Gordon G. Darkenwald, Jr.

Gordon G. Darkenwald, Jr., age 79 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died Wednesday, September 8, 2021, at his home.

He was born in New York, NY, May 28, 1942, son of the late Gordon and Gloria Dugan Darkenwald. Before recently moving, he resided in Bridgewater, NJ for forty-four years.

Gordon (Gerry) was Professor Emeritus of Adult Education at Rutgers University, where he worked from 1974 - 2000. He received his doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, where he did research and taught from 1969-1974. He held editorships of Adult Education Quarterly, New Directions in Adult and Continuing Education, and The Jossey-Bass Series of Monographs in Adult and Continuing Education. In 1980, he was awarded the Imogene Oakes Award for Outstanding Research (with Jack Mezirow and Alan Knox) for the book Last Gamble on Education. In addition, in 1985 he was awarded the Houle Award (with Sharan Merriam) for Adult Education: Foundations of Practice. Gerry was awarded a Fulbright Senior Research Scholarship in 1986 to work with educators at the Open University in England, an experience he considered one of the most exciting of his professional life.

Gerry was an avid fisherman, something he enjoyed with his son, Andrew, who he easily admitted surpassed him in skill. He also was a collector of paintings, inkwells, and other antiques. He enjoyed a good Bloody Mary, and his love for food was legendary.

He is pre-deceased by his brother, Neal Darkenwald.

He is survived by his wife of fifty-two years, Joan Seguin Darkenwald; two children, Jessica Darkenwald-DeCola, and her husband Jason of Readington Township, NJ, and Andrew Darkenwald and his wife, Jessica of Lake Tahoe, CA; five grandchildren, Nicholas DeCola, Julian DeCola, Gabriel DeCola, August Darkenwald, and Sebastian Darkenwald, and one sister, Patricia Dugan of Arizona. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, at 10:00 AM at The Catholic Church of St. Ann, 45 Anderson Street, Raritan, NJ, under the direction of the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington, NJ. Interment will follow in St. Magdalen Cemetery, North Main Street, Flemington, NJ. Calling hours will be held on Monday, September 13, 2021, from 4:00-7:00 PM in the funeral home.

Memorial contributions can be directed to the Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) Foundation, in honor of Gordon G. Darkenwald, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg NJ 08876.

For further information or to send online condolences, please visit www.holcombefisher.com.