We regret to share that Eugene passed away on July 3rd after battling esophageal cancer. He was surrounded by his family and was not in any pain. He was born in Brooklyn to James and Hung Tai Ngai and grew up in Perth Amboy. Eugene lived in Whitehouse Station for over 40 years.

Eugene had an engineer’s love for tinkering at an early age and founded his high school’s rocket club. From there, he pursued chemical engineering in college. He worked for multiple companies, including Exxon (where he met his wife, Peggy), Solkatronics, and Air Products, before starting his personal consulting business, Chemically Speaking LLC. Eugene has been recognized worldwide for his contributions to safe procedures for working with hazardous gases, and received awards from the Compressed Gas Association, the American Chemical Society, and the New York Fire Department. Eugene got immense satisfaction from teaching and spoke fondly of the firefighters and specialists who he had the pleasure of working with over the years. Eugene felt strongly about ensuring that what he learned about safely handling hazardous gases be passed on to future generations, and his most recent work includes more than 50 articles sharing his insights that are freely available on multiple websites. 

Community was very important to Eugene, and he dedicated many hours to serving Readington Township. He was part of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and often volunteered for local parades, fairs, and other events. He enjoyed giving to others, and many backyards now have a birdhouse he made during COVID. 

Eugene is survived by his wife, Peggy, and his two daughters, Courtney and Janine. He will be remembered for his devotion to food (especially hard-boiled eggs), his enthusiasm for happy hour, and his love for his family. 

A viewing and celebration of his life will be held at Kearns Funeral Home on Saturday, July 15th from 10am-12pm. Anecdotes about Eugene will be shared at 11am. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: 

Whitehouse Rescue Squad: https://whitehouserescue.com/donate/ 

Meals on Wheels in Hunterdon: https://mowih.org/donate 

Esophageal Cancer Action Network: https://ecan.org/give-the-gift-of-hope/ 

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT): Please make all checks out to FRTCCP and mail to Friends of Readington Township Citizens Corps Program, PO Box 4, Three Bridges, NJ 08887.

(Include your email in the memo in order to receive a receipt and confirmation of donation)

Neal Langerman, PhD