Bill Newitt

J. William Newitt, age 88 years, died Wednesday, September 5, 2018 at his home in Flemington, NJ. Born May 18, 1930, in Norristown PA, Bill was the son of the late Caryl A. and Flora P. (Yeager) Newitt. He lived in Westchester County, NY for many years before moving to the Flemington area in 1988. Bill served his country in the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1956. Bill graduated from Swarthmore College with a BS in Engineering, and received graduate degrees from the University of Rochester and Pace University. But his education did not stop with his college degrees. He truly embodied the idea of a “lifelong learner,” constantly reading and studying everything from neural networks to economics to astronomy and aerospace. In the words of one of his friends: “Knowledge was the nourishment that kept Bill chugging away.” It was at Swarthmore that Bill met his future wife, Jane Boetcher. The two raised three children while both pursuing full-time careers. Bill retired in the 1990s after a long career with IBM working in engineering, research, and management. Bill has been an active community member. He was currently serving on the Hunterdon County Library Commission, and dedicated many years volunteering with the Friends of the Library, including their annual book sale. An active pilot for much of his life, Bill enjoyed belonging to many aviation organizations, including the United Flying Octagenarians and several local pilot groups. Regular meals with the ROMEOs (Really Old Men Eating Out) helped round out his active social calendar. Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Jane, his daughter, Katherine W. Newitt of Oakland CA, his two sons and daughters-in-law, David C. Newitt and Heather MacKay of Oakland CA, and Andrew N. and Jennifer Newitt of Bayville NY, his brother, Caryl Newitt of Stoneham MA, his sister-in-law, Ruth-Ellen Boetcher Joeres, his grandson, Tyler Newitt and his granddaughter, Julia Newitt. A celebration of life will be held at 1:00 pm on Friday, September 14, 2018 at Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington NJ. Visitation will begin at 12:00. Interment in Rosemont Cemetery will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Bill’s name may be made to Friends of the Hunterdon County Library, 314 State Route 12, Flemington, NJ 08822 or http://www.hclibrary.us/friends.htm. For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.holcombefisher.com.