Judith A. Fomen

Judith A. Fomen (Capparelli) age 76 of Wayne, passed away peacefully on Monday, October 11, 2021 while receiving the loving care of her family.

Judy was born in the summer of 1945 in Teaneck to Vincent and Ann Capparelli. During the early years of her life, she lived with her family in Cliffside Park. Her family moved to Oakland in 1958 and this is where Judy attended and graduated from Ramapo High School with the class of 1963.

After high school and in her early twenties Judy became involved with and enjoyed competing as a drum major with the Oakland Rangers Drum and Bugle Corp. At that time she was also a member of a bowling league and enjoyed playing billiards at the pool hall. From the time she was a young girl she developed a love of cars and, while her younger sisters were busy cooking and baking with her mom in the kitchen, Judy preferred being outside alongside her father, assisting him in working on the family’s cars. Of course, in time she got her driver’s license and, as a young lady, there were three particular cars that she owned that, in later years, she would often reflect upon and say, “I wish I still had that car today.” The first was a 1954 Ford Sunliner. It was followed by a 1957 Chevy Belair and then a 1966 Ford Fairlane XL.

As a young lady, Judy was asked by a few of her co-workers at the time, if she would like to write and correspond with the GI’s overseas to boost their morale. Judy agreed and sent her first letter to a soldier named Robert L. Fomen in November of 1966. It took a little while but Robert wrote back to her a month later in December. They wrote each other during Bob’s entire service overseas. Finally, when Bob was honorably discharged from the Navy, he called Judy on the phone informing her that his service had ended and he was on his way to see her. He showed up at her doorstep on May 12, 1967. Bob and Judy dated for about three years and as fate would have it they fell in love and on September 12, 1970 they were married at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church in Oakland. Judy and Bob settled in Wayne, NJ and they would call it their home for the rest of their lives together and would raise their two children David and Jaclyn.

Prior to having children, Judy worked as a secretary for Dell Publishing and then as an over-the-phone claims adjuster for State Farm Insurance Company. When her son David was born, she left the workplace to care for him. Shortly after, David’s little sister Jaclyn was born. Judy lovingly dedicated her time and attention to the healthy nurture of her family. She was so proud of David and Jaclyn and was their biggest cheerleader at Dave’s Wayne Valley High School basketball games and Jackie’s band competitions. Everyone knew when Judy was there because she could be easily heard cheering “Go David” and “Go Jackie!” She even added a cowbell to her cheering when attending Jaclyn’s competitions. After an almost twenty-year hiatus from working outside the home, Judy took a job as a teacher’s aide in the Wayne Schools. During those years, until permanent retirement in 2010, she worked at Pines Lake Elementary School, Schuyler-Colfax Middle School, and Wayne Hills High School.

Judy enjoyed a myriad of pastime activities. While home with her kids, she would typically take a break in early afternoon to watch her soap operas. Favorites were The Bold and the Beautiful, The Guiding Light, and As the World Turns. Early evenings were reserved for one of her favorite shows of all time – Wheel of Fortune, and more recently she started to enjoy watching Jeopardy. After retirement, in that spirit of Wheel of Fortune, she took a liking to solving word search puzzles, and she loved movies, especially action flicks like James Bond. Judy’s favorite music came from her childhood and early adulthood with her all-time favorite musical artist being Elvis Presley.

Aside from all of Judy’s talents, hobbies and interests, her greatest passion was for her family. Nothing meant more to Judy than spending quality time with her family. In their early years of marriage, she and Bob liked traveling together. They loved their trip to Jamaica for their honeymoon and also took several trips to Niagara Falls. When their children came along, the whole family were often together for trips to New England, and when Judy and Bob celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, they treated the whole family to a vacation at Disney World. Judy’s love of classic cars was one that she shared with her husband Bob. Like Judy, Bob developed a love of cars when he was just a teenager. It was this mutual love that probably was one of the factors that originally attracted them to one another and it was something they enjoyed throughout their entire marriage. Bob was a longtime member of the Tri-County Cruisers of Wayne and, while showing his maroon 1935 Ford Coupe at car shows or driving it in annual Memorial Day parades, Judy was frequently by his side enjoying the experience.

Judy’s warm, friendly, outgoing personality was a true blessing and touched the lives of many people. She was an adoring wife and a loving mother whose presence will be truly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her.

Judy was the beloved wife of Robert, blessed in marriage for over 47 years until his passing on January 29, 2018. She was the loving mother of David Fomen of Wayne and Jaclyn and her husband Derek Wacker of Raleigh, NC; dear sister of Vincent Capparelli of Lincoln Park, Diane Capparelli of Oakland, and Marilyn and husband Frank Fredo of Philadelphia, PA; and dear aunt of Michael, Brian, and Adam Fredo.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Judith’s name are asked to consider one of the following charities:

American Diabetes Association                    
P.O. Box 7023
Merrifield, VA  22216-7023
To donate online, click here (www.diabetes.org/donate)

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
Memorial Processing
501 St. Jude Place
Memphis, TN 38105-9959
To donate online, click here (www.stjude.org)