Fred Bigelsen

Born on January 16, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, Fred was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who was beloved by family, friends and patients alike.

Fred is survived by Sylvia Bigelsen his cherished wife of 65 years; his three children, Stephen Bigelsen, Faith Schulman and Jayne Bigelsen; sons-in-law Robert Stack and David Schulman; daughter-in-law Nancy Bigelsen; grandchildren, Brittany Holzwanger, Ryan Bigelsen, and Samantha Schulman; and great-grandchildren, Eila and Roxie Holzwanger.

A graduate of the University of Buffalo in 1956 and Chicago Medical School in 1960, Fred dedicated his career to medicine as an allergist and internist in Dover, New Jersey. His concern for his patients left most everyone believing that they were his favorite and most important patient.

Fred served in the U.S. Army at Fort Dix from 1966 to 1968. He lived in Morristown, New Jersey, from 1960 to 1992 before moving to Mountain Lakes, where he resided until 2023. Fred was an avid golfer, blackjack and poker player.

Baseball was Fred's passion. Crushed as a young boy when the Dodgers left New York, he became a lifelong Mets fan. Love for the Mets quickly became a requirement to be a member of the Bigelsen family. Fred coached Little League and Babe Ruth baseball for over three decades, leading his teams to several state championships. It was truly a highlight for him to coach the teams of both his son, Stephen, and thirty years later, his grandson, Ryan.

Fred's big personality, intellectual sparring, abundant generosity, often blunt speech, and love for friends and family will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.

Donations may be made in Fred's honor to:

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network).org" rel="sponsored">https://secure.PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network).org)

Women's Justice Now (https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/donate-to-wjn/) in support of his daughter's Jayne work to fight human trafficking