MANCHESTER — Samuel F. Fusaro Jr., a former Manchester Township councilman who spent nearly three decades in public office, died on Nov. 26. He was 73.
Fusaro served the township for 27 years across two tenures, from 1990 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2023. During his time on the council, he championed the passage of Manchester’s Open Space Referendum and served on multiple boards and commissions, including the Municipal Planning Board, Master Plan Committee, Recreation Commission and Pine Lakes Restoration Committee. He was inducted into the Elected Officials Hall of Fame in 2017.
Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Neptune, Fusaro was a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy and held degrees from The Catholic University of America and Rutgers University. He worked in health-care administration before entering federal civil service in 1980 as a budget analyst at Fort Monmouth. He later joined the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) Project Office, where he became deputy project manager and served until retiring in 2011. He continued consulting for the U.S. Army part-time.
Fusaro is survived by his wife of 49 years, Barbara; daughter Jessica Staszewski and her husband, Timothy; son David and his wife, Stephanie; grandchildren Emily, Nathan Staszewski and Dylan Fusaro; his aunt Vivian Skidmore; and many cousins. He was predeceased by his parents, Samuel Sr. and Anita Fusaro, and his aunt Josephine Harris.
In retirement, he enjoyed time with his grandchildren, relaxing at the beach, reconnecting with his SPD fraternity brothers and playing pinball.
Visitation is scheduled for Thursday, December 4 from 3 to 7 p.m., with a service at 6 p.m., at Oliverie Funeral Home, 2925 Ridgeway Road, Manchester.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease or the Alzheimer’s Association.
