Philip Scott Hessinger

1929 - 2016

Philip Scott Hessinger

AGE: 86 • Red Bank

On Thursday morning, August 4, 2016, Philip passed away peacefully in his home at Shadow Lake Village in Red Bank. Before moving to Red Bank five years ago, Philip lived in West Caldwell for nearly 60 years with his beloved wife, Barbara, who predeceased him on March 26, 2013.

Philip was born in 1929, was raised and educated in the Town of Tonawanda, a northern suburb of Buffalo, NY. He was the eldest son of Arthur J. and Eleanor S. Hessinger of Kenmore, NY. Upon graduating high school he went on to receive a BS in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University. From 1952 to 1955 he served in the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. Also in 1952 he met Barbara B. Birt on a blind date. Barbara was an 8th generation descendant of Benjamin Franklin. Philip went on to earn his MS degree in Ceramic Engineering at Ohio State University - go Buckeyes! (He was an avid fan). He entered the Ceramic Engineering industry in 1956. He was the Technical Director at ITT Corporation World Headquarters in NYC for many years, but before retiring in 1998, he continued to provide consulting for various companies that produced materials for the fiber optics industry.

He was a man with many interests. He enjoyed researching both branches of our family tree and was very involved with FranklinDescendants.org. He did such a thorough job in his documentation of our relationship to Benjamin Franklin, his work is now available in the Library of Congress. He was also a huge Civil War history buff and a collector of rare and valuable stamps. Though he travelled the world extensively for both business and pleasure, his best days were spent at home tinkering in the room dedicated to his magnificent N-gage train layout, built to simulate the city of Dayton, Ohio. He will be missed by many dear friends, but especially his family; son, Stephen B. Hessinger, of Fair Haven and his wife Patricia; daughter, Susan Reid of Tinton Falls and her husband Robert; grandchildren, Kasey Byrne Lowenthal of NYC and her husband Steve, Cooper Reid, Dylan Reid, Stephen Hessinger, Pierce Hessinger, Brandon Hessinger; and many nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind his brother, William Hessinger and his wife Joane, and his brother-in-law, James E. Birt and his wife Janet. Lastly, he will be missed by his compassionate, loving personal aid and companion, Elizabeth Addae.

A private memorial service will be held in the future, during which time both the ashes of Philip and Barbara will be buried off-shore and at sea together. The Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St, Red Bank, NJ is entrusted with the arrangements.