Donald Gagne

GAGNE, Donald (Don) James, 101, passed away peacefully at Harrogate Retirement Community, Lakewood NJ, on Friday, May, 24, 2024. Born 1922 in Richmond Hills, Queens, New York to Joseph and Anna Gagne, Don was a graduate of Chaminade High School, and subsequently the Pratt Institute where he studied engineering, graduating in 1940.

After graduation, Don worked at General Electric participating in the Manhattan Project. He left to join the Merchant Marine during the Second World War as a Signal Officer on the SS Authur M. Huddell where he utilized his skills from being an amateur radio operator since the age of 15. His call sign was W2LID. He was known by his shipmates as “Sparks”, a reference to old time morse code telegraph key operators. Don was deployed to ports in England, including London.

After the war, Don was hired by Bell Labs in New York and later in Holmdel, NJ, where he was an electronics engineer for 39 years, retiring in 1984. While there he worked on the team that designed and developed the touch tone and picture telephones. It was during this period that Don developed his life-long love of boating. He owned three boats; the Sea Gull, the Windward, And the Shannon M.

Don used his ham radio experience to connect with and maintain friendships all across the globe. For the last fourteen years, Don enjoyed the community at Harrogate where his friendly and social nature allowed him to make many new friends.

Don was an active member of the following organizations:

Ocean Monmouth Amateur Radio Club (OMARC)

American Radio Relay League (ARRL)

American Merchant Marine Veterans (AMMV)

United States Power Squadrons (USPC)

Antique Wireless Association (AWA)

Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA)

Telephone Pioneers of America (TPA)

Don is predeceased by his wife of 60 years, Rita (Shannon) Gagne, and his daughter Deborah Gagne. He is survived by his daughters, Margaret of East Falmouth, MA and Elizabeth of Farmingdale, NJ and Sons-in-Law Ronald Grossman of East Falmouth MA, and Don Kretz of Farmingdale, NJ. In addition, he is survived by three grandchildren, Jennifer Kane of Rockport, MA, and her husband Tom Kane; Justin Grossman of Santa Cruz, CA; Erin Ciklic of Morris Township, NJ, and her husband Denis Ciklic; and five great grandchildren: Shannon and Simon Kane; Bodhi and Wilder Grossman; and Luka Ciklic.

A memorial service will be held at 10:30 AM on June 5 at Saint Lukes Church in Toms River, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation.