Obituary of John L Soldoveri

Soldoveri, John L., age 89, died on June 15, 2013. He was born on June 2, 1924, in Totowa and remained a resident of Totowa his entire lifetime. Born to Italian immigrants, Giovanni and Giulia Soldovieri, he attended local elementary schools and was President of the first graduating class of Passaic Valley High School in February 1941. John enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1942 and was honorably discharged in 1946. He went on to obtain his BS degree in Accounting, Magna Cum Laude, from Seton Hall University and his MBA degree in Economics from New York University. He founded the Soldoveri Agency, a Property and Casualty Insurance business, in Totowa, which he operated as a principal for 45 years until his retirement in 1991. He was a Licensed NJ Real Estate Broker and maintained that license until his death. Following his retirement from the Real Estate and Insurance business, he founded Great Falls Bank, which later became Greater Community Bank, in Totowa and remained its Chairman until he retired in 2002. The Bank was subsequently sold to Valley National Bank. Active in community affairs, John formed the Independent Republican Club in Totowa and served as Totowa's Republican Chairman for a short period of time. He was a member of Totowa's Planning Board for 24 years. He is responsible for a great deal of commercial and industrial land development in Totowa, particularly along its main artery, Union Boulevard. He was appointed to the New Jersey Real Estate Commission in 1970 by Governor William T. Cahill and served for ten years, the last three years as Commission President. John was an active lifelong member of St. James Roman Catholic Church in Totowa. He established The St. James School Endowment Fund in memory of his mother, to provide scholarships for worthy students at St. James School (now known as St. Francis Academy). He was also an active member of the Serra Club and the Knights of Columbus. He established and funded The John L. and Grace P. Soldoveri Foundation, a charitable foundation that has been providing contributions primarily to benefit the local community. This Foundation gave John great joy in being able to give to others, which was very important to him. John is survived by his devoted wife of 62 years, Grace (nee Pinder), of Totowa. He is the Loving Father to Robert C. Soldoveri of Totowa, and Jane Soldoveri Hinckley, and her husband, Rick, of Bryn Mawr, Pa. He is Grandfather to his Loving Grandchildren, Kristen, Michael, Christopher, Matthew, and Megan Hinckley. He is Brother of Adele Berthold of Woodland Park, Julia Bruno of Totowa, and the late Ida Marotta, Carmela Cantalupo and Margaret Soldovieri. He is Uncle to many nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral from the Festa Memorial Funeral Home, 111 Union Blvd., Totowa, on Thursday, June 20, at 8:45 am. The Funeral Mass will follow at St. James Roman Catholic Church, Totowa, at 9:30 am. Entombment will be at Laurel Grove Memorial Park Mausoleum, Totowa, following the Funeral Mass. Visitation will be on Tuesday, June 18, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm and on Wednesday, June 19, from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either the John L. and Grace P. Soldoveri Foundation, Inc., 785 Totowa Road, Totowa, N.J. 07512 or the St. James School Endowment Fund, c/o Rev. Patrick Ryan, 32 St. James Place, Totowa, N. J. 07512. For more information, go to www.festamemorial.com.