Gary Mount of Terhune Orchards, champion of farmland preservation in New Jersey, dies at 81
Gary Bernard Mount, the founder of Terhune Orchards, died peacefully at his farm in Lawrenceville on Monday, Dec. 29, following a courageous battle with glioblastoma brain cancer. He was 81.
He was known for his generosity, his impact on the agricultural community, and his deep love of family.
Born in Princeton in 1944, to Bernard Mount and Lillian Meyer Mount, Gary was a lifelong Princeton resident. Growing up on Mount Farms, located along Route 1, Gary and his three brothers had many adventures living along the canal on a working apple orchard.
Gary attended to Princeton High School, where he met his future wife, Pam. He then went on to attend Princeton University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1966. Gary and Pam married in 1967, and subsequently spent three transformative years as Peace Corps volunteers in Micronesia, in the South Pacific.
When they returned, they bought the 55-acre Terhune Orchards in Lawrenceville. At the time, no one had bought farmland in the area to actively farm in decades, but they were determined to build a thriving, working retail farm. It was important to Gary to pursue a career and lifestyle that allowed him to spend as much time as possible with his children as they grew up.
Their hard work and vision paid off. Today, Terhune Orchards has grown into a successful 250-acre retail farming operation that helped ignite the community-based farming movement and has become a beloved destination in Central New Jersey for generations of families.
Gary was a visionary and driving force over the last 50 years for the agricultural and local community. In the early 1980s, through New Jersey Future, Gary spearheaded a grassroots effort that led to the passage of the Farmland Preservation Act of 1982. The act enabled farmers to sell their development rights to the state, local government, or a conservation group with a deed restriction limiting future use of the property to farming. Today, a third of New Jersey farmland — including all of Terhune Orchards’ 250 acres — is preserved in this way.
He was active in securing funding for the preservation of the Watershed Organic Farm and served on the board of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association. He was also a commissioner of the New Jersey Water Supply Authority. In addition to his role in preserving farmland and open space, Gary was an impactful leader in many New Jersey agricultural organizations, including the state and Mercer County boards of agriculture, the Mercer County Soil Conservation District, the Trenton Farmers’ Market board, the Howell Living History Farm founding trustee and board, Princeton Agricultural, NJ State Horticultural Assn., president and treasurer; International Fruit Tree Assn., trustee. In 2005, American Fruit Grower magazine named him Apple Grower of the Year, and in 2012, the International Fruit Tree Association inducted him into its Hall of Fame. He was a mentor to many new and younger farmers, always welcoming and giving advice.
An avid learner his whole life, Gary strove to find new ways to grow crops, new technologies to implement, and always looked for a new challenge or innovation. An excellent writer, he vividly described his work in an engaging way for the public in the farm’s quarterly newspaper.
Outside of agriculture, Gary was active in the local rowing community. He served as captain and then treasurer of the Carnegie Lake Rowing Association for over 25 years, and his passion for rowing remained a central part of his life. A member of the great Princeton Class of 1966, Gary enjoyed hosting annual class dinners and maintained life-long friendships with his college roommates and classmates.
A devoted father and grandfather, Gary cherished time with his children and grandchildren, planting trees with them on the farm, attending school and sports function,s and teaching them about farm life at every opportunity. He also shared his love of travel through family trips and his annual trips with his brothers.
Gary is survived by his wife of 58 years, Pamela Hazenhal Mount; his daughters, Reuwai Hanewald and Tannwen Mount, who now manage and operate the farm, and their respective husbands, Michael Hanewald and James Washburn; and his grandchildren: Maya Hanewald, Sasha Hanewald, Tess Hanewald, Becket Washburn, Clayton Washburn, Hadley Washburn; also survived by son, Mark Mount, and brothers Lee Mount, Timothy Mount, and many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and relatives. He was predeceased by his brother, William Mount.
A memorial service will be held on April 14, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at Terhune Orchards, 330 Cold Soil Road, in Lawrenceville.
Agricultural research was a central passion for Gary. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to New Jersey Horticultural Society Research Grants https://njshs.org and International Fruit Tree Association Research https://ifruittree.org/ifta-research-foundation
