Jaroslav Mracek, 87, of Lawrenceville, died on Wednesday at the University Medical Center at Princeton, surrounded by his loving family.

Born in Bysice, Czech Republic, he had been a Lawrenceville resident for over forty years.

Mr. Mracek served in the English Army during WWII. He escaped the post war communist regime in Czechoslovakia and then joined the French Foreign Legion.

After the war, he studied engineering at the City University in Paris, France. He then went on to earn his masters in engineering at the Polytechnic University in Zurich, Switzerland. It was at this time in 1952 when he met his wife Eva, and they were married in 1953 in Munich Germany. Soon after marrying they immigrated to New York City aboard the SS United States.

Mr. Mracek was employed by John A. Roebling & Sons in Trenton, Curtis Wright in Princeton and he later went on to work with Western Electric also in Princeton. He was part of the research engineering team at Western Electric that developed the integrated circuit and he held thirteen patents. After 25 years of service with Western Electric, he retired in 1989.

Mr. Mracek taught mathematics at Trenton State and Mercer County Community Colleges. He was a certified trainer of emergency water safety for the Senior Life Saving Program of the American Red Cross. He was an accomplished artist of water color painting and a talented swimmer, guitarist and gourmet chef.

Son of the late Ladislav and Bertha Cirin Mracek, he is survived by his beloved wife Eva Mracek, his son, Roland Mracek, his daughter and son-in-law, Mona and Mitchell Miranda, his grand daughters: Carina Mracek, and Alexandra, Elizabeth and Olivia Miranda and several nieces and nephews.