Obituary of Cornelius L. Hensel
Cornelius L. Hensel (Neil), age 84, of Collegeville, PA (formerly Avalon, NJ - the most beautiful place on earth) passed away on Sunday, April 19, 2020.
He was born in Ossining, New York on April 17, 1936, to the late LeRoy and Marjorie (Hurley) Hensel.
On April 27, 1957 Neil married Carole Anne Noonan, the love of his life. Every day he reminded himself he was the luckiest man. They raised two sons, Roy and John, and three daughters, Cheryl, Vicki, and Julia. Cornelius was the extremely proud Grandfather of his ten grandchildren.
Neil received his BS in Electrical Engineering at Northeastern University and MS from Drexel University. He honorably served in the U.S. Army. His career in the Aerospace industry spanned 40 years with Martin Marietta, General Electric, Perkin Elmer, ARC, and as a president for the Titan Corporation. In his career he was involved in the space program, robotics technology, the Hubble telescope, aerospace defense, as well as advising presidents. He was particularly honored when he received a call from President Ronald Reagan wishing him a happy birthday on his 50th.
Once retired he took on the task of chairing the Planning and Zoning Board for his town Avalon, NJ. The changes he made or didn’t allow led to developing Avalon into the beautiful place we all love today. He had a passion for golf, puzzles, cats, fishing, swimming in the bay, and ice cream. He treasured his time with his grandchildren playing cards, games, sports, and trips to Donnelly’s. Neil enjoyed sharing his stories and advice from his life, but most importantly, listening to you was at the heart of Cornelius Hensel.
He is survived by his wife Carole, his five children and their spouses, Roy and Vickie Hensel, Cheryl and John Gamber, Vicki and Eric Lascomb, John and Sita Hensel, and Julia Morgan, his grandchildren, Chelsea, David, Michael, Neil, Carly, Jessica, Tim, Kevin, and Zack. He is predeceased by his sister Doris Brotman and his granddaughter Carolynn.
A memorial service will be scheduled once permitted.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to: Autism Speaks, www.autismspeaks.org or C.A.R.A, cara-cmc.org.