Abraham N. Daudelin, 88, of Colts Neck passed away on Saturday morning, May 1^st, at his home.

Abe was born in Washington, Vermont and grew up in Springfield, Vermont where he met and married the love of his life – Sylvia. They enjoyed a loving marriage, and she was at his side in his death, as she had been throughout the 65 years of their marriage.

Like the granite of the home state that he loved, he was a man of great strength – not only in his character, but also intellectually and physically. He was still water skiing when he was 80 years old. And at 86, he was up on his roof maintaining the home in Colts Neck that he had bought new in 1964 and lived in the rest of his days.

He applied that strength to whatever he did. His family was his true passion and the reason for and focus of his labors. He had 3 sons, 20 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren, all of whom survive him. Surrounded by his loving family members in his last few days, he was blessed to see so clearly the fruits of what he had so labored for all his life.

He served honorably in the U.S. Navy for 4 years during the Korean Conflict. Through the GI Bill, he was able to go to college, and graduated from the University of Vermont, where he was president of the Engineering Honor Society Tau Beta Pi. He went on to get his Master’s in Electrical Engineering at Rutgers while working at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey. He was a technical manager at Bell Labs for most of his career and was awarded 11 patents. In his later years, while working full-time as a consultant at Bell Labs, he also attended Drew Theological School and received a Master of Theology just before his 70^th birthday. He subsequently developed and gave adult courses at Trinity Episcopal Church in Red Bank.

Abe had a strong sense of contributing to the community. He was elected to and served on the Colts Neck Board of Education, and was a liaison to the Township Committee. He was on the vestry of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Freehold. He was a basketball coach for the Colts Neck Sports Foundation, and he founded a youth church basketball league that many churches in the Freehold area participated in.

Following his retirement, he volunteered his time and talents building houses with Habitat for Humanity. For 16 years, he coached his grandchildren’s middle school MATHCOUNTS teams.  The consummate handyman, and constantly looking for ways he could help his family, he recently organized and taught a plumbing class for his children and grandchildren.

His family will be forever grateful for him as a husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, and the very appropriate appellation – great grandfather. They will all miss him very much. They will hold a private, family funeral service on May 4. Interment will be at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veteran’s Cemetery with U.S. Naval honors.