Dr. Frederick N. Cushmore Obituary (1930 - 2022)

Dr. Frederick Newkirk Cushmore, passed away December 14th, 2022. A memorial visitation will be held at Paul Ippolito-Dancy Memorial, 9 Smull Ave., Caldwell, on Saturday, March 11, 2023, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., immediately followed by a service and words of remembrance at 11:30 a.m. The interment will be private. Fred was born to Raymond Cushmore and Edna Mueller in Pompton Plains, NJ on September 1st, 1930. His father Raymond passed away when he was six years old. His mother moved with young Fred back to Brooklyn where he was raised by his maternal grandmother, aunt and mother while she returned to work during the Depression. Through this he developed a strong and eager work ethic. As a boy and young man Fred aspired to be a pilot in the still early days of aviation. Color blindness and poor vision changed those plans, so he focused on working several jobs and academics. All his hard work paid off and he was granted a full scholarship at Queens College in New York. Fred graduated six months early and in the top five of his class. There he met Margaret Ruth Gerber; the love of his life, his intellectual equal and one raised in similar, challenged circumstances. They later married and were together for 54 years until her passing in 2008. After Queens College, our Fred attended New York Medical College working various jobs as did Margaret to put him through medical school while supporting their young family. Fred served in the Army as part of his medical training from 1957 to 1959 as a captain. After a number of moves around New Jersey and New York, the family settled in North Caldwell, NJ in 1965 building friendships with neighbors and the community that still exist today. Fred was a Radiologist who practiced medicine for nearly 60 years in various leadership roles with his medical group and at St. Joseph's Hospital. Retirement was just a word as he kept working with his group and hospital until the age of 85. While practicing, Fred was a teacher, mentor and advisor to many technicians, doctors and future leaders in the medical field. He gave expert witness testimony in medical trials and was a recognized and admired individual in his field and place of work. Fred truly enjoyed being a doctor and the many aspects of healing beyond that of diagnosis. His passion was for continued learning in medicine as he often said, "We will never know everything. We're just getting better at guessing". Fred's passions were many and a number have been passed to his children and grandchildren. He loved his art and theater and made sure his children took advantage of the culture that New York City had to offer. As clinical as a dinner conversation could be, he and mom would often stop eating only to start dancing to a much loved song on the radio as there was always music playing. As a radiologist focused on pictures and what they tell us, he was an avid photographer and pursued subjects from sports, to landscapes and wildlife while around home or prolific travels in the USA and around the world. Fred's garden amongst the power lines was more than a hobby. His crops were well known within the family and the neighborhood as all shared in the bounty of his efforts, hard work and dedication. He was a builder and tinkerer using his love for history and sailing to build model boats to clocks and even a grandfather clock. As a prolific reader, Fred kept an extensive library often reading many novels a few times. A fine athlete as a young man in a number of sports he encouraged his children and grandchildren into sports particularly those that could be played for a lifetime. Family competitions were particularly fierce as he always encouraged putting a little money on the line for focus. As one who always had to work hard for everything he achieved or made, a focal point was on education and ensuring that his children and grandchildren would not have to toil with the burdens he had. Fred made the resources available that his offspring and theirs could concentrate on studies without the lingering debt to follow. Fred is survived by four children, twelve grandchildren and a growing number of great grandchildren. Rest in Peace Dad and we take comfort that you are with mom again. Barbara, Janice, Raymond, and Frederick Cushmore.