Gustave (Tom) Hennaut

HENNAUT, GUSTAVE (Tom), 89, of Tuckerton, NJ, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family and knowing that he was loved, on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.  After a short hospital stay, he was delighted to be home where he enjoyed looking out the front window at the vehicles, people, and dogs that passed by.  He was born and lived in East Orange, NJ as a child, resided in Clark, NJ as a young adult, and moved to Tuckerton in May of 1966.  Tom served eight years in the NJ National Guard in the 1950s and early 1960s, first as a mechanic in the motor pool and then as a cook.  He always joked that a mechanic only has clean hands because of making meatloaf.  Tom was an entrepreneur to his core!  He and his father shared ownership of three service stations in Clark, NJ; Richfield, NJ; and Montclair, NJ until they decided to venture into the world of boating…by buying a marina.  In 1965, Tom and his father opened Mullica River Boat Basin (MRBB) in Greenbank, NJ.  From that, Tom quickly became a local expert on the rivers and streams of the central Pine Barrens, a trusted mechanic and businessman, and an accomplished fisherman.  Fishing was a lifelong passion that is now carried on by his grandson, Mac.  After 25+ years in the marina business, Tom re-ignited his entrepreneurial light in 1990 by supporting his son, Bart, establish and grow a successful construction company, BTW Enterprises.  Working with Bart and later with Bart and Mac, was Tom’s greatest professional joy.

Giving back to the town that became his home, Tom was elected to and served on the Board of Education for the Tuckerton Borough School District for many decades, serving long after both of his children graduated from Tuckerton Elementary School, most significantly as the Chairman of the Negotiations Committee.  He also served on Tuckerton’s Planning & Zoning Boards, now known as the Land Use Board, also for many decades. He blended and balanced his business acumen and love for Tuckerton in all opinions he stated and votes he cast.

Tom first met the love of his life, Wilma, in 1956 when she drove into his service station for $1 worth of gas.  He asked the men working with him if any of them knew her and in the same breath, he told them he was going to marry her.  After three rejections, Wilma MacGregor accepted an invite to go on a date with him.  Two years later they were married and they celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary in January 2026.  Together with Wilma, Tom attended the United Methodist “Little Church in the Pines,” in Warren Grove, NJ.

While entrepreneurial business was both a vocation and an avocation for Tom, he was also a passionate saltwater fisherman, a cruise enthusiast, and the best “pit crew” for his son and grandson during their motorcycle enduro racing throughout the mid-Atlantic region.

Tom is survived by his loving wife, Wilma Hennaut (nee MacGregor); daughter Laurie Mosier, of Chantilly, VA; son Bart Hennaut, of Estell Manor, NJ; daughter-in-law Tina Hennaut, of Ventnor, NJ; along with grandchildren Isabelle, MacGregor, Sarah, and William. 

Cremation will be private and the family will celebrate Tom, his life, and their memories of him in the coming months.

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