Obituary of Maureen Chan
Maureen Chan, age 75, passed away on Wednesday, January 21, 2015, at her home in Bedminster. Born in Brooklyn, NY, she had lived in Kearny before moving to New Providence where she resided for 35 years. She then went on to live in Berkeley Heights and most recently Bedminster. She spent summers in Ortley Beach, NJ.
Maureen had a BS degree from Chestnut Hill College and an MS from Stevens Institute of Technology. She spent her career at AT&T Bell Laboratories (now Lucent Technologies) where she did research on the degradation and stabilization of polymers relevant to telecommunications and retired as the Technical Manager of the Polymer Chemistry Advanced Materials and Stabilization Group. She was also a member of the technological staff. Throughout her career, she was a member of many Laboratory committees.
Maureen Gillen Chan has been an active volunteer in the American Chemical Society for over thirty years. A member of the North Jersey Section, she served on the Executive Committee and has represented the Section in the ACS Council for many years. Maureen held several offices in the Section and was co-coordinator of the Metro Women Chemists Committee and co-chair of the Government Affairs Committee. She began her activities nationally as a member of the Women Chemists Committee which she eventually headed. She went on to membership in several Elected and Board Committees of the Council and was a member of the ACS Board of Directors for six years.
She was active in many civic and church affairs and was proud to be a founding member of the Christian Community at the Shrine of St. Joseph.
She is predeceased by her parents, John Gillen and Jessica Hunter Gillen; sister-in-law, Anna Chan Fung, and her husband, Alec.
Surviving are her beloved husband of 52 years, C.K. Chan; her brothers, John T. Gillen and his wife, Ruth, Jerome Gillen and his wife, Jeanne; her sister, N.A. "Gil" Gillen; her sister-in-law, Fanny Chan; her nieces, Alicia Leung, and her husband Paul, Kristin, Katherine, Jeanmarie, Jennifer Gillen; her great-nephew, Gavin Leung, and great-niece, Anna Leung.
A viewing will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2015, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at The Shrine of St. Joseph RC Church, 1050 Long Hill Rd., Stirling, NJ 07980. A Mass of Resurrection will follow at 11:00 a.m. at the Shrine. Cremation is private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Chestnut Hill College Germantown, 9601 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118.
