Ernst F Bolten

Ernst F. Bolten, formerly of Succasunna, NJ, died peacefully at his home in Framingham, MA on October 7, 2025, at the age of 96. Ernst was born in Krefeld, Germany in 1929 to the late Martha (Armbrust) and Ernst Bolten and was predeceased by his sister Ursula Moehlendick (Ulla Bolten).
Ernst's parental home was destroyed during an Allied air raid in 1945. After graduation from the Gymnasium of Natural Sciences, he worked for one of Krefeld's many silk and velvet manufacturers. In 1955 Ernst traveled to the United States to study plastics manufacturing at his uncle's factory, Bolta Products, in Lawrence, MA. He attended Park Street Church in Boston where he met and fell in love with Patricia Ann Coveney; they married in August 1957 and moved to Brighton, MA. For four years Ernst worked at a small chemical plant in Cambridge, MA. He became a US citizen in 1961. After graduating from Boston University Evening School, Ernst moved his family to White Plains, NY, and then later to Ossining and Croton-on-Hudson NY. He worked at Reichhold Chemicals, Inc., where he advanced to Vice President, Transportation and Distribution. Ernst earned an MBA, with honors, from New York University. In 1979 Ernst and Patricia moved to Succasunna, NJ, where he worked for BASF Corporation as Director, Transportation and Distribution until his retirement in 1990. For the next several years he conducted nation-wide logistics seminars for the American Management Association, and wrote several textbooks on transportation, warehousing, purchasing, and equipment leasing. In 2021 Ernst and Patricia downsized their beloved home in Succasunna and moved to Natick and then Framingham, MA where they spent their final years making new friends and visiting with family.
Ernst was a member of the National Freight Transportation Association (NFTA), the Manufacturing Chemists Association (MCA), the Washington, DC-based Transportation Roundtable, the American Management Association, the New York Traffic Club, and the Manhattan Discussion Group. He was a co-founder and member of the Hazardous Materials Advisory Council (HMAC). Ernst was also a member and treasurer of Kiwanis International.
While living in Ossining, NY, he served as chairman of the Mayor's Council for air pollution problems. During the troubled mid-1960s, Ernst co-founded and served on the Interfaith Council for Action (IFCA), a faith-based, multi-denominational group developing solutions for community and race relations, affordable housing, and health care.
Ernst deeply loved God and his church. In his German family there were seven preachers and pastors. In White Plains, NY, later in Ossining, NY, and finally, in Morristown, NJ, he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and for over 40 years, served as Deacon and Elder, and as Treasurer and President of the Fellowship Club. He was also a member of the Morristown church's AAA building maintenance group. An avid student of the Bible and his Faith, Ernst taught Sunday and Adult Bible School while in Brighton MA, Ossining NY, and Morristown NJ.
Ernst was an accomplished woodworker and cartoonist. He had a keen sense of humor and was a wonderful teller of stories and jokes. An excellent pianist himself, Ernst loved to listen to all types of music including swing, pop, classical, and opera. For a time, he assisted a friend tuning and repairing large pipe organs. Ernst and Patricia traveled widely in the US and Canada, Europe, Central and South America, and he had a broad understanding of world history and culture. Ernst maintained an extensive correspondence with family, friends, and acquaintances.
Ernst was predeceased by his wife Patricia and is survived by his son Peter Bolten and Karen Thompson of Pensacola FL and grandsons Eric and Sean, and by his daughter Barbara Bolten and her husband Allan Green of Natick, MA and grandchildren James and David.
A visitation and memorial service will be held on November 1, 2025, starting at 10:00am at John Everett & Sons at 4 Park Street in Natick, MA. Instead of flowers, please direct your donation to a charity of your choice.