Charles N. Tanga

Charles N. Tanga, 85, passed away on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune.  He was born in Elizabeth to the late Charles and Mary Tanga. Charles served in the Marine Corps, and was a graduate of Newark College of Engineering (NJIT) with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Jean Daniels on October 15, 1955, and they had two children, Jeffrey and Nancy. They lived in Plainfield before moving to Holmdel almost 50 years ago.
He was employed by Bell Laboratories in Holmdel for approximately 30 years, as an Electrical Engineer. He received recognition for being part of a research team which led to the design of Telstar, one of the original communications satellites.  The first two Telstar satellites were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 was launched on top of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962. It successfully relayed through space the first television pictures, telephone calls, fax images and provided the first live transatlantic television feed. Telstar 2 was launched May 7, 1963. Telstar 1 and 2, though no longer functional, are still in orbit as of October 2013.
Charles was a very generous man who cared deeply about his family and friends and brought joy to others. In his spare time he enjoyed photography and researching family history. He also facilitated monthly luncheons with his former colleagues from Bell Labs.
He is predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth Jean Tanga in 1998 and his sister, Connie Barboni in 2011.  Surviving is his son; Jeffrey C. Tanga of Keyport, his daughter; Nancy and her husband Joseph Della Vecchia of Holmdel, his brother; Nicholas Tanga and his wife Jan of Salt Lake City, Utah.  Also surviving are many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Visitation will be held at the John E. Day Funeral Home, 85 Riverside Avenue, Red Bank, NJ 07701 on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 from 2 to 4 PM and 7 to 9 PM.  A service will be held at the funeral home on Wednesday, April 23, 2014 at 10 AM.  Interment will follow at Holmdel Cemetery. In Lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in honor of Charles N. Tanga to the special needs trust fund for Jeffrey C. Tanga.  Please make all checks payable to: Jeffrey C. Tanga. Mail to: C/O Nancy E. Della Vecchia TTEE  8 Ardmore Place, Holmdel NJ 07733.
Please visit Charles’ memorial website available at www.johnedayfuneralhome.com.  

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