Arthur J Faix Obituary
May 12, 2018 Rev. Arthur J. Faix - Banker, Bible Teacher, Counselor Rev. Arthur J. Faix was born on November 24 1931 in Newark, NJ. He was the seventh and last child of William M Faix an d Teresa (Ginter) Faix. He grew up in Newark and graduated from Weequahic High School in January 1950. While in High School he was involved in the Junior Museum Program at the Newark Museum and it was logical that he began his working career at the Museum in February 1950.
Initially working in the office and later in the exhibits Dept. In September 1951, he began studies at Bloomfield College, Bloomfield, NJ where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English with minors in French, History and Christian Education in June 1955. He studied for an MBA at Seton Hall University, also taking courses in the law school.
In May of 2003, he was awarded the degree of Master of Practical Theology from the Masters Graduate School of Divinity, Evansville, Ind. After graduation he began to work full-time. However, his career plans were interrupted when he was drafted into the U.S. Navy in December, 1955; the only time the Navy ever drafted. After initial training, he was sent to Pensacola FL, the Annapolis of the air and served on the Navcats team.
Having working in advertising in civilian life, the Navy placed him as Journalist. In February 1957, he was transferred to sea duty aboard the USS Cambria and made a South American tour. Coming back to the states, he was transferred to the USS Rockbridge and made a Mediterranean tour. He was released from active duty in October, 1957, and went back to S.M. Ferrer.
Art was involved with the church all of his life. As a youth, he went to Hill Temple, a satellite church of Central Presbyterian Church of Newark. This was located right across the street from where he lived. When the Second World War came, this satellite was closed and another group moved in. Art and his mother then went two blocks away to Clinton Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Here he was involved in the Sunday School, Boy Scouts and Youth Group which was affiliated with Christian Endeavor. In 1950, the church began a Sunday evening service out of which grew a TV program, "The Evangel Hour". This was on the air from April 1950 to Sept. 1972. It rehearsed at the South Park Presbyterian Church which was across Broad Street, Newark from the Mosque, now Symphony Hall where the TV station Channel 13 (WAAT-TV) was located.
Returning from the Navy in October 1957, he met Kathryn Gross, Kay, who was then part of the choir. She was a Member of South Park and a Deacon. While he recalls that she was not part pf the choir when he left for the service, he remembers her being in it when he came home on leave in December 1956, before transferring to sea duty.
Art sent her a Valentine's Day card in 1958 and they began dating. They were engaged at Christmas 1958 and married November 14, 1959 in South Park Presbyterian Church with the Pastors of both South Park and Clinton Ave. officiating. Kay died October 21, 2005 of ovarian cancer. They were married 46 years. They had no children.
After he returned to Ferrer, Art was made Production Manager. The agency had a few accounts in the real estate industry and Art became interested in real estate. He obtained a Real Estate License in June 1959 and has been licensed since then. In February 1960, he joined Jersey Mortgage Company of Elizabeth, NJ as a credit reviewer.
Kay left her position of seven years as Senior Library Asst. at the Newark Public Library and joined the Elizabeth Library in the same capacity. She worked there 40 years and retired in 1995 as Supervising Senior Library Asst. in the Technical Services Dept. This dept. ordered and catalogued the books and other material in the library collection.
Kay used to kid Art that in 40 years she had one job while he had several. At Jersey Mortgage, Art became Manager of the Mortgage Processing Dept and later, when the Commercial Loan Dept was growing, he moved there and was responsible for the origination and closing of Commercial loans, bot construction and permanent. He became an Assistant Secretary of Jersey Mortgage in 1967.
In March of 1970, Art joined Talcott National Corp, a large national finance company located in New York City, as Asst Vice President. Talcott from its base in New York made loans all over the nation and in some foreign countries. In 1974, when the company was raided by the Italian financier Sindona, his dept was eliminated.
Art then joined Hamilton Investment Trust, a REIT owned by Jersey Mortgage Co. When he joined, he told the President, who was his former boss at Jersey Mortgage, that he would not stay long. Basically the President wanted him to solve a few problems. He next joined Republic National Bank of NY as Vice President and Mortgage Officer and after shakeup in the management at Republic, he joined Ninth Federal Savings and Loan of NY as Vice President and Mortgage Officer.
Here, in addition to the usual duties of a mortgage officer, he ran a group which created GNMA Securities. Art had been going to NYC for almost 9 years now and he desired to return to working in New Jersey. The Lord treated him favorably, when he was offered the position as Vice President and Mortgage Officer at New Brunswick Savings Bank in New Brunswick, NJ.
The Chairman told him his job was to bring New Brunswick into the modern mortgage world and to build the bank a new headquarters building. New Brunswick was the first bank in New Jersey to offer an Adjustable Rate Mortgage and a Home Equity Credit Line. Art, with his immediate supervisor, Executive Vice President Robert H. Hollenbeck, located a local real estate broker and builder, Umar Borraie.
He had desires to build a building in Downtown New Brunswick, had a site, but needed a partner. Art was instrumental in bringing the deal together and the building, now at the corner of George St. and Rt. 27 was built. It now houses Wachovia Bank. In 1989, the Trustees of New Brunswick, sold the bank to National State Bank of Elizabeth.
CoreStates Bank purchased NSB in 1992 and Art was merged into retirement. He then joined Appraisal Associates Inc. a large Real Estate Appraisal firm located in Cranford as a Review Appraiser and Operations Manager/Researcher. He knew the owner. Joseph Baldoni from Jersey Mortgage Co. He left AAI in 2002. Since then he has done some consulting and real estate sales.
Active in the church all his life, he was President of the Essex County CE Union, instrumental in establishing with 6 others, the Union camp of Gideon's. At Clinton Avenue he was Trustee, Elder, Deacon and Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of Session. In 1967, Kay and Art joined the Alliance Church of Cranford. Here he met Rev. D. Alan Miller.
At the Alliance, he taught Sunday School, was SS Supt., and a Deacon and a Trustee. In 1972, Rev. Miller asked him to help establish a church in Roselle/Roselle Park. Miller was at the time the Associate Pastor for Youth at Calvary Baptist Church in New York City, under Stephen Olford. Loveoneanother Church was established in June, 1972, in Roselle Park by a group of ten families.
During this period, the Nazarene Church was favorable to Pentecostals and Rev. Miller took their help. However, in 1976, after the next churchwide meeting, this was changed and those pro-Pentecostals were told to conform to the change or leave. Seven individuals met in Art's living room in Roselle Park in October 1977 and Grace & Peace Fellowship was born.
The church grew and the building at 950 Raritan Road, Cranford was built. The first service was in March 1980, it was the funeral of Pastor Miller's mother-in-law. The ministry grew and soon was at 375, with two services. Pastor Miller was working on a DMin degree and went with a group from the seminary to the Philippines.
In the summer of 1984, the Lord called him to the Philippines and the Asst. Pastor was made Senior Pastor. He left after 14 months and Rev. Dean Knudsen was named Senior Pastor, with about 275 involved. When Rev. Knudsen left in 2002 there were about 125 in the congregation. When LoveOneAnother was started, knowing Art taught the Bible since he was 19, Rev. Miller encouraged him to study and think about ordination.
He did so via the Berean School of the Bible of the Assemblies of God, and in 1984 was ready to be licensed. When Rev. Miller went to the Philippines that was put on hold and after Rev. Miller united with Kingsway Fellowship International Art was ordained by that Fellowship in March of 1992. At the time Rev. Knudsen left Grace & Peace, Art was Minister to Seniors and Coordinator of Public Information and Outreach.
The Seniors Group, at its top had about 70 members from five churchs. The pastor who replaced Rev. Knudsen was not so favorable to a Seniors Ministry and he and Art had some talking points. Art left GPF after 30 plus years. Art and Kay began attending Calvary Assembly of God, Union, NJ since 2003, and Art is a member. The senior group became The Seniors Bible Study and Fellowship and meets each first Thursday at various homes.
Rev. Miller is National Supt for KFI in the Philippines and has about 1100 to care for. Friends of the Filipinos is the support organization for Pastor Miller. Art is Trustee, Secretary of Board and Stateside contact. He has spent his retirement years working for the Lord. Surviving Art are his sister Emily's two children, who live in California.
Dr. Robert A, Kinsey, a retired psycharatist and Mr. Jon Kinsey, a retired accountant and tax counselor. Also surviving is Mrs. Dorothy Bongard, Kay's sister in New Holland, PA. and her two sons; Rev. James C. Bongard and his wife Rev. Karen Bongard from White Horse, Lancaster Co., PA. Both are Methodist ministers. And Mr. Thomas 'Tim' S. Bongard, his wife Maureen and their 5 children, from Mesa, AZ..
Also his brother William's step-son, Mr. Jack Prell and his wife Rose, from Toms River, NJ.
