Obituary of Frederick Hinchcliff

Frederick Clayton Hinchcliff, 90, of Freehold Township, N.J., and Vero Beach, Fla., passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at home in N.J. on Tuesday, March 17, 2015. Fred was born in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn to J. Frederick and Dorothy (Turner) Hinchcliff. They later moved to 182nd Street in Jamaica, Queens, and then 200th Street in St. Albans, N.Y., where Fred was a member of the St. Albans' Flying Eleven football team. Fred delivered The Brooklyn Daily Eagle as a young teenager and graduated from Andrew Jackson High School in St. Albans in 1942. Although he had a fabulous memory, Fred didn't do very well in high school. The only teacher who most likely recognized his potential was one of his history teachers, who realized that two days after starting the class Fred already had read the entire text book. The school principal, on the other hand, recommended Fred drop out of high school. Fred's father refused to agree. The summer after graduation, Fred worked tearing down the Second Avenue Elevated Train in New York City. In October 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Force and served during World War II, primarily in Africa. After his discharge in 1945, he got a job in the order and shipping department at Standard-Vacuum Oil Co. in Manhattan. He decided to go to college and went to New York University on the GI Bill four nights a week, majoring in marketing with a specialization in foreign marketing. He joined the Foreign Services fraternity, Delta Phi Epsilon. He graduated in 1951 and later went to Brooklyn Law School, where he graduated with his law degree, and later passed the bar in New York. He eventually left Standard Vacuum and joined a Dutch company, Internatio-Rotterdam Inc. About 1955, he went to work for Muehlstein Co., where he was a salesman who sold rubber. In 1968, he joined Ware Chemical, based in Bridgeport, Conn., where he became vice president. In 1982, the chemical manufacturing division of Ware was sold to the Sartomer division of Arco Chemical, where he worked until retiring in 1986. He met the love of his life, Mary Spataro, in June 1956. They married in December of that year and lived in Flushing, N.Y.; Floral Park, N.Y; Pearl River, N.Y.; Acton, Mass.; and Medfield, Mass., before moving to Freehold Township in 1967. They also owned a home in Vero Beach, Fla. Together they had five children. Fred was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He had many friends throughout his life and helped many people in need. He was the life of the party and always had a story to tell (usually about business) or a point of view to express (usually on politics or world events). He was also a good listener and loved to read and follow sports and the stock market. Surviving are his wife, Mary; their five children, Dorothy Hinchcliff Goodrich (Jerry), Oakhurst, N.J.; Lydia Bourgeois, Oakhurst, N.J.; Frederick W. Hinchcliff (Cynthia), Freehold Township, N.J.; Maria Hinchcliff (Paul Kenworthy), Cream Ridge, N.J.; and Alison Hinchcliff Perry (Tom), Millstone Township, N.J.; and four grandchildren, Alexandria Bourgeois, Emily Perry, Clayton Perry and Christopher Goodrich. Visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Friday, March 20, 2015 from 4:00 to 8:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his 11:00 AM funeral service at the funeral home on Saturday, March 21, 2015. Entombment will follow in Maplewood Cemetery & Chapel Mausoleum, Freehold Township. For those who desire, memorial donations in Frederick's name may be made to the Light of Day Foundation, Inc., Attention: Donations, 201 South 2nd Avenue, Suite 22, Highland Park, NJ 08904 or the Epilepsy Foundation, 8301 Professional Place, Suite 200, Landover, MD 20785. For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.