Marvin S. Fish

Marvin S. Fish, age 93, died on January 31, 2025. He was born in Newark, NJ and spent his early years in Millburn, NJ. He was a former resident of Springfield, Wycoff, and Hope, NJ. A graduate of the Wharton School and Harvard Law School, Mr. Fish practiced law for more than 60 years. For 34 years, he held faculty positions at Seton Hall College of Nursing, the NJ College of Medicine, Columbia University and the Mountainside Family Practice Residency Program.

He lectured nationally, on a wide variety of medical-legal topics, through Aspen Systems, the American Association of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, and the Pittsburgh Institute of Legal Medicine. Lexis Nexus awarded Mr. Fish, the “Highest Possible Peer Review Rating in Legal Ability and Ethical Standards” for 30 years. He was an active member of the Bioethics Committee of Overlook Hospital for more than 30 years, and served on the Bioethics Committee at Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, where he was also a member of the Medical Center’s Foundation Board, and the Chair of the Hackettstown Planning Board.

Mr. Fish was a staunch advocate for the legal rights of the elderly, and was certified by the Warren County Department of Human Services, Division of Aging and Disability Services. He was an active member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the recipient of a Leadership Award from the Warren County Surrogate’s Court, where he also served on the Court’s Advisory Committee. In his later years, he became especially devoted to end-of-life planning and patient advocacy, having written numerous articles about the short-comings and inconsistencies of state laws concerning patients’ end-of-life decision making, the right to die with dignity, and physician-assisted suicide.

He was a very deep thinker—always on a quest for knowledge about everything and anything imaginable. You name a subject, and he usually had something to say about it. He loved lively discussions and never-ending debate. His library was filled with books on philosophy, Judaism, comparative religion, bioethics, art, history, politics, as well as an array of the latest novels.

Marvin was an exercise fanatic-- waking up early every morning to stretch and perform hundreds of repetitions to ensure that he was prepared to ski any slope and tackle any mogul along the way. He shared his love of skiing with his children, taking them skiing throughout the U.S. and abroad. And of course, the game of golf was his greatest nemesis. He was always prepared with an extensive analysis of his own golf swing (and everyone else’s) and he couldn’t wait to share his most recent revelations. He loved opera, theatre, ballet, and classical music—all of which he shared with his family and for which they are most grateful.

He was a proud member and leader of Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn NJ, having served in nearly every leadership position throughout his more than 70- year tenure with the synagogue. His love of family, community, and proud Jewish heritage, were things that shaped his children’s lives.

He was pre-deceased by his first wife, Francine, his son Robert Fish, his grandson, Jordan Fish (of blessed memory) and his second wife Dorothy. He is survived by his daughter Pamela (Joel) Zingeser of Rockville, MD; his daughter Randi (Fred) Ostry of Florham Park; his daughter-in-law Yeda Fish (Robert) of Springfield, and his step-daughter Honore Kotler (Kirby) of Malibu, CA. He was a proud grandfather of Richard and Ren Ostry, Marnie (Fish) Nathanson (Evan), Ross Fish, Madelyn Zingeser, Julie (Zingeser) Furman (Dustin), and he had the blessing of becoming a great-grandfather as well.

Funeral Services will be held on February 3rd at 1:00 p.m. at Bernheim Apter Funeral Home in Livingston, NJ. The family will be receiving guests at Congregation B’nai Israel, 160 Millburn Avenue, Millburn, NJ.07041. Please contact the synagogue for specific details.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Jordan Lee Fish Foundation, 25 Eton Place, Springfield, NJ 07081 or to Congregation B’nai Israel.