Obituary of Leonard F Marcy

Leonard F. Marcy, passed away peacefully in Sebastian, Florida (1927-2022) on November 6,2022. 

During his childhood years Len was a newspaper boy, a delicatessen delivery boy, cemetery caretaker, factory hand, an A&P Checker and an Upholsterer's Apprentice.

In 1945 he served as an Able-Bodied Seaman in the Merchant Marines. In 1945, at the age of 17, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Daniel Drake, a Liberty Ship. His love of the sea followed him throughout his life and he became an active sailor on Fayson Lakes, the Hudson River, the intercoastal, and the North Atlantic Ocean. He was a certified Power Squadron Captain (inland) and knew how to use a sextant for navigation.  In 1946 and 1947 he served as a Corporal in Army Air Force. 

Len graduated from Pompton Lakes High School and earned a B.A. and an M.A., in Education from Montclair State University. He also did additional graduate studies at six other Universities.

Len married in 1951 to Lorraine Spiotta, they divorced in 1985, and she pre-deceased him in January of 2022.  They raised two sons Leonard, Jr., and Eric, in Fayson Lakes where he lived from 1959 to 1984. 

During the summers he packed up his family and moved to college campuses, and took graduate study courses at Western Michigan University, in Kalamazoo,1967, the University of California, in Berkeley, 1968 (South East Asian Studies), and the University of Arizona in Tucson, 1969 (Archeology). While teaching High School he also took graduate courses at the New School for Social Research in New York City (Sociology).

He was in his own unique way, a renaissance man.  The graduate work and experience he gained from his graduate studies he incorporated into the History Department’s curriculum at Pequannock High School.  He also taught courses as an adjunct professor at William Paterson University, Seton Hall University, Barry University in Florida, and Indian River Community College. Always the sociologist and humanist, his goal was to go beyond textbooks, use original source material, and teach his students critical thinking. 

He was the first President of the Local Teachers and Chairman Associations in the Pequannock Township School system. He was a teacher and then Department Chair of Social Studies/History Department at Pequannock High School from 1955 until his retirement in 1982. During his retirement years he was a volunteer tutor for middle school youngsters and Latin American adults on the path to citizenship.  

Upon retirement he settled in Sebastian, Florida. He developed a close relationship with one of his students, Beatriz Labastida Guerrero and her family.  He called Beatriz, the daughter he never had. 

He was an adventurer who traveled throughout the United States and the world. While traveling on his own or with his family, every museum, Indian mound, archeological site, state park, national park, and historical site had to be visited.  His favorite expressions were: “Count your blessings one by one,” “Carpe Diem,” and “Live for today, for tomorrow, who knows?”. 

He lived a full and productive 95 years, had a positive influence and impact on many of his students, was fortunate to have good health almost his whole life, and was sharp to the end.  A product of the Depression Era, he was fiercely independent, and lived a life of moderation. He did not curse, he had a sense of humor, he was a proud blood donor, and over the years donated over 2 gallons of blood.

Len was here, he made a difference, and left a better world for his contributions. He passed peacefully in his sleep on November 6, 2022, at his home in Sebastian Florida.

Leonard is survived by his two sons, Leonard F. Marcy, Jr.; Eric J. Marcy and Eric’s wife, Karen; his grandson, Eric, Jr.; his sister, Linda Marcy; and nieces and nephews.  He is predeceased by his brother, William “Bill” Marcy and Bill’s wife, Sally; and by his older sister, Martha Miller.

Visitation will be held on Monday, November 14 from 10 – 1 pm in the M. John Scanlan Funeral Home, 781 Turnpike, Pompton Plains, NJ.  Burial to follow at the First Reformed Church Cemetery, 529 Turnpike, Pompton Plains.  In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Leonard’s Memory to New Bridge Services. Please visit www.NewBridge.org/donate