived by son John and his wife Chris (of Ringwood) and their sons Jake and Zack, his son Jeffrey (of Montclair) who was his law partner for many years, his son Jason and his husband Michael (of Edison) and, of course, his loving wife of 54 years, Fran.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations to the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad, for which John served as volunteer attorney for the past 3 decades.