Obituary of Eric Minte Chemnitius

Eric Minte Chemnitius, born in 1924 in the Bronx, NY, passed away peacefully on March 2, 2014. Eric attended high school in Summit and upon graduation served in the Headquarters Company 59th Armored Infantry Battalion, US Army during WWII. Honorably discharged in February 1946, he attended college on the GI Bill, earning his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Eric then began a long career with Public Service Electric and Gas Co. where he met his future wife, Gertrude Frey. They married in 1950 and settled in Glen Ridge to raise their family. Eric was an outdoor enthusiast all of his life and enjoyed a variety of interests including flower and vegetable gardening, mineralogy and lapidary, sailing, and skiing, as well as opera and classical music. Upon retirement in 1982, he became very involved in his community both as a valued member of the Glen Ridge Volunteer Ambulance Squad for 25 years, and a dedicated volunteer in the maintenance the planting beds in Freeman Gardens, particularly the roses. In 2007, Eric and Gertrude moved to a retirement community in Denville. Eric is predeceased by his wife of 62 years, and is survived by his daughters Susan (David) Peters of Houston, Texas and Joan (Ray) Best of Mountain Lakes along with 6 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held at the Glen Ridge Congregational Church on April 26 at 2:30. Donations in his memory may be made to the Glen Ridge Volunteer Ambulance Squad, 3 Herman Street, Glen Ridge, NJ 07046.