Obituary of Lawrence L Ketterer
Lawrence (Larry) Lee Ketterer, 87, passed away Saturday, June 30, 2018. Larry, who recently moved to Hamilton, NJ, was a long time resident of Basking Ridge, NJ.
Born in Teaneck, NJ and raised in Nutley, NJ to Albert and May Ketterer on July 8, 1930, Larry was the youngest of three children. During high school he rowed crew and went on to graduate from The Catholic University in Washington, D.C. with a degree in Architecture. He was a member of the Army Corps of Engineers stationed in Germany after WWII. He was an architect for nearly 40 years working for several notable design firms specializing in the pharmaceutical and commercial industries.
Larry was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Judith (nee Christiano) and brother Albert. He is survived by his two sons, Joseph (Maria) of East Windsor, NJ and Brian of Towson, MD, as well as his sister Cynthia Gibbons of Houston, TX. He had four grandchildren, Jessica, Ryan, William, and Nora.
Principled and devout in his beliefs, Larry put family and religion first in his life. He was an artist who dabbled in painting, photography and graphic design. Always on the cutting edge of technology with computers, he was there at the beginning of home computing with his TI-99/4a all the way to his last computer a MacBook Air. Larry loved putting together silly animations for his grandchildren and cataloging photos over many decades. He was a good tennis player, who often frustrated his sons by winning for many years during their matches. He also enjoyed traveling to many different places across the country and loved doing so with the “love of his life” Judy.
Visitation will be held Thursday, July 5, 2018 from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Gallaway and Crane Funeral home, 101 S. Finley Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ. Funeral Mass will be held at The Church of Saint James, 184 S. Finley Ave, Basking Ridge, NJ, 07920 at 10:00 am on Friday, July 6, 2018. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 145 Mt. Airy Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920. For further information or to light an online condolence candle, please visit www.gcfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a memorial donation be made in his name to either the New Jersey Special Olympics (www.sonj.org) or to St. James Church (address listed above).