Eugene DeNagel dies at 94

Eugene (Gene) DeNagel 94, of Princeton passed away in December of 2023. He was born in Newark, New York in 1929 to Gretchen and Peter DeNagel. As an only child, he won a newspaper boys contest for selling the most War Bonds, earning for his mother the privilege of christening a military ship named The Yellow Tavern.  

Gene graduated from Newark High School, where he played basketball in high school, at Clarkson, and Indiana Tech, where he graduated with a civil engineering degree.  

After serving in the Army during the Korean conflict, he moved to Gouverneur, New York. He met his wife Nancy Contant at the family cottage in the Thousand Islands, and they married and started a family.  He became an Explorer Scout Leader and accompanied his scouts up and down Mt Marcy every Thanksgiving weekend and participated in first aid training with medics at Camp Drum.  He loved downhill skiing, well into his 60s, especially at Killington, Vermont with his wife Nancy and his daughters, who learned to ski at the age of three and up.  He enjoyed tent camping, watching the waves, and eating seafood on Cape Cod.  He especially loved their vacations to Mt Desert, Ireland, Acadia, Maine, Scotland, and Switzerland.

The family moved to Penfield, New York due to more job opportunities.  He was hired to work as a professional engineer in the field of commercial construction. He later on was hired to work for Wilmorite as the construction manager of the Rochester Convention Center.  Gene and Nancy later moved to Belle Mead, where he continued working as a professional construction engineer.  

He attended and was an active member of the Nassau Presbyterian Church and was once an Eeder.  He was also a member of the Masonic Lodge.  

Gene is survived by his loving wife of 65 years; Nancy (Content), formerly of Lancaster, New York, and daughters Cynthia Lonnen (George), and Melissa DeNagel.  His grandchildren Christopher Lonnen, Jennifer Lonnen (Steve Kolenda) and Amber DeNagel.

A family service will be held at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton for the immediate family,  with interment at E. Palmyra Cemetery in New York  in the spring.