LAWRENCE: Former engineer Budzinski dies on course

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   Christopher Budzinski was dedicated to his family and to his profession as the municipal engineer in Lawrence Township and later in Princeton Borough, but there was never any doubt that his family came first.
   That’s how friends and colleagues described Mr. Budzinski, who died of a heart attack while playing golf with his wife, Cheryl, and some friends at the Mountain View Golf Course in Ewing Township Sept. 9. Mr. Budzinski was 50 years old and lived in Lawrence with his wife and two sons.
   Mr. Budzinski, who graduated from Lawrence High School in 1978 and from Drexel University in 1983, was the municipal engineer in Lawrence from 1990 to 2007. He left his post in Lawrence to assume the same position in Princeton Borough, where he worked until his death.
   Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun and Princeton Borough Administrator Robert Bruschi were unanimous in their description of Mr. Budzinski as a professional who was knowledgeable in his field.
   Mr. Bruschi, the Princeton Borough administrator, described Mr. Budzinski as “one of the hardest working and dedicated employees I have ever had the pleasure of working with.” He described Mr. Budzinski as an extremely competent engineer who was creative and willing to listen to individuals’ concerns.
   ”Chris was a true professional,” Mr. Krawczun said. “He was a well-qualified engineer and he was technically astute. He was always professional, but he had another side. For those of us who worked with him, we saw there was a sense of humor.”
   ”He loved to play golf, and with apologies to New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles fans, he was a Dallas Cowboys fan,” Mr. Krawczun said.
   Mr. Budzinski also made it clear that while he enjoyed his profession, his number one priority was his two sons, Mr. Krawczun said.
   ”Chris was a family man. He always spoke with particular pride about his two sons, Jeffrey and Andrew. They were his pride and joy. Chris talked about his wife and sons and the vacations they took,” he said.
   Whenever Mr. Budzinski “took on something,” he was extremely thorough, Mr. Krawczun said.
   For a few years, Mr. Budzinski coached baseball in the Lawrence Township Junior Baseball/Softball Association. To help the children learn how to field ground balls, he made wooden paddles with a strap on the back that held it onto their hand. Then, he would throw a baseball to them so they would learn to field “grounders” with both hands, Mr. Krawczun said.
   ”That’s how much dedication Chris put into these children,” he said. “It’s those little examples that were big definitions of who Chris was.”
   Even after Mr. Budzinski made the move to work for Princeton Borough, he would share his “institutional knowledge” with his former colleagues in Lawrence to assist whenever he could, Mr. Krawczun said.
   ”Chris was a good friend to a lot of people,” he said. “He developed a lot of good friendships and relationships, and many carried over even when he no longer worked here. He leaves not only his family, but the many good friends and relationships that he established when he worked in Lawrence.”
   Mr. Budzinski is survived by his wife, Cheryl S. Budzinski, and his two sons, Jeffrey and Andrew, all of Lawrence. He is also survived by his mother, Stella Budzinski of Lawrence; his brother, Edmund Budzinski and his wife, Christine, of Lawrence; and his sister, Linda Johnson and her husband, Michael, of Robbinsville Township.
   He also is survived by his father- and mother-in-law, Russ and June Smith of Barnegat; his brother-in-law, Greg Smith and his wife, Caroline, of Burlington; his sister-in-law Kim Nutt of Barnegat; and his two nieces, Lindsey and Lauren Nutt, and his nephew, Eric Nutt, all of Barnegat.
   The funeral was held Monday at St. Michael’s R.C. Church.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Special Olympics NJ, 3 Princess Road, Lawrence (www.sonj.org) or to the American Heart Association, 1 Union St., Robbinsville (www.amhrt.org).