Obituary of Eugene Maxwell Whitacre

Eugene (“Gene”) Maxwell Whitacre, Sr., 85, of Pennington, N.J., passed away on Oct. 22, 2012. Born in St. Claire, Mich., on Feb. 17, 1927, to Dorothy and Maxwell Whitacre, Gene was the oldest of 5 siblings. Shortly after his birth, Gene and his family moved to Niagara Falls, N.Y., where he lived until he left home at age sixteen to join the U.S. Navy. As a member of the Navy, Gene first served in the Second World War as a radio technician aboard the U.S.S. Tercel. He was recalled to active duty during the Korean War and was stationed as a member of the military police in Stuttgart, Germany. He served in the Civilian Investigations Department. After returning home from his first round of Navy service, Gene attended the University of Michigan where he became an active member of Theta Delta Chi and earned his B.S. in electrical engineering. He was a loyal University of Michigan fan for the rest of his life, never missing an opportunity to watch Maize and Blue athletics or chant the fight song. Gene began his thirty-nine year career with R.C.A. shortly after graduation. While at R.C.A., Gene met his wife, Marion Jones, whom he married on Sept. 17, 1950. He also attended the Temple University School of Law in the evening and earned his J.D. in 1956. Working as a patent attorney for many years, Gene traveled the world for R.C.A. and particularly enjoyed visiting Japan. Gene was highly-regarded both personally and professionally. He was admitted to the United States Supreme Court bar and eventually served as Senior Vice-President for G.E., formerly R.C.A. Gene lived most of his adult life in Lawrenceville, N.J., where he raised his 4 loving children, Karen Gaylord Anderson, Cheryl Meehan, Eugene Whitacre, Jr., and Kimberly Williams, all of whom survive along with his 10 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Gene on Friday at 11 AM at the Church of St. Ann, 1253 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville. Burial will follow in the Pennington Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to attend the viewing on Friday from 9:30 am to 10:30 am at Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors, 650 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville, N.J.