Thaddeus (Ted) R. Tharney

Thaddeus R. (Ted) Tharney, retired Professor and award-winning local artist, died peacefully on Sunday, June 19, 2022, surrounded by his family.
Born in New Jersey and raised in Monmouth Junction, Ted and his wife Madeline resided in East Brunswick, New Jersey, for more than 50 years.
A 1964 graduate of the University of Tampa, where he majored in psychology, Ted married Madeline that same year. Returning to New Jersey, Ted continued his studies at Seton Hall University, from which he received a Masters Degree. He subsequently completed his graduate doctoral coursework at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

Ted began his career teaching and working as a high school guidance counselor before joining the faculty at Union County College, the first community college in New Jersey, in 1969. A highly-regarded professor of psychology at UCC for 40 years before retiring in 2009, Ted combined his love of teaching with his challenging work as a clinical psychologist. He started work in the field as a counselor and assistant administrator with the Middlesex County Health Service, and transitioned to practice in the private sector before retiring from active clinical practice in the mid-1980s.

Despite the demands of balancing his academic and clinical work, Ted coached all four of his children during their soccer-playing years. He began as a volunteer coach for the East Brunswick Soccer Club, and coached at the travel team level for a number of years. Later in his coaching career, Ted coached both the Union County College women's soccer team and the UCC Junior College NCAA Division III men's soccer team, and he was inducted into the UCC Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his coaching achievements. Ted was a firm believer in practice and conditioning, and was a fierce competitor, but his primary focus as a coach was on the well-being of his players and on good sportsmanship.

Since he had been raised on a farm in what was then a very rural area of central New Jersey, Ted learned how to ride horses at an early age. Living in the rural preservation area of East Brunswick meant that he and Madeline could have two horses and they taught all of their children to ride.

A gifted singer who earned pocket money in college by singing in nightclubs, Ted was a talented drummer and, in later years, a self-taught guitar and ukulele player. He and Madeline were also known among their family and friends for their dancing skills, which they first began to hone while dancing together in high school.
When it came to artistic pursuits, however, Ted's first loves were drawing and painting. Retirement offered him the opportunity to revisit those skills that he first demonstrated as a young child creating his own comic books. He enjoyed the luxury of time to take art classes and the chance to further broaden and develop his skills. Ted dedicated himself to his art, exhibiting it in local art shows, winning various awards, and creating a substantial body of work that will serve as a part of his enduring legacy.

Ted's engagement with his local community also included membership in the Knights of Columbus Council 6572, through St. Mary of Mount Virgin Church in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Ted was the youngest son of the late Bartholomew and Lillian Batey Tharney, and he is survived by his wife of 58 years, Madeline Baumann Tharney; his daughter, Laura Tharney; his sons, David Tharney, Matthew Tharney (and Matt's wife, Kathryn), and Gregory Tharney (and Greg's wife, Jill); his grandchildren, Nicholas, Gavin, Colin, Julia, Christian, Luke, and Violet; and his sisters, Rita Bare and Marie Casey.

A visitation for Ted will be held at The Crabiel Home for Funerals, 170 North Main Street at Riva Avenue, Milltown, New Jersey, on Wednesday, June 22nd, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. A Blessing will be held on Thursday, June 23rd, at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Elmwood Cemetery in North Brunswick.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, www.stjude.org . You may sign the online condolence "guestbook" at www.crabiel.com