OCEAN COUNTY – She could be described as bubbly, eccentric, vivacious and beautiful, but one thing for sure: Sondra Fortunato, 75, also known as “Miss Liberty,” was larger than life.
Miss Liberty was a special friend to Jersey Shore Online/Toms River Online/Micromedia Publications and our thoughts are with her family and many friends at this time. She was once the unofficial cheerleader of the New York Giants and known for various meetups with celebrities and sports personalities in that role.
She was a resident of Toms River and once worked as a kindergarten teacher as well as a model. She was well known throughout Ocean County, New Jersey and beyond. Her passing was noted in national media. She loved the description of her being a “home grown celebrity.”
Her appearances at special events such as the annual Toms River Halloween Parade always brought cheers as she traveled on a float or a car. One year, there was a pint-sized version of herself in the parade in the form of a young girl who emulated her Miss Liberty attire and famous decorated car.
Fortunato’s vehicle was well known. It was adorned with placards, newspaper articles (many of them from Micromedia) and she also previously took part in southern Ocean County film festivals where some news clips of her were compiled into a video. Once, her car was even stolen while she was attending an event, bringing up the question “Why would someone steal a car that is so easily recognizable?” It was found shortly thereafter.
Other nicknames included Miss Football and Miss Millenium, Miss Super Bowl, Miss World Series, Miss NFL, Miss Body Beautiful U.S.A. and Miss Opening Day but beyond her many monikers, she was known for her big smile, flirty nature and the atmosphere of fun she brought to everyone around her.
She was patriotic, friendly, loved sports and loved people and animals. It was nearly impossible to have a short conversation with her as she enjoyed communicating with nearly everyone she met.
Sadly, last year she received the devasting news that she had developed Stage 4 cancer which destroyed her left eye and ultimately led to her death.
The expenses associated with her treatment also led to the loss of her home and she needed to have additional surgery to treat her illness. A GoFundMe campaign was quickly created to assist her with her medical treatment.
She appeared in the 1980 horror B-movie “Mother’s Day.” She also did a stint as a Playboy Bunny and was an official or unofficial mascot for various athletic teams across the state and nationwide.
Her appearances also included fundraisers including one where she was “locked up for good” as a means to raise funds for battered women and domestic violence.
Miss Liberty once told Micromedia Publications that she was hired to cheer and fire up the crowd for sports teams. She was also featured early on in her life in muscle magazine covers and won the Miss Body Beautiful USA contest. Fortunato had a collection of baseballs from her time when she was known as Miss World Series. She was also known as Miss Kentucky Derby.
Spotting her car on Route 37 was always a thrill and many drivers would wave and beep their horns to say hi. She was an attention getter no matter where she went and she enjoyed receiving that attention. She once described her car as being as popular as the El Torino driven by 1970s TV cops Starsky & Hutch.
“People see that car and they know I am behind it,” she remarked in an article in Weird New Jersey. She explained to the media that she didn’t want to bother removing the many signs adhered to her car (she had two such Miss Liberty mobiles) so she taped them on permanently for parades and special events.
Miss Liberty would often wear gowns and a tiara and attire that would extenuate her striking figure and bright smile. She commented during parade preparations about some possible and existing dress malfunctions but always with a laugh.
Fortunato who was born and raised in the Garden State, told this reporter that her niece was married to the owner of Viacom and she had a brother who is a heart surgeon and two sisters. Her grandparents hailed from Johnson & Johnson.
She also said she knew OJ Simpson and noted that former President Donald Trump knew who she was. She also met Tug McGraw and said she was a guest at an event of Bill Clinton’s.
“I’m different, I know it and that’s a good thing. No one can say I’m average,” Fortunato once told this reporter. She loved people and they didn’t need to be famous, they just needed to be nice to her and most people couldn’t resist being drawn to her electric personality.
She was also known for her generosity despite her own financial challenges. She would mail gifts to the Micromedia Publications staff including caps, slippers, placards and lollipops with her face on the wrapping. It was always a surprise to open those packages and to learn what was inside.
Miss Liberty will be missed.
