Eugene Jack Fasullo

family, friends and colleagues, the news of his peaceful passing on October 30, 2020

will stir fond memories of a man who lived life passionately, in so many ways.

Central to Gene’s approach to life was his ability to “think outside the box”. This was

seen early in his life when he applied to and attended Brooklyn Technical High School.

This required him to break away from the norm of going to the local neighborhood

school and instead he commuted by subway to school to receive an expanded

education. Doing so worked out for Gene as it marked the beginning of a long love affair

with engineering. After high school, Gene served two years in the Marines which

provided him with college tuition benefits through the GI Bill. He earned a B.S. from

Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn and a M.S. from the University of Illinois. Then, through

lucky happenstance, he applied for a civil engineer position with the Port Authority of

New York and New Jersey. He was hired as an entry level engineer. As the years

passed, he earned a reputation for being a creative visionary who excelled at clearly

defining a goal and determining the most efficient path to its accomplishment.

Eventually, this led to his appointment as Chief Engineer and Director of Engineering for

the Port Authority. Gene felt passionate about engineers being an integral part to the

successful execution of every phase of a construction project. After he retired from the

Port Authority, in addition serving as a consultant to construction projects, he worked to

promote the role of the engineer through speaking engagements and by working in

education as a professor. Throughout his career, Gene received recognition from many

organizations for his contributions to construction projects, as well as to the field of civil

engineering.

His life experiences - from the ordinary to the truly extraordinary - became the material

for Gene’s engaging, and often funny, stories. He was a prolific storyteller and would

happily spin a tale from one of his experiences to share with a willing audience, of any

size. Gene deemed even everyday experiences to be worthy of a story, which reflected

his appreciation for the “little things” in life. He often provided an enthusiastic report to

family or friends about what he ate for lunch, the score of his latest tennis match, or how

many runs he made at the ski slope recently. Gene spoke fondly about the pleasures of

growing up in a time when life was more simple. He shared memories of playing games

in the streets with friends, eating fresh pasta made by his mother, watching his father

make wine in their home cellar, and being surrounded by immediate and extended

family at all times in Brooklyn.

Gene was also willing to tell stories about the extraordinary events of his life, even those

of a harrowing nature . The story heard by the greatest number of people, resulting in

his “15 minutes of fame”, was that about his experience of the 1993 bombing of the

World Trade Center. Not only did he survive being trapped - along with several others -

in a smoke filled elevator, but after doing so he immediately went to work to assess the

safety of the building and direct the efficient stabilization, recovery and restoration of it.

Many organizations - from local radio stations, to engineering organizations, to the Wall

Street Journal - asked Gene to share the story of his unique experience of this event.

Beyond sharing stories, Gene found great pleasure in sitting at a table with family and

friends and simply talking, and sometimes debating, about a wide range of subjects.

His curious, philosophical mind was evident through the questions he asked of friends

or family members about their life experiences as well as the probing thoughts he had

about the nature of being human.

When he wasn’t at work, Gene could be found participating in his favorite activities. In

his thirties, a passion for playing tennis factored into the purchase of a home in

Ridgewood, NJ. Living in Ridgewood provided the opportunity to play tennis on a

regular basis at two local tennis clubs after arriving home by train from the city. He

relished playing tennis with family and friends for over five decades. The game of tennis

was so near and dear to Gene’s heart that his wife, Maxine, arranged for his racket to

be laid to rest with him! Gene could be quite adventurous as seen when he hitchhiked

from New York to Mexico and when he carried a “how to ski” book out to the slopes and

followed its step-by-step instructions to try out the sport. He loved to travel to other parts

of the world or the U.S. with Maxine, especially to spend time with their blended family

of children and grandchildren. Perhaps lesser known about Gene is that he loved to

play piano on a regular basis and partner dance at special events. Yes, Gene was a

renaissance man!

Gene is survived by his wife, Maxine Hyrkas; his sister, Marie Zodda; his brother,

Vincent Fasullo; his sons, Greg (Ashley) Fasullo, John (Lisa) Fasullo, and Todd

(Andrea) Fasullo; his step-daughters, Dawn (John) Woo and Lori (Bill) Christiano; his

grandchildren, Carter, Samantha, Willie, Emma, Harley, Rachel, Lia, Owen and Jolie;

and numerous nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, Joseph and

Frances Fasullo and his brother, Tom Fasullo.

To protect the health of friends and family members during the current pandemic, no

services will be held. You are warmly welcomed to leave a comment to honor the

memory of Gene at:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/suffern-ny/eugene-fasullo-9874243

In lieu of flowers, please donate to The Moles Charitable Fund. Gene was a proud

member of this organization which established a fund to promote engineering of heavy

construction projects as a career path . Donations can be sent to: The Moles Charitable

Fund, 50 Chestnut Ridge Road, Suite 102, Montvale, NJ 07645.