Max W. Gwin

Max W. Gwin, age 94 years, died Saturday, November 5, 2011 at Princeton Medical Center following a brief illness.

Max was born on July 28, 1917 in Peru, Kansas, the second of five children to David Earl and Corrie Alice Gwin. He grew up on a rural farm and graduated from Peru High School in 1934. He was a member of the school’s track team and an avid distance runner. He was also an amateur boxer and continued with the sport after high school, winning championships in 1935 and 1936.

He was drafted into the United States Army in January 1941 and was selected for medical training, which he completed at Fitzsimons General Hospital near Denver. Max’s plans for a short army career changed with the December 7 attack on Pearl Harbor and he served until the end of World War II as a medic in the Pacific theater and attained the rank of sergeant.

He was married on June 30, 1946 in Sedan, Kansas. He and his wife Joanne then moved to New Jersey where Max had been offered a job working with horses.

Max joined the Neshanic Volunteer Fire Company in 1950 and remained an active member for the rest of his life, including over 30 years’ service on the Board of Trustees.

He was also involved in many church activities and was a deacon at the Clover Hill Reformed Church in the 1960s.

Max was one of the original five people hired by the Wilson Products Company in Neshanic Station in 1951 and worked there until his retirement in 1986. He supervised the Color-O-Meter department and often traveled around the United States to troubleshoot installations. He helped organize the plant’s fire brigade in the early 1970s and served as its first chief.

Max was thankful for 25 of years of retirement in good health. He enjoyed yard work, watching baseball, being at the firehouse, and most of all, he cherished spending time with his granddaughter.

Max was predeceased by his parents; his wife, Joanne; and brothers Dale and Wayne. He is survived by a son, David, daughter-in-law Lori, and granddaughter, Christine, of Hillsborough; a sister, Helen Kinnamon, of Independence, Kansas; a brother, Roy, of Hemet, California; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Private services were held on November 7, 2011 and interment was in the Neshanic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to the Neshanic Volunteer Fire Company, PO Box 633, Neshanic Station, NJ 08853.

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