Stephen Hete Sr.

FRANKLIN -- Stephen Hete Sr., 74, died Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, at Newton Medical Center following a long illness.

Mr. Hete, son of the late Frank and Gladys (Haas) Hete Jr., was born in Franklin Sept. 7, 1939. He lived in Hamburg and then in Vernon for more than 40 years before moving to Franklin five years ago.

Mr. Hete was an account technician at Picatinny Arsenal for 36 years, retiring in 1996. He served with the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam Era and was a member of the Ground Observers Corps in Ogdensburg. Mr. Hete played clarinet in the Hamburg High School Band and had an appreciation for music, from country to classical. He was an avid reader and enjoyed crossword puzzles.

Mr. Hete is survived by his wife, Barbara (Vance) Hete; sons, Stephen Hete Jr. and his wife, Deborah, of Milford, Pa., and Brian Lee Hete and his wife, Keshia, of Montague; grandchildren, Renee Elizabeth Hete and Christian Thomas Hete; brother, Frank Hete III of Andover; and sisters, Claire Rowe of Dandridge, Tenn., and Lillian Vance of Dodgeville, N.Y.

Funeral services will be held Monday, Sept. 16, at 11 a.m. at F. John Ramsey Funeral Home, 1 Main St., Franklin. Interment will follow at North Hardyston Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Sunday, Sept. 15, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Memorial donations may be made to Wallkill Valley First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 274, Franklin, NJ 07416. For online condolences and directions, please see www.fjohnramseyfuneralhome.com.