Paul Jerome Hansell

Paul Jerome Hansell of Princeton, NJ, passed away December 23rd, 2025, at the age of 78 following a nearly three-year battle with cancer. He was born March 18, 1947, in Norristown, PA, to Paul Augustine Hansell and Bertha Firuta Hansell and grew up in Bridgeport, PA. He was the third of their four children.
Paul graduated from Bishop Kenrick High School in 1964 and enrolled at Villanova University where he joined the Navy ROTC. He graduated in 1968 and was commissioned an Ensign. He was eventually stationed aboard the USS Yosemite in Newport, RI, where he met Barbara Ann Knowles. They were married in a military wedding in 1971 at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Portsmouth, RI. He was the Operations Officer on the USS McCloy from 1972-1974 and later served as First Lieutenant on the USS Seattle located in Norfolk, VA, where their first son, Paul Jeremy, was born in 1974. From 1974-78 Paul served as Chief of Naval Personnel at the Bureau in Washington, DC, where their second son, Jonathan Michael, was born. The Navy selected him to attend the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies where he earned a Masters Degree in Economics and International Relations. Following Destroyer School in San Diego, CA, the family moved to Pearl Harbor, HI, where Paul served as Executive Officer aboard the USS Benjamin Stoddert and attained the rank of Commander. The family returned to Washington, DC, when Paul was stationed at the Pentagon where he served as Action Officer for the Caribbean Basin and North American Branch, briefing the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the 1980s. He retired from the military in 1988 after twenty years of service to our country.
Paul and his family then moved to Princeton, NJ, in 1989 where he began the next chapter of his professional life as a Financial Advisor for the Edward D. Jones Company. He opened the company's first NJ office in 1990 and enjoyed a successful career spanning more than thirty years helping many clients achieve their financial goals. He was a mentor to many, a Regional Leader, and a Partner in the firm.
Paul enjoyed music (especially Doo-Wop!) and played the saxophone and Hammond organ. He loved playing sports in the street with his boys and neighborhood kids. He liked spending time around stables watching PJ ride and carting Jon's drums to musical events. While growing up, he had been an altar boy at St. Augustine's Church. More recently here in Princeton he was a lector and Extraordinary Minister at St. Paul's Parish. He liked woodworking in his barn, using the skills he learned from his father. He especially loved European travel with Barbara and his boys. He enjoyed lasting friendships over many years.
He is survived by his beloved wife of fifty-four years, Barbara, as well as his sons Paul and Jonathan, his daughter-in-law Kristin, his grandson JJ, his sister Paula and her husband Albert Imperial, in addition to his brother-in-law Walter Fromm and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sisters Constance Hansell and Barbara Fromm.
Funeral arrangements are private under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home in Princeton, NJ. A gathering to celebrate Paul's life will be held at a later date (TBA). In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Saint Jude's Children's Research Hospital (stjude.org) or The American Cancer Society.