Edward Hakim, born July 11,1936, devoted family man, world traveler, brilliant scientist, and golf enthusiast passed away from complications of cardiovascular disease on Saturday, May 16th 2020. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Patricia; four children along with their significant others: Lisa Hakim and Brad Schofield, Chris Hakim and Claire Fratello, Matt and Donna Hakim and Mark Hakim and Michele O’Brien. Ed was predeceased by his parents Said and Zora Hakim and sister Ruth Hakim. He leaves behind brothers John Hakim of Sea Girt and Richard Hakim of Ocean Twp in addition to many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Ed was blessed with five grandchildren: Kyle, Grace, David, Isabella and Lilliana. He took great pride in their academic successes and social activities. He enjoyed his time with them and spent countless hours watching them play baseball, lacrosse, cheer and horseback riding.
Ed grew up in North Arlington where he was an athlete, scholar and leader. In high school, Ed played four years of varsity basketball and four years of football, serving as quarterback and team captain. Ed was elected class president and was later inducted into the North Arlington High School Hall of Fame.
Following high school, Ed received his BS in Physics from Fairleigh Dickinson University and his Masters degree in Physics from UConn. After college, Ed worked at IBM and then joined the Department of Defense at Fort Monmouth as a physicist. He made significant scientific contributions to government and the Micro Electronics industry. After authoring several books and countless papers, Ed was awarded the Arthur S Flemming award for outstanding men in the Federal Government. As a coveted speaker, Ed and Pat traveled extensively throughout the US, Europe, China and Israel. In retirement, Ed remained a pioneer in his field and continued to share his knowledge by establishing a global MicroElectronic Reliability conference attended annually by corporate and government industry leaders.
Outside of work, Ed was always active. He was a golf and tennis enthusiast and shared his passion with his four children who continue to enjoy them today. He enjoyed putting a golf ball in the hole as much as he enjoyed finding one to put in his bag. He could never sit still and his yard remained a perpetual source of opportunity. He tended to his tomatoes, maintained his pristine lawn and tinkered in his garage where he had every tool imaginable to complete projects for himself and others. Summer days were spent on the sand of Lorraine beach and riding the waves. Summer BBQs officially commenced with him expertly carving the London broil. Walking the boards were fall, winter and spring beach activities. When home, he was an avid espionage reader and loved watching the Rangers and Giants and quickly adopted USC, UCLA and the Florida Gators as teams to follow along with his grandchildren.
Ed always made his family feel loved and cherished. He will be remembered for his generosity and kind heart. His smile and ability to make his grandkids laugh will be missed. If you asked him how his life was, he would tell you it was “wonderful”. We are fortunate to have shared it with him.
A private service will be held Friday, May 22nd at O’Brien Funeral Home, www.obrienfuneralhome.com. A celebration of his life will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to the Faustman Lab to support Dr. Denise Faustian in her quest to cure type 1 diabetes. https://giving.massgeneral.org/donate/faustman-lab/