Marcy Fost

An Extraordinary Little Lady
Marcy Fost of Bloomfield, 83, died at her home on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021.
An extraordinary person and a spectacular wife, mother, grandmother and friend—not to mention sister, daughter, aunt and cousin—Marcy packed an enormous amount of love into her tiny frame. As one friend put it, “There will never be another like her.”
She fought a lifetime of physical ailments without complaint, showing incredible strength and bravery.
Marcy particularly loved children. After graduating from American University in 1960, she
taught first grade in Belleville. She left to raise her own sons but ultimately returned as a preschool teacher, transforming her basement into Marcy’s Nursery School.
Unusually short in stature like many members of her father’s family, Marcy was nearly at the level of children, who took delight in finding an adult who they could see eye-to-eye with. The birth of her only grandson, Harry Barker-Fost, in 1999, was one of the great events in her life. Over the years she also had countless surrogate grandchildren scattered across the country.
Her devotion to resolving other people’s problems led to legions of loyal friends, including many of the incredible people who helped her as health and household aides over the years.
You couldn’t meet Marcy and not love her. She had sparkling blue eyes and a wide ever-present smile.
Born in Atlantic City on Feb. 26, 1938, the granddaughter of immigrants, she was the first in her family to go to college. She was particularly close with her sister Jane, who was eight years younger.
She met her husband, Ken Fost, in college in Washington, DC, beginning a life of total devotion. Married June 17, 1960, they shared many loves, from the music of Frank Sinatra to the basketball wizardry of the Knicks’ Walt “Clyde” Frazier.
With her two boys, Dan and Mike, she gamely kept up with interests ranging from sports to reptiles, making weekly lettuce runs for years to feed Mike’s pet iguanas, Clyde and Bonnie, who occupied ever-growing cages in the basement.
When Dan started a newspaper career, she saved everything he ever wrote, even wallpapering her bathroom in his articles.
When her mother Sylvia Stoloff Schnee died in 1978, her father Harry Schnee moved in with her family, becoming a fixture in Bloomfield until his death 13 years later.
She is survived by her husband, Ken; her sons, Dan, of San Rafael, Calif., and Michael, of Lilburn, Ga.; one grandson, Harry Barker-Fost, of San Rafael, Calif.; a sister, Jane Prestup, of East Brunswick, N.J.; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was laid to rest in a private ceremony. Halpin- Bitecola Funeral Home has a full obituary
and slide show online at www.brookdalefh.com.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, or to the
charity of your choice.