John L Amendola

John L. Amendola, 89, of Florham Park, formerly of Newark, passed away peacefully on April 13, 2025, surrounded by his loving family.

John was born in Newark, New Jersey and was the oldest of 3 boys. He attended Irvington High School where he played Baseball, Football and Soccer. After graduating from High School, he attended NJIT and graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering and started working for Lockeed Electronics in the early 1960’s. At Lockeed he worked on several military projects. He designed sonar’s for submarines, he was part of the team who designed the Stealth Bomber radar system and in the early 1990’s he was part of the team who designed the tape deck on the first Mars rover. The name Amendola is on a plaque that was installed on the Rover that had all the names of the people who helped with the Rovers design. While starting out in Lockeed he met his beloved wife of 62 years, Frances (DeCorte) Amendola, they were married September 8, 1963. On November 27th 1964, John and Frances welcomed their beloved son John Amendola into the world. After retiring from Lockeed he started his second career as an IRS corporate auditor and retired at the age of 80 in 2016. John was a sports fanatic he loved the Yankees and the NY Jets. He had NY Jets season tickets for 62 years. He coached High School football for many years. He was a defensive coach at Woodbridge HS, Seton Hall Prep, East Side HS, Millburn HS and Union HS. John also loved slow pitch softball. He coached several men’s league teams and nationally ranked tournament teams. The last team he coached ranked 5th in the nation after competing in the national tournament in Minnesota in the early 1990’s. John was inducted into the Softball Hall of Fame for his winning record as a coach. John lived a very long and accomplished life.

Beloved husband of 62 years to Fran (DeCorte) Amendola.  Devoted father of John Amendola and his wife Margo.  Cherished grandfather of Christine Sikoral, her husband Andrew, Mark Amendola and his fiancé Brianna.  Dear brother of Richard Amendola and his wife Kay.  Also survived by many family members and friends.

John was pre-deceased by his parents Alphonse and Anna Amendola and his brother Lewis Amendola. 

Visitation at the Leonardis Memorial Home, Inc., 210 Ridgedale Avenue, Florham Park on Wednesday, April 16th from 4-7pm.  Funeral on Thursday, April 17th, assembling at the funeral home at 9:30am, followed by a prayer service at the funeral home at 10am.  Interment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in E. Hanover.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John’s name to the National Kidney Foundation, see donation box below for details…..

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