Juan Fontanive

1939 - 2020
Dr. Juan Fontanive, clinical pathologist, died on Monday. He was 80.

Juan Fontanive was born on December 8, 1939 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Giovanni Fontanive and Beatriz Manfroi. His childhood summers spent in Mar Del Plata on the Atlantic Ocean, he said, inspired in him a natural inquisitiveness that led him to relentlessly explore nature as a child and then to study medicine as an adult.

After attending medical school at the University of Buenos Aires, he immigrated to the United States in 1967 and accepted a residency at St. Alexis Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. He then married Jacqueline Connelly (they divorced in 1990), had three children, and worked at Brentwood Hospital until moving to New York City in 1995. He often remarked that he "greatly valued the intellectual freedom" the United States held.

A physician for 56 years, Dr. Fontanive was appreciated by his colleagues at Lincoln Medical Center for his contributions to the field of clinical pathology, including his in-depth knowledge of disease and his expertise in the identification of complex diseases. Dr. Fontanive never retired. Known for never missing a day of work during his lengthy career in medicine, he also attended religious services each day to pray for his patients. "I am proud to serve the good people of the Bronx," he said when asked about his work.

A contemplative, analytical man and an innovative thinker, he also had a keen sense of humor and loved a good joke. Always inquisitive, Dr. Fontanive spent his life studying disease in the laboratory, but he also studied literature, language, philosophy, literary theory, guitar, and art. He spoke Spanish, English, Italian, French, and was learning Hebrew when he passed. An artist, poet, and world traveler, he particularly enjoyed visiting India, Hawaii, Ireland, and Switzerland with the love of his life, Gail Winograd. Together, they enjoyed "walking different paths all over the world," she said.

A voracious reader, he enjoyed Borges' stories and Neruda's metaphors. He was particularly influenced by the work of Jacques Derrida, and this lifelong interest in deconstruction influenced his visual artwork. He was a prolific painter, creating hundreds of paintings, which he gave as gifts to family and friends. All of his paintings, many of which echo patterns seen in nature and through the microscope, deal with deconstruction.

"He adored learning and had an unquenchable interest in life. He loved studying the world," said his daughter, Dr. Beatriz Fontanive Bishop, "and we are lucky that he inspired this curiosity in others." Along with Gail and Beatriz, Dr. Fontanive is survived by his son Juan Carlos, a New York City artist; his daughter Sheila, an art therapist; and his grandchildren John Tonon, Jacob Juan Bishop, Eva Bishop, and Sydney Corporan.

Services for Dr. Fontanive, including an exhibit of his paintings, will be held in New York City. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in memory of Dr. Juan Fontanive to Good Shepherd Services: https://goodshepherds.org/give-to-s
upport-nyc-youth-and-families/