Lawrence J Engel

Lawrence J Engel, 88 of Green Brook, died peacefully at Centra State Medical Center in Freehold NJ with family by his side March 28th 2018.

Born in East St. Louis Illinois 1929 his family moved to Atlanta, GA in 1936 where he was raised and attended Georgia Tech attaining a PhD in 1956 after which he and his family moved to New Jersey where he joined the Process Research Division (a part of what was then Standard Oil Company of New Jersey) Exxon in today’s world.  He was active in the community over the years as a member of Cub Scout Committee, the Green Brook Swim Club, the Board of Education, of the five Sewer Assessment Commissions, the Township Committee, the Open Space Committee, the Green Brook Historical Society. He was also a member of the Fort Monmouth Army Retirees Council, the John Basilone Parade Committee and the Washington Campground Association.

His volunteerism continued after retirement from Exxon when he was one of the initial volunteers at the Liberty Science Center, a Volunteer at the Edison Museum, a member/Trustee for the Battleship New Jersey Historical Society later moving to the Battleship New Jersey Foundation for many years serving full time as Operations Manager and finally as Executive Director.

He was commissioned from ROTC as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Chemical Corps and volunteered for active duty during the Korean War and was stationed at a SAC base at Sculthorpe England. It was here that he met his wife Betty. Over the years he rose to the rank of Colonel when he retired with 30 years of service in 1980.

He enjoyed his family and in the early days the backyard was the neighborhood gathering spot for baseball, football, playground equipment and plastic pools before the era of the Green  Brook  Swim Club. There were the family trips in the early days and the extended family gatherings organized by Mom in the later days. He enjoyed renovating antique furniture, gardening, collecting books and military artifacts, reading, relating to people, and never met a house sale or flea market he didn't like. But most of all he cherished the long term marriage and relationship with his wife Betty.

He was predeceased by Betty his wife of 55 years in 2008, daughter in law Dawn Engel in 2017, parents Anthony and Josephine Engel and Brother Richard. He is survived by a son Tony and wife Carolyn of Fort Worth, TX and their sons Aaron and Adam, a son Drew of Ben Lomond, CA and his son Derek and daughter Alyssa, a daughter Lauren and husband Greg King of Bonnet Bay, NSW Australia and their daughter Ellen and son Sam and a son Alex and his partner Denise Kaffl of Howell, NJ her daughter Sheira and great grandson Mason.

Friends may visit the family on Wednesday, April 4th from 2:00-4:00 and from 6:00-9:00pm at the Sheenan Funeral home, 233 Dunellen Ave in Dunellen. A mass will be celebrated at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Dunellen on Thursday, April 5th at 10:00am. Burial will follow with military honors at Resurrection Burial Park in Piscataway.

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