The Fonda Blog

Sisters discover letters to their father from his friend killed during WWII

By Elizabeth Pritchett, Fox News
March 27, 2023

Most people never have the opportunity to gain insight into what their parents were like during their younger days, but two sisters in New Jersey did after discovering letters written to their Navy veteran father from his best friend during World War II.

Susan Sturm and Cindy Sommer were tasked with the responsibility of cleaning out their parents’ home following the death of their 96-year-old mother in January 2021. The women had lost their father, Al Sitarski, years prior in July 2012 at the age of 91.

While in the attic, the sisters came across a brown envelope with the words “A Very Sad Story About WWII” written on the front in Sitarski’s handwriting. Not knowing many details about their father’s four years in the Navy, they opened the envelope and discovered it was stuffed with letters from his longtime best friend, Navy Lt. Fred Fonda.

“The letters in this envelope were a collection in chronological order of all of the letters that Fred wrote to my dad,” Sturm said, adding that the finding was “very touching and amazing.”

Prior to finding and reading the letters, Sturm and Sommer knew of Fonda, but were not aware of the extent of his friendship with their father – a friendship that would come to a tragic end with Fonda’s death in November 1945. Strum said she believed it affected her father for the rest of his life.

The sisters ultimately decided they were going to read every letter in the envelope, starting with Sturm. When she was finished she gave them to her sister, who ironically read them on Memorial Day 2021.

“These two men had such a bond,” Sturm said before taking the story back to where she knows it started – Sitarski and Fonda’s high school years.

Both men attended Linden High School in Linden, New Jersey, and were “dearest, closest” friends, according to Sturm, but she thinks the friendship could have gone back further. Sitarski had been in Linden his entire life. Fonda, on the other hand, migrated to the area from Italy and became a nationalized citizen in 1931 at 10 years old.

After high school, they both attended the Newark College of Engineering before enlisting in the Navy in 1942. Both men also completed naval training at Cornell University before they were separated.

Sturm said her father remained on the East Coast while Fonda was mostly on the West Coast. Both men also spent time on various ships.

“My dad’s ship was YMS104 based out of Solomons, Maryland. He actually made a replica of the ship,” Sommer said in an email. “I found the plans to the ship too. I think he must have learned every inch of it.”

Upon being separated, the men wrote to each other often.

Though the sisters only have access to the letters Fonda wrote Sitarski, Sturm said it was clear both men had a great sense of humor while sharing their life updates.

The conversations centered around women, hobbies, career updates and the future. Sturm said there was hardly any talk of the war, at least from Fonda’s end.

“I think in their heart of hearts they pictured the war will eventually be over, we’ll both be married, settle down and have children, our wives will be friends, and we’ll have BBQs,” Sturm said. “But it never happened.”

On Nov. 9, 1945, just days after being promoted to lieutenant, Fonda was killed while decommissioning the USS Greene. The ship was one of many damaged beyond economical repair a month prior during Typhoon Louise in Okinawa, Japan.

Fonda was the lead damage control officer in charge of a group removing ammo from the ship’s aft handling room when an unknown gas surfaced and overtook the four men working in the magazine. Fonda attempted to rescue his fellow sailors, but ultimately died with them.

Fonda died at 4:12 p.m. from accidental asphyxiation due to oxygen deficiency, according to Medal Mulisha, a website that shares the stories behind unclaimed medals. He was initially buried at the Island Command Cemetery in Okinawa, Japan, before being repatriated to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Because of his actions, he was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.

“[He] died a hero,” Sturm said. “Dad never really spoke of it very much, but based upon their correspondence and their friendship, you could tell dad and Fred were dear friends.”

Though the letters came to an end, the women are hoping to find the missing pieces of the story.

“At this point, we had all the letters Fred wrote to my dad, but we obviously did not have the letters my dad wrote to Fred,” Sturm said.

After Sommer read the letters on Memorial Day, she came across a post by Medal Mulisha about Fonda. Not knowing anything about the site, she was convinced it was a sign from her father and Fonda that they are reunited in Heaven.

Since then, the women have been working to see if their father’s letters are somewhere out there by researching Fonda’s family and trying to connect with the relatives they find. They were able to contact a cousin of his in Italy, but that person was not able to help and said communication with the Italian relatives dwindled after Fonda died.

They discovered Fonda had a sister named Anna and, as of February, are still searching for her. Strum said she would be 103 years old, and could possibly be deceased, but neither one of them have found an obituary for her.

Sturm did some digging and found who she thought owned the former Fonda home in Linden, but he was a renter.

“I was hoping and praying in some way, shape, matter or form that maybe the letters that dad wrote Fred were sitting in the attic of the house,” Sturm said. “You never know.”

The renter put her in contact with the property owner, who knew of Fonda’s story, but he told Sturm he was not the one who purchased the home directly after the Fonda family lived there.

Though the women are unsure of the letters’ whereabouts, they did receive some insight into what their father might have written to Fonda during a project with Voyage Media’s True War Stories: Mission Report.

In a Feb. 6 podcast episode titled “A Wartime Hero’s Letters,” the show used Sturm’s and Sommer’s research and Fonda’s letters to reconstruct what Sitarski might have said back to Fonda. Because of the 42-minute episode, the sisters were able to imagine what their father’s letters looked like.

“Oh my gosh, I feel like I knew dad when he was 18, 19, 20 years old,” Sturm said.

Though their mission is not yet complete, Sturm said simply finding Fonda’s letters to her father was “so wonderful.”

She added that sharing the stories of veterans, even from decades ago, is “crucially important” so that “people continue to understand what these men and women do to protect us” and are aware of the dedication and sacrifice involved.

Also see: Findagrave Memorial, Fonda Military

written by admin

Book Review: Codex Oera Linda: English Edition Translated by Jan Ott

December 23, 2021 – by Catherine Austin Fitts

If you live in Friesland, you fall in love with the land – with the dairy cows that give the sweetest milk, with the black Frisian horses that dazzle dressage rings with their dancing, with the endless hawks, cranes and seagulls that inhabit the shorelines, lakes and canals. And with the sheep that fill up the emerald green fields by the dykes and give birth each Easter time to babies that leap and play in the first few weeks, giving new meaning to the chant, “O lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.”

As much as 50% of the land in the Netherlands has been reclaimed from the sea and it teems with life, not to mention the bounty harvested from the lakes and the ocean – prawns, eels, cod and more.

Many people still speak Frisian – a softer more melodic language than Dutch. You occasionally hear references to an ancient history. Michael Pye’s book The Edge of the World describes a people whose success at surviving brutal Viking raids while sailing the North Sea, traveling and trading long distances – into the Roman Empire and across the Silk Road all the way to Asia was notable.

One local history buff says the founder of Stavoren, the sailing community where I live in the Netherlands, was a Frisian King who returned to Friesland from Persia during the time of Alexander. Also notable, according to Pye, was the Frisians ability at money and currency.

In 2019, when a group of subscribers came to Stavoren for five days, Jan Ott joined us for a long dinner by candle light. He described the history of Friesland and the Oera Linda book – an ancient manuscript written in Old Frisian discovered in the 1860’s that has inspired great debate about it’s authenticity. At the time, Jan was working on a new translation.

When I returned to the Netherlands in 2020, Jan was still plugging away on his translation to English. And he had set up a foundation to publish it. During this period, Jan introduced me to the work of Asha Logos, who has published three highly recommended videos which include introductions to and commentary on the Oera Linda book and why it is of such interest.

Conspiracy? Our Subverted History, Part 5.1 – The Oera Linda Book
Conspiracy? Our Subverted History, Part 5.2 – The Oera Linda Book
Conspiracy? Our Subverted History, Part 5.3 – The Oera Linda Book

This year Jan published his new translation to English in a beautiful hard bound book with a foreword by Asha Logos. It quickly sold out. He has now published this translation in paperback which is available at the Foundation website below.

Who shall govern? How shall we govern ourselves? Why must we be honest and keep our word? How shall we raise our children and what values are most important to teach them. These are some of the most basic and essential questions that the Oer Linda book explores. Our failure to address and answer these questions, let alone live the answers, is demonstrated in the social and financial failure that marks our current days.

Whatever its history and age, there is a great deal of truth to be found in the pages of the Oera Linda book about what it takes to create a powerful human culture – one that can endure through the centuries. If you are as interested as I am in the legal and cultural law that makes sovereign individuals and successful currencies possible, the Oera Linda book may be of interest to you.

Order at oeralinda.nl

Related reading:

Special Solari Report: Codex Oera Linda Book with Jan Ott

Oera Linda Book on Wikipedia

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Note from webmaster:

The American Fonda family immigrated from Holland in about 1651. The patriarch Jellis Douw Fonda (1614-1659) was a Frisian residing in the town of Eagum. It appears that Jellis was a journeyman smithy working on the big earthworks project in that area. Although his birthplace is still uncertain, many Frisian names end in ‘a’ and DNA analysis shows that the male line is Haplogroup I1 typically called Anglo-Saxon.  The book ‘Famous Frisians in America‘ has a chapter on the Fonda Family.

Albert Mark Fonda – December 2021

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written by admin \\ tags: DNA, History, Holland

There are a few common misconceptions within the Fonda Genealogy that have arisen:

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Misconception #1: The Fonda’s descended from Italy

Actual: The American Fonda line immigrated from Holland (Friesland) in 1651 and appear to be Haplogroup I1 (Anglo-Saxon). There is no direct evidence of origins in Italy, France or elsewhere.  Fonda lines in Italy and Slovenia are Haplogroup R1b (Basque).

From “Early American Families“, Rev. W.A. Williams; Philadelphia, PA; 1916:
“The Rensselaer-Bowier Papers say that Douw Fonda was a Frisian, and Tacitus says that the Frisians dwelt along the coast of the North sea. They were converted to Christianity before A.D. 800. The family of Fonda was originally from the Republic of Genoa, Italy. The Marquis de Fonda was one of the leaders of a revolution in Genoa, having for its object the overturning of the aristocratic government, and putting the election of the Doge and Senate, into the hands of the people at large. The Doge (=duke) was the duke, or chief magistrate. Our ancestor was an early republican, and must have lived there, between 1339, when the first Doge was elected, and 1528 when the Dogate ceased. Baron de Fonda was unsuccessful in his attempt, and fled from the country, taking refuge in Amsterdam, Holland, whence his descendant, Jellis Douwese Fonda, emigrated to America in 1642 (1650), and had grants of land from the Dutch government, settling in or near the present city of Albany, N. Y.”

“There is a perhaps less credible tradition also, that the Fondas were Huguenots. and fled from France to Holland after the massacre of St. Bartholomew’s night, Aug. 25, 1572. There is another tradition that they fled from Spain on account of persecution or followed the Duke of Alva to Holland. It is also said that they belonged to the royal house of Spain, fled to Italy, because of religious persecution, and came later to Holland. Possibly they fled from Italy to France, and from France to Holland. The form of the family name is Latin and therefore similar in French, Italian, and Spanish, indicating the Latin origin of the family, probably In Italy. The Fondas were Dutch Reformed Protestants when they emigrated to America, and must have been among the first converts of the Reformation. Their descendants are widely scattered throughout the Union, though many are still living near the old home in Eastern N.Y.”

“The family name is taken from a deep valley in the Apennines, about 12 mi. from the city of Genoa, called Fonda, a name which means bottom, deep, foundation, etc. It is said that, in the early part of the last century, the estate was still in the possession of a branch of the family, the Count de Fonda, and there are many of the name, in the various parts of the Genoese territories.” Some of the family may have known Columbus in Genoa.”

The above is disputed in two references:

Old Dutch Families: Fonda Family (De Halve Maen Quarterly, 1945):
“The Fondas were important in up-state New York during the Colonial period and in the early development of the State. Presumably the family is of Frisian origin and one genealogist has outlined European background for the Fondas giving them a really illustrious descent. However, these stories apparently come from tradition rather than substance.”

Innes Getty Collection: Jellis Douwse Fonda (NYG&B, 1957):
“Rev. William A. Williams, in his Early American Families, gives a fanciful account of the European family of Fonda, but no references are cited, and one is free to accept or reject the entire story. Likewise, the data of the American family of Fonda is not authoritative for again, no references to source material are offered, and his conclusions are not in accord with church records. It follows that his material is mere balderdash.”

See Voyage to America Update, Italian Roots, Frisian DNA Profile and Innes Getty Collection

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Misconception #2: Jellis Fonda (1615-1659) was the son of Douwe Everts

Actual: We do not know for sure who his parents were.  Jellis was first documented in Eagum, Friesland in about 1632, but there is no proof that he was the son of Douwe Everts.

Per the book, “Famous Frisians in America” on pages 111-112:
“According to Van der Meer, Jelle Fonda (Jilles Douwes) must have been a son of Douwe Everts. Eagum was a very small village. But that is by no means proof that he descended from Douwe Everts. The oldest register of births, deaths and marriages, the Quotisatiekohier of 1749 (a century after Jilles Douwes), says there were 47 people living in or near the village, and 19 children under the age of 13. They included five farmers and one independent woman farmer, a widow with no profession, a schoolmaster, and three working-class families. The latter category is particularly difficult to place in a historical sense, especially when it comes to the archives dating from before the French era.

There is much to be said for the suggestion that Jelle Fonda came from this group. The fact that on the occasion of his marriage he is registered as a ‘journeyman smithy’ indicates that he was a craftsman, and thus did not belong to the group made up of ’tillers of the soil’. Mention is also made of the fact that his parents gave their written consent to the marriage. This means that they could read and write. As could Jelle Fonda and his wife Hester, in view of the signatures which appear at the bottom of the document.

In the period 1632-1633, eight years before he married in Diemen, the lake known as Wargastermeer was impoldered. The primary financier of this project was the Amsterdam merchant Paulus Jansz Kley (1582-1655). Obviously he required an army of diggers and other workmen, including craftsmen. It is quite possible that Jilles Douwes was one of them. Indeed, it may well have been through the mediation of Kley that Jilles moved to Amsterdam, and he may even have helped him to get a job there. He was literate and he had a trade. Moreover, he was anxious to get ahead in the world.“

In conclusion, according to this account, here is what we know… Jilles Fonda was a journeyman smithy, who hired on to a big earthworks project near Eagum in 1632-1633 (he would have been 16-17 years old)… he then moved to Amsterdam, got married in 1641 (age 25), started a family (he became an innkeeper and blacksmith)… and then took the voyage to America in 1651 (age 35) with his young family of five.  His parents have not been identified.

See Fonda DNA and History and Famous Frisians in America

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Misconception #3: Douw Jellis Fonda (1640-1700) married Rebecca Conyne

Actual: Douw Jellis Fonda (1640-1700) married Rebecca Janse.  There was a misinterpretation of a baptism sponsor listing from 1674.

Rebecca Conyne is a very common listing for the wife of Douw Jellis Fonda (1641-1700), but according to the well-respected report by Innes Getty, former Trustee and Chairman of the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, it is incorrect. His wife is listed in that report as Rebecca Jansen (1646-1727); married in 1666 in Albany.  Rebecca Conyne (nee Wemple) was the wife of Peter Conyne married in 1641.

NYG&B records of Innes Getty Collection (1957):
“In printed genealogies, other than [Williams], Douw Jellis Fonda’s wife is given as Rebecca Conyn of Leendert Philipse Conyn, but in no instance is any reference cited, nor any circumstantial evidence adduced to justify the assumption. In the list of nine children of Douw Jellis Fonda, of whom we have records, not one bears a Conyn name; Philip; Leendert; Caspar; Agniet; nor is a member of the Conyn family sponsor at any of the three baptisms recorded in the Church at Albany. Furthermore, in the list of sixty three grandchildren of Douw Jellis Fonda, not one bears a Conyn name, and in no instance is a member of the Conyn family a sponsor. Rebecca is not a Conyn name.

There is nothing of record to prove the parentage of Rebecca, wife of Douw Jellise Fonda, and the records of the Conyn family prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that she was not the daughter of Phillipse Conyn and Agneietie Caspers. The sole clue, ever so slight, is found in the Schenectady Church records. i.e.- Douw of Jellis Fonda and Rachel Winne bapt. September 1, 1700. Wit. Douw Fonda. Rebecka Janse (Rebecka, dau of Jan —?)”

“The confusion could be the result of a baptism record where Douw Fonda and Rebecca Conyne were listed together as sponsors for the baptism of Benjamin Romeyn on 8/4/1774 at the Caughnawaga DRC (parents Thomas Romeyn & Susanna Van Campen). However, these two witnesses were not husband and wife, just co-sponsors. Rebecca Conyne (nee Wemple) was the wife of Peter Conyne married on 10/23/1741. Thomas Romeyn was the first pastor of the Caughnawaga DRC, where Douw Jellis Fonda (1700-1780) and his second wife, Debora (Peggy) Wemple Veeder (Fonda) as well as Peter and Rebecca (Wemple) Conyne attended. The Douw Jellis Fonda (1641-1700) who has been attributed to have married Rebecca Conyne was the grandfather. However, his wife’s name was Rebecca Janse as established in the Innes Getty Collection.”

Ref: Innes Getty Collection: Jellis Douwse Fonda; The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society; New York, NY; 1957.

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written by admin \\ tags: DNA, Fonda Family, Holland, Immigration, Italy

Crumbl Cookies set to open doors this week in Mentor (Ohio)

National chain aims to draw people in with sweet smells

By Jean Bonchak – Published July 27, 2021

In a move that would make Cookie Monster happy, Crumbl Cookies is set to open its doors in Mentor (Ohio). The new shop. with its modern, minimalist interior, is set to host a grand opening on July 30 at 9662 Mentor Ave., across from Target. Currently paired with its distinctive setup is a singular product — enormous cookies created in more than 150 specialty flavors that are offered on a weekly rotating basis.

A prolific research and development department in Utah, where Crumbl Cookies originated, develops new recipes “inspired by popular flavors, foods, desserts of all kinds — from pies to cakes to candies and more,” according to the company website. A themed “Carnival” week recently tendered caramel apple, cotton candy and cinnamon fry bread varieties, along with chilled sugar and milk chocolate chip, the only staple selections on hand daily.

Andrew Fonda, who moved to Mentor from Montana to open the franchise, worked as a chemical engineer prior to specializing in the sweet treats.  He said that his initial introduction to Crumbl Cookies while visiting a shop a few years ago was an enticing experience. “The open bakery… you smell the cookies, see the cookies, it was kind of a cool space,” he said.  Based on a suggestion from friends, he decided to check out the Northeast Ohio market, scouting possible locations. Ultimately, Mentor fit the bill.  “We really like the Mentor area and the communities surrounding it, and we chose a convenient location where people will already be out shopping,” he said. “It’s a great retail area.”

Visitors to the store will find sleek black-and-white décor accompanied by punches of pink, a confectionary color used for their streamlined, signature cookie boxes. An open-concept kitchen allows patrons to take a peek at the baking process from its beginning, blending ingredients from scratch, to the final decorated product. Orders can be placed online or in-house. Delivery is also available. Fonda noted that the bulk of business takes place on site, where customers capture the cookies’ sweet, sugary smells.

Since its inception approximately four years ago, more than 200 Crumbl Cookies stores have opened in 32 states, and several more are planned. Fonda is already working on an additional establishment for the Mayfield area. A huge social media presence definitely has helped the company’s quick and steady growth. The first TikTok video featuring its cookies drew more than a million views. And its “Unbox the Pink Box” YouTube videos, which cleverly introduce the four specialty cookies being featured for the week, typically garner thousands of looks.

A June article titled “How Crumbl Cookies took over TikTok” by Maile McCann on modernretail.com states that “The keys to the brand’s success are a rotating flavor drop model, social media savvy and a commitment to digital integration at every touchpoint.” Among the batches and varieties presented, one cookie flavor rises to the top layer of crowd favorites. “Our milk chocolate chip is a staple on our menu for a reason,” said Anna Tibbitts, the company’s public relations specialist. “It’s not only award-winning but was the first cookie on our menu when Crumbl started.”

All cookies are boxed and may be purchased separately or in four-, six- or 12-pack assortments. Smaller-sized cookies are available for catering orders only. Boxes can also be customized with a bow, sticker and note for special gift-giving. Store hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 8 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays; and closed Sundays.

written by admin \\ tags: Business, Food, Midwest

Historic home of artist Leonard Ochtman for sale in Connecticut

By Jennifer Gould – New York Post – December 2, 2020

When famed Dutch-American landscape artist Leonard Ochtman moved to Connecticut in 1891 with his wife — Mina Fonda Ochtman, an accomplished American Impressionist painter in her own right — they built a house in Cos Cob and dubbed it Grayledge.

Now on the market for $1.4 million, the five-bedroom home at 35 Mianus View Terrace is where the couple became founding members of the Cos Cob Art Colony (whose famed members included Willa Cather and which helped launch NYC’s iconic Armory Show) and held classes for young artists boarding at the nearby Bush-Holley House.

The Ochtmans would also go on to become founding members of the Greenwich Society of Artists, where Leonard served as president.

Original details in the home, which was renovated in 2010, include the hardwood floors, the staircase and the solarium.

written by admin \\ tags: Arts, New England, Notables