Raymond Leroy Hallows, Jr., age 93 years, of Skillman, NJ, passed away at Stonebridge at Montgomery, a retirement community, on Thursday, October 27, 2022, close to his loving family. Ray was born on March 1,1929 in Joplin, Missouri, where he spent his childhood and teenage years. Family travels from that central location gave him ampleContinue Reading
Raymond Leroy Hallows, Jr., age 93 years, of Skillman, NJ, passed away at Stonebridge at Montgomery, a retirement community, on Thursday, October 27, 2022, close to his loving family.
Ray was born on March 1,1929 in Joplin, Missouri, where he spent his childhood and teenage years. Family travels from that central location gave him ample experience of the making of home movies, the medium of choice in those days. The technical aspects of motion pictures and projection soon became important in Ray’s life during his summer visits to the small Missouri town of Mound City, where his aunt and uncle, Elizabeth and Prince Black, served respectively as Postmaster and owner of the State Theater. There, he spent several summer visits learning the intimate aspects of becoming a theater projectionist, starting at age fourteen.
He carried his technical skills back to Joplin, where he became the volunteer projectionist at the USO (United Service Organizations), designing the installation of a permanent projection room, complete with changeover capability for the two 16mm projectors. His USO association broadened his service to the local men in uniform during the Second World War; he was invited to be a guest projectionist at nearby Camp Crowder.
Ray began college at the University of Cincinnati, while working at the Triplett Electrical Instrument Company as a co-op student. In his sophomore year he transferred to the Missouri School of Mines (now Missouri University – Science and Technology), following the footsteps of his father, Ray Sr. who was also an engineer: “The Rolla Connection,” where he received the BSEE degree in 1952. Upon his graduation, Ray joined the Radio Corporation of America (RCA).
Soon thereafter, he moved to Princeton, NJ, where he met his new neighbor, Barbara Jean Gould. Within months they were married, on May 29, 1962 at Barbara’s church, the First Presbyterian Church in Greenwich Village, New York City. Their daughter, Laurie Jean, was born a year later at Princeton Hospital, followed by Kenneth Raymond, and Gail Evan. Ray and Barbe raised their family in a lovely house on Cold Soil Road in Lawrenceville, NJ. Ray loved the house, yard and pool, which he maintained attentively for over fifty years. In the basement Ray assembled an extensive collection of film and video projection and editing equipment, where he would spend many happy hours working on his audiovisual projects. Over the years, there were many family reunions, especially those on Star Island, in the historic Isles of Shoals, ten miles at sea from Portsmouth, NH. Barbara and Ray shared in the activities of their churches — Barbara’s Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, and Ray’s Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton.
Following RCA, Ray’s engineering positions were with the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority (now New Jersey Network), Mercer County Community College, Advanced Technology Systems in Fairlawn, NJ, Schlumberger – EMR Photoelectric Division, in Princeton, NJ, and CBS in New York City. For over thirty years, he ran his own business, providing film to tape and digital transfer service from the family home in Lawrenceville, NJ.
He was a Life Member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), serving as Manager and Membership Chairman of the Philadelphia Section. He served for twenty-nine years on the Board of Editors of the SMPTE Journal.
He was also a member of the Princeton Chapter of the SPEBSQSA (Society for Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America). His involvement in this group inspired his lifelong habit of spontaneously erupting into humorous song, often singing all four parts himself. This irreverent and joyful practice continued to his final days. In his happiest moments, he would sing his favorite song, ‘Wolverton Mountain’ by Claude King, which was released in 1962 when he met his soon-to-be wife, Barbe.
Since he bought his first Bolex film camera at the age of 12, his passion was documenting family memories in motion pictures and video. He was also a master of the English language: completing daily New York Times crossword puzzles, and playfully reciting puns, poetry, limericks, soliloquies, and famous quotations.
Ray is predeceased by his parents, Margaret Ellen Kitchen Hallows and Raymond LeRoy Hallows Sr., his younger sister, Jean Ann and his first granddaughter, Evan Lee. He is survived by his wife, of over sixty years, Barbara Gould Hallows; three children; Laurie and her husband, John, Kenneth, and his wife, Nuria, and Gail, and her husband, Jonathan; eight grandchildren; Eleanor, Theo, Brian, Alexander, Kale, Adelaide, Lane, and Andrew; two nieces, Lani and Diane; nephew, David and their families; and many dear friends.
A private burial and a life celebration tribute at the Natural Burial Space at Rosemont Cemetery, Rosemont, NJ, was held under the care and direction of Wright & Ford Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 38 State Highway 31, Flemington, NJ.
A public memorial is planned for Spring 2023 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, 50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, NJ 08540; details will be announced.
You are encouraged to visit Raymond’s permanent life celebration site at www.wrightfamily.com to light a candle of hope, leave messages of condolence, share words of comfort and recollection, and post photographs of his life.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his honor may be made to the Unitarian Congregation at the address above or online by clicking HERE, or to the Star Island Corporation, via mail to 30 Middle Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, or online by clicking HERE, or Doctors Without Borders USA online by clicking HERE.
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Wright & Ford, your local, family owned & operated “Life Celebration Home”
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Diane Schmidt
left a message on November 3, 2022:
Sending condolences to all my precious Uncle's family! I will always hold close the wonderful memories of our families coming together to celebrate holidays and life. Oh what I would do for a glass of that Cold Soil road marvelous fresh apple cider. Words that come to mind when I think of my Uncle.... kind, brilliant, simple-life, movie-maker, volvo, polar plunge, quirky sense of humor, fixer and snappy dresser. I am also very grateful for the countless hours Uncle Ray spent transferring movies from old to new media and providing a copy for each of us Driggers kids; and for his touching remarks at my mother's memorial service in 2010. Sending huge hugs to my Aunt Barbe, and cousins Laurie, Ken and Gail and families. Love, Diane
Rosemont Cemetery
left a message on October 28, 2022:
Please accept our most sincere condolences on the passing of Raymond.
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Diane Schmidt
left a message on November 3, 2022:
Sending condolences to all my precious Uncle's family! I will always hold close the wonderful memories of our families coming together to celebrate holidays and life. Oh what I would do for a glass of that Cold Soil road marvelous fresh apple cider. Words that come to mind when I think of my Uncle.... kind, brilliant, simple-life, movie-maker, volvo, polar plunge, quirky sense of humor, fixer and snappy dresser. I am also very grateful for the countless hours Uncle Ray spent transferring movies from old to new media and providing a copy for each of us Driggers kids; and for his touching remarks at my mother's memorial service in 2010. Sending huge hugs to my Aunt Barbe, and cousins Laurie, Ken and Gail and families. Love, Diane
Rosemont Cemetery
left a message on October 28, 2022:
Please accept our most sincere condolences on the passing of Raymond.
left a message:
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