Conrad W. Forys

Lieutenant Colonel Conrad W. Forys, 73, of Middletown, N.J., passed away Thursday, April 5, 2012, in Red Bank, N.J. Visitation will be held Monday, April 9, 2012, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the John F. Pfleger Funeral Home, 115 Tindall Road, Middletown.

Memorial services will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, 90 Kings Hwy., Middletown, on April 21; the time will be announced. For more information, to send condolences or for directions, visit www.pflegerfh.com   Born in Yonkers, N.Y., on April 8, 1938, Conrad grew up in Fair Lawn, N.J. He served in the U.S. Army for 27 years.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Military Police in 1961 after graduation from the University of Texas. He had assignments in the U.S., Germany and Korea, including provost marshal at Fort Monmouth, until he was selected by the Army to attend law school. Conrad graduated from Rutgers Law School in Newark, N.J., in 1970 and served as a J.A.G. officer at Fort Devens, Mass., and in Okinawa and Germany.

He moved to Middletown in 1978 and completed his military career as the staff judge advocate at Fort Monmouth and the Military Ocean Terminal, Bayonne, N.J. Upon his retirement from the Army in 1988, he was awarded the Legion of Merit. Conrad then worked as an attorney for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the TriBoro Bridge and Tunnel Authority before retiring in 2000. During this period, he was instrumental in the development of the contracts creating the E-ZPass system in the New York metropolitan area.

He was also honored for his efforts evacuating co-workers during the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. Conrad was known for his love of God, country and family and was happiest when surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren. He was a faithful communicant of Christ Episcopal Church, where he was active in the Saturday Men's Group and volunteered at the soup kitchen at St. Mark's, Keansburg, N.J.

Neighbors in Middletown recall his devotion to running every day, even in his 70s. Surviving are his wife of 49 years, Judith (Campbell) Forys, whom he met when they were both 14 years old; his daughter and son-in-law, Christine and Douglas Wilson of Middletown, N.J.; his son and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Marybeth Forys of Hamilton, Va.; his five grandchildren, John, William, Matthew, Grace, and Christopher, and his brother and sister-in-law, Walter and Patricia Forys of Middletown, N.J. Conrad was preceded in death by his parents, Walter P. and Anna (Vancak) Forys.

Contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to Christ Episcopal Church or the Army Emergency Relief Fund.

Published in Star-Ledger on April 8, 2012