CURRENT CELEBRATIONS

Henry H. Singer

Henry Hilton Singer III

March 1, 1937-October 13, 2024

Henry Hilton Singer III, of Edgewater Park, NJ passed away peacefully with family members by his side on October 13, 2024. He was 87.

Henry was a man that everyone liked and many truly loved. He was genuine and kind, he was friendly, and he was always well-intentioned. His soft-spoken nature often made what he said more important and meaningful. He was of true good character—honest, sincere, and giving of his time and of himself. His sharp, immense intellect and his considerate nature allowed him to effortlessly converse with people from all walks of life. Henry made friends easily and he always kept them. To his wife Bonnie, he was a life partner, a best friend, a protector, and her great love. To his children, he was a father, mentor, friend, confidant, collaborator, and teacher. He was willing to give everything to those he loved, and he asked for nothing in return. Henry was loving, humble, empathetic, gentle, wise, and very, very funny.

Henry was born in Burlington, NJ on March 1, 1937, the son of Henry F. Singer and Helen Singer (nee Mendozzi). He grew up on High Street, near the Delaware River, in a large and raucous multigenerational home, surrounded by Italian and German relatives from both sides of his family. Henry attended Burlington City High School, where he graduated in 1955. Shortly before his graduation, he enlisted in the United States Navy, where he served honorably for 5 years. His time in the Navy was a defining chapter in his life. Henry was assigned to an aviation squadron in which he both serviced and piloted blimps that protected the Eastern Seaboard from enemy submarines during the Cold War. After his time in the Navy, Henry returned home to pursue a technical career, first as a draftsman and then later as an engineer. During this time, he worked for several companies, including as a model maker and designer of a large, room-size model of the lunar surface that NASA’s Apollo astronauts used as a training tool to practice their landing a few years later. Eventually, Henry would settle into a long and rewarding career as a civil engineer of bridges at the Burlington County Engineers’ office. He’d work there until his retirement after 42 years of dedicated service. He truly loved his job and the many friends he made there over the years.

Henry met his future wife, Bonnie, on a fall day in 1961 outside his office in Riverside, NJ, where Henry worked with a woman named Effie Adamson, who, little did he know, would soon become his mother-in-law. Each day after work, Bonnie would arrive at the office to pick-up her mother Effie and each day, she would notice and comment on the handsome young man in the dark sunglasses bounding down the stairs and hopping into his brand-new, white Volvo.

An introduction was obviously in order and soon Henry and Bonnie were dating. This chance encounter on a street in Riverside was the beginning of a life-long love affair between Bonnie and Henry. They married in June of 1963 and shortly thereafter bought a new home in Edgewater Park, at the end of South Garden Blvd. It was here that they raised two children and built an idyllic life. This house would be his home for the remainder of his life.

The foundation of Henry and Bonnie’s 62-year marriage was love, mutual respect, friendship, and a truly shared approach to life. Henry’s love for Bonnie was immense and even after more than six decades together, his eyes would light at her sight. Theirs is one of the great love stories, and even in Henry’s passing it shall endure.

Henry’s life passions and interests are well known among his friends and family. As lifelong model builder, his pursuit can hardly be categorized as merely a “hobby.” He elevated his work to an artform. The detail and sophistication of his hundred and hundreds of projects over the years are regarded as masterful. In scale model building, few are as meticulous and skilled as Henry was. His great interest in the hobby lasted a lifetime, from early childhood through to the final days before his passing. It was here he found great joy and tremendous reward. He loved to share and discuss his work, and he relentlessly pursued improvement and perfection. What appeared to many a masterpiece would usually be summed up with Henry’s trademark self-deprecation. “Well, I could have done this part a little better.” His many friends were often part of the model building community, and he found great camaraderie there. His unfinished projects serve as a testament to his enduring dedication to the museum-quality artifacts that he created.

Henry was also an avid and voracious reader and student of military and aviation history— his knowledge of these subjects seemingly boundless. There was rarely a topic on which he couldn’t speak authoritatively, but always humbly. Over the course of his life, he amassed a personal library of thousands of books—aviation, general history, automobiles, military subjects. He remained current on new publications until his last days.

A true renaissance man, Henry’s interests extended even further, though. He loved to travel, particularly to Europe and on cruises to Bermuda, he and Bonnie’s favorite place. He loved dining out. He loved jazz and, in his youth, saw many of the greats perform, including Miles Davis, Art Pepper, Stan Kenton, Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, and Charlie “Bird” Parker. In the early 60s, Henry met Bird at a jazz club in Philadelphia one evening after a show. They shared drinks until the early morning hours and talked music. He loved the Pine Barrens and their rich history. He was an avid and exceptionally talented photographer. He enjoyed astronomy. He loved motorsports, particularly Formula 1 Racing; he rarely missed a race. He made exceptionally good pasta sauce and meatballs. He loved British crime dramas, and he loved collecting things—miniature cars, models, books, records, art, cameras, and most of all knowledge. Henry could talk about anything to anyone. And throughout his life, he never stopped learning.

Henry had a great love for animals— his own dogs and cats, those of his family, but even more so for stray and un-homed pets. Henry was always the person to whom animals would gravitate, and they knew instinctively who at the kitchen table was most likely to dole out the snacks. Henry and Bonnie regularly fostered kittens. He was a monthly, standing donor to the ASPCA. But, his compassion for animals is only a glimpse of the compassion Henry felt for anyone in need.

His passing leaves a tremendous void in the lives of the many people he touched. He was a bright light to so many. The sparkle of his crystal blue eyes may have faded, but the joy and the love and the kindness they so clearly conveyed will forever endure in the hearts of those he loved and those who loved him. To say he will be missed feels inadequate.

Henry is survived by his wife of 62 years, Mina “Bonnie” Singer (nee Adamson), of Edgewater Park, his son and daughter-in-law Henry W. and Charlene J. Singer, of Delran, NJ, his daughter and son-in-law Candice T. and Rick Hoffman, of Edgewater Park, and his beloved granddaughters Gwenna Helen Singer, of Philadelphia, PA, and Keira Barclay Singer, of Delran. He is also survived by his sister Nancy Simons of Burlington, and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Henry’s life will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, October 18, 2024, at Carlucci’s Waterfront, 876 Centerton Road, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054. All are welcome to attend and to share their memories and stories of Henry. Interment will be private for immediate family.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Henry’s name should be made to the Burlington County Animal Shelter. https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/168/Animal-Shelter.