Adolfas "Addy" Akelaitis

Adolfas "Addy" Akelaitis died November 21, 2007, in Texas. He formerly resided in Raritan Township, NJ.

Adolfas Akelaitis was born January 16, 1910, in Marijampole, Lithuania to Bronius and Marija Akelaitis. He was raised on his parent’s 150 acre farm near Marijampole with his brother Victor and sister Marija. This is where his love of horses began and flourished.

Adolfas was an Olympic athlete who represented his homeland, Lithuania, at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam, competing in the high jump event. He also served in the Lithuanian Army.

Adolfas attended business college at the University of Vienna and studied French at the University of Liege in Belgium. He could speak five languages fluently: Lithuanian, Russian, German, French and English. He also studied Latin for four years.

After college, Adolfas went to work as a Vice President for a Lithuanian company called Lietukas, which was the largest Lithuanian Import and Export Corporation.

Lietukas imported petroleum products and exported grains and other products. Adolfas and his friend, Leopold Grigonis, were asked by Lietukas to set up the Lithuanian American Import and Export Corporation in New York City. In 1938, he came to the United States with Leopold to start the company. The company owned a ship called the USS Denny which crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the Lithuanian products.

He met his future bride, Alice Pauline Pelkus, in 1938 in New York City at a formal dinner dance sponsored by the Lithuanian/American club that he attended with his friend Leopold. While at the dance, Alice and a girl friend told friends that they wanted to meet the two very handsome men from Lithuania and they were introduced. From the moment he met her, Adolfas was enthralled with Alice's beauty and charm. They fell madly in love and married on September 24, 1939.

Adolfas, or “Addy” as he was known in the United States, and his wife, Alice, first lived in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York and then moved in 1941 to Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York. They were blessed with the birth of two daughters Cornelia (Cory) and Adrienne.

Addy and Alice purchased a 125 acre farm on Old Clinton Road in Flemington, New Jersey in 1946 which they named “Lonely Pines” because of its solitude and tall pine trees. Initially, they bought Lonely Pines as a weekend get-away and a place to go hunting but then decided to move there to live in the beautiful rolling hills of Hunterdon County, NJ with their two daughters. They lived there for 54 years until they sold Lonely Pines in January of 2000 to the Township of Raritan, NJ so it would be preserved by the Township and State of New Jersey as Open Space and Green Acres. Addy was a member of the Flemington Rotary Club, Knights of Columbus and a communicant of Saint Magdalen’s Roman Catholic Church in Flemington.

Although Addy’s activities at Lonely Pines could have kept him busy full time, he was actually a gentleman farmer, only working on the farm on evenings or weekends and working full time at Flemington Furs in Flemington, New Jersey. He was hired by the Benjamin and Birnbaum families in 1948 as the Comptroller of Flemington Furs.

At various times during their 54 years at Lonely Pines, Addy and Alice raised sheep, beef cattle and horses. At one time they had the largest sheep herd in Hunterdon County with over 200 sheep. They also raised Hereford, Black Angus, and Charolais beef cattle. Addy and "his girls" were avid horseback riders and always had horses to ride on the lovely trails along the Raritan River which flowed through Lonely Pines. Tennessee Walking horses were Addy’s favorites because of their particularly smooth ride.

In the 1960’s Addy gave Cory in marriage to David Temel and Adrienne in marriage to David Peck. Cory and David Temel currently reside in West Palm Beach, Florida while Adrienne and David Peck have lived in Colleyville, Texas, since 1998 and formerly lived in Raritan Township, New Jersey.

Addy was extremely proud of the mental prowess of his daughters. Both Cory and Adrienne were Salutatorians of their high school classes at Hunterdon Central High School and graduated from prestigious universities – Adrienne from the University of Maryland and the University of Pennsylvania with a Master’s degree and Cory from Cornell University.

In the 1960’s Addy and Alice welcomed the birth of two grandsons, Gregory Paul Temel and Alexander Bruce Temel. In the 1970’s they welcomed the birth of two more grandsons, Thomas Matthew Peck and Brian Christopher Peck. After Alice retired in 1970 from Hunterdon Central High School where she taught Biology and English, she fostered a talent for oil painting. Alice did more than 100 oil paintings and her art graces the homes of her children and grandchildren.

Two of Addy’s grandsons, Thomas and Brian, grew up near Lonely Pines and loved to horseback ride, swim and fish in the Raritan River; take in hay, paint barns, build fences, and drive jeeps, trucks, and tractors. It was so much fun and to this day, Thomas and Brian reflect and joke about the great times they had. Addy especially enjoyed the horses and actually rode almost every day until he was 88 years old.

In 1992, Addy retired from Flemington Furs after 44 years of service. He worked full time until he was 82 years old—quite a feat for any person! He had the pleasure of working with Ed and Paula Battersby at Flemington Furs. Thomas Peck, one of Addy’s grandsons, recently married Kelly Battersby, the granddaughter of Ed and Paula, in Beach Haven, New Jersey on August 18, 2007.

Addy and Alice welcomed two great-grandsons, Adam Joseph (AJ) Temel and Brandon Dean Temel in the 1990’s.

On May 20, 2000, Addy lost his beloved wife, Alice, of 61 years.

In the 2000’s Addy was blessed with the birth of five more great-grandchildren: Jason Ryan Temel, Drew Gregory Temel, Lauren Elizabeth Peck, Lily Catherine Peck, and Logan Thomas Peck. Addy was thrilled to recently learn that Thomas and Kelly Peck were expecting his eighth great-grandchild on May 15, 2008.

In September, 2003, Addy moved from Flemington, New Jersey to Colleyville, Texas. His recent pastimes included playing bridge with friends and family, listening to opera, and watching track, tennis, golf and soccer events. Addy was very happy to be a Texan and has made so many wonderful friends.

Addy’s life of almost 98 years has profoundly affected the lives of all the people he has loved. "Papa" once told his grandsons that as a young boy growing up in rural Lithuania, he had never expected to live the life that he had lived, see the world changes that he had seen, and spend his golden years first living in New Jersey and then in Texas, two very different and unique, fantastic states!

On January 16th, 2005, the following tribute was given to Adolfas by his grandchildren on the occasion of his 95th birthday:

“In living your life, you have truly penned the first lines of the lives of your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Your strength of character, your

strong work ethic and your steadfast dedication to your family are the hallmarks of a successful life. We consider these great gifts to pass on to our children and are grateful for the example you provide of how to live a good life. We are thrilled to continue the story that your life began as the patriarch of our family.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in St. Magdalen Church, 105 Mine Street, Flemington, NJ, on Friday, November 30, 2007, at 10:30 AM. Interment will be in St. Magdalen Cemetery, Flemington, NJ. Calling hours will be held on Thursday from 7-9 PM in the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington, NJ.

Please visit www.holcombefisher.com for further information, or to send condolences.