Thomas Christopher Kavanagh Ingegneri, Sr., of Cranbury, NJ, passed away at the age of 80 with his family by his side, on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA.
Born February 7, 1943, in Mount Kisco, NY, to immigrant parents from Taormina, Sicily and Dublin, Ireland, Thomas graduated from Fox Lane High School in 1960 where he held the first trumpet seat for 4 years in the New York State Orchestra. He earned a B.A. from
Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA in 1964 where he joined R.O.T.C. He was a first-generation American and the first in his family to graduate from college. Tom went on to honorably serve his country in the U.S. Air Force. He served as Captain in the Strategic Air Command in Selma, AL and Columbus, MS from 1965 to 1969 during the Vietnam War. He continued his education earning an M.B.A. from Mississippi State University.
Tom moved to Cranbury in 1972 and resided there for over 50 years. He built a successful career as a business executive with Arthur Young and Co., McGraw Hill and Springer Verlag. Tom also lent his expertise to various companies in other industries as an independent business consultant. In addition, Tom owned and operated his own businesses with his wife, Gay. Tom and Gay started The Cranbury Market, a convenience deli and grocery store, on North Main Street in Cranbury, in 1978, and ran the market until 1990.
Tom and Gay then served the community as the owners of The Cranbury Inn on South Main Street in Cranbury for almost 30 years, from 1992 until Tom’s retirement in 2022. Throughout those years, Tom maintained that he and Gay were stewards of the Inn. They worked to ensure their stewardship preserved the historical integrity of the property. They lovingly researched the details of the Inn’s history, so the development and enhancement of the property honored the Inn’s importance to the community for generations to come. Under their stewardship, Tom and Gay expanded the Inn to include the Legacy Dining Room and Banquet Hall. Tom was passionate about the Inn and dedicated many years to hosting dining guests from all over the world and helping families honor life’s events such as weddings, funerals, religious functions, and a variety of other celebrations.
Known as a driven, successful, yet humble man, Tom will be remembered for his sense of honor and loyalty, his commitment to community and family, his love of classic cars and yellow corvettes, and his keen business sense.
Predeceased by his parents, Dominic Ingegneri and Josephine Mary Kavanagh Ingegneri; he is survived by his wife, Gloria Ann Young (Gay) Ingegneri; his children, Elizabeth Ann Yoder, Lisa Ann Ingegneri (Manna), Thomas Christopher Kavanagh Ingegneri, Jr., and Christopher Thomas Young Ingegneri; his sons-in-law, Timothy Yoder and Paul Manna; and his grandchildren, Ryan Yoder, Jason Yoder, and Theo Manna.
Visitation for family and friends will be held on Friday, October 13, 2023, from 1:00 until 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 until 8:00 p.m. at A.S. Cole Son & Co., 22 North Main Street, Cranbury, NJ.
A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, 22 South Main Street, Cranbury, NJ.
Interment will follow at Brainerd Cemetery in Cranbury, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Thomas’ memory to the Baldino Research Fund by visiting In Memory Of at inmemof.org.
