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Michael D. Harter Obituary

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Michael D. Harter

Cranbury, NJ

December 31, 1935 - July 30, 2022

Michael D. Harter Obituary

Michael D. Harter, 86, passed away peacefully on July 30, 2022 in Monroe Township, New Jersey. Mike was born in Nungambakkam, India in 1935 and after the age of two, was raised in Altrincham, England. In his youth he was known as “Mickey,” and lived on war rations, overcame Polio, and demonstrated a zest for life that would last a lifetime. At the age of eleven, Mike would meet his first sweetheart and wife of 58 years, Beryl Harter (Edmunds). Mike was beloved by Beryl’s family and they would share many happy memories over the years. Mike was a lifelong learner and received his baccalaureate degree in science from the University of Leeds, England in 1957; he also received executive certifications from Stanford University, CA and the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania decades later. Mike always had stacks of reading material, attended classes at local colleges, went to countless seminars and conferences, and would spend hours in the used book section of the Princeton and Harvard bookstores. Always a pioneer, in 1963 on the promise of a new career, Mike, Beryl and their three-year-old son Simon, immigrated to the U.S. and settled in New Jersey. Soon after arriving, they welcomed the birth of their American daughter, Belinda. The young family built a home in Cranbury, NJ where they met their forever friends Marylou and Joe Shaw and their children. Mike’s dynamic career in process instrumentation and construction project management for Mobil Oil Corporation, prompted the Harter family to move over the years to Beaumont, Texas; West Windsor, New Jersey; and to Stavanger, Norway. Mike loved to travel and visited many countries in the West Indies, Europe, Africa, and the Far East. Family vacations were often adventuresome and always involved new experiences. Curiosity drove Mike’s interests in photography, woodworking, fishing, skiing, tennis, gardening, leatherwork, computers, and playing guitar. However, Mike was at his happiest when he was dancing with Beryl. The dashing couple would dance for hours at a time, predictably the last people on the dance floor at weddings and on Mike’s birthday, New Year’s Eve. Mike and Beryl were continuously involved in their church communities in Texas and in Florida. In addition to social activities, Beryl worked in church thrift shops and cooked; Mike was an important contributor to the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, which built wheelchair ramps for members of the local community who could not afford them. He was particularly proud of those efforts and was impressed when a local paper highlighted their years of good work. Upon his retirement, Mike and Beryl moved to St. Augustine, FL and enjoyed watching the wildlife and sunsets every day. They remained there until Beryl’s passing in 2017. Mike then returned to New Jersey, where he spent his remaining years with family. Mike had a wonderful sense of humor. His light-hearted jokes, warm smile and quick wit endeared him to many. He was an avid Manchester United soccer fan, loved James Bond movies, and enjoyed puzzles, riddles and puns. Predeceased by his wife, Beryl; he is survived by his children, Belinda Harter and fiancé, Glen Stevens and Simon Harter and his wife, Ida; his grandchildren, Graham Harter, Sinclaire Vandervoort, Kay Vandervoort, Jeff Quinton and his wife, Jacqui and Greg Quinton and his wife, Rachel; his great-grandchildren, Natalie and Bobby Quinton; and his half siblings, Jennifer Archer Hamilton and David Archer and family. A private memorial service will be held for the family on Saturday, August 6, 2022. Arrangements are under the direction of the A.S. Cole Son & Co., 22 North Main Street Cranbury, NJ 08512

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Event information can be found on the Official Obituary of Michael D. Harter.