Obituary: Kurt Haller, 82



Kurt Haller, a noted engineer who worked on the highly technical designs of steam-generating units in power plants around the world, died on April 22 after suffering a heart attack. He was 82.

A longtime resident of Lawrence Township, Mr. Haller held several patents related to the design of power plant boilers and wrote technical papers that he presented at international conferences. He also worked on plans for upgrading aging power plants to improve efficiency and performance. As one colleague noted, there were few power plants that Mr. Haller did not have a personal knowledge of or had not himself helped design.

Mr. Haller was a keen intellectual who read history, philosophy and economics, an active member of The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville and an avid sportsman who played soccer and tennis. Biking was a passion: he went on several long trips through small towns of Germany.

In his personal life, he was a devoted husband to Sigrid, who died in 2007, and father to his three daughters. The soft-spoken Mr. Haller was often described as a true gentleman - well dressed, kind, polite and ready to lend a hand. Through the church, he delivered Meals on Wheels and volunteered at a Trenton soup kitchen.

Mr. Haller was born in Neumunster, in northern Germany, on Dec. 22, 1929. He received an MS in mechanical engineering from Hanover University in 1955. As newlyweds, Mr. Haller and Mrs. Haller, a classically trained soprano, immigrated to the United States in 1956. They became naturalized U.S. citizens in 1965.

They settled in Ohio after Mr. Haller joined the engineering firm Babcock and Wilcox. His technical talent was quickly recognized and he rose through the ranks to become the chief engineer of the company’s Fossil Operations Division. It was during his 29 years at Babcock that Kurt traveled the world. He would return to his home in Akron, Ohio, with stories of adventures in Pakistan, China, Europe, the former Soviet Union, South Africa and other foreign points.

Mr. Haller received an MS in economics from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1979 after spending years juggling night classes, fulltime work, travel and family commitments.

In 1985, Mr. Haller took a position with the engineering firm Ebasco Services. The family moved to Lawrence Township and he began commuting to Manhattan where he had an office on the 90th floor of Tower 2 of the World Trade Center.

Having a great interest in architecture, he relished his new workplace and the views of New York Harbor. Although he had moved to offices in Princeton before the Sept. 11 attacks, he was deeply affected by the destruction of the World Trade Center and the loss of lives that included some of his colleagues.

At Ebasco (later Raytheon Engineers & Constructors and Washington Group International), he continued his work on boiler design. He retired in 2001, continuing to work as a consultant for several years.

Mr. Haller is survived by his three daughters, three sons-in-law and five grandchildren: Karen and Guy Buttaro of Herndon, Va., and their children Robert, 19, and Kristen, 14; Vera (Tina) Haller and Daniel Wakin of New York City and their sons Thomas, 18, and Michael, 14; and Stephanie Haller and Eric Schaeffer of Marblehead, Mass., and their daughter, Lilly, 7.

A memorial service will be held April 28 at 11 a.m. at , 2688 Main St., Lawrence Township, N.J., 08648.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to support community service projects at The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville. Checks can be made out to the church and mailed to the Main Street address.

Arrangements are by the Wilson-Apple Funeral Home, 2560 Pennington Rd., Pennington.