Dr. Donald Edward Hutchings, 89, a half-century resident of Harrington Park, NJ, passed away on Aug 31, 2023 in Wynnewood, PA, USA, near his final home in Bala Cynwyd, PA.

He is survived by his beloved partner of decades, Jill Wolfe of Brill, England; Daughter Linda Louise Hutchings of Phoenixville, PA; Son Keith Hutchings (Shona) of Western Australia, Granddaughter Rachel Townsend (Riccardo), Great Grandsons, Dylan and Luca, all of Italy, and Grandson Gabriel Hutchings, of Australia; Nephew Tom Hutchings (Cindy) and Great Niece Alexis Hutchings, of FL; Nephew Jim Hutchings (Mary), and Great Nephew/Niece, MIchael and Lyndsay, of CA; Nephew/Niece Jake and Hayley Hutchings (Gary & Julie), Great Nephews Joseph and Hayden Hutchings (Patrick & Jayne/Diana), Niece Cindy Hutchings Retterer (Peter), and Great Nephew Colin and Great Niece Kate Retterer, of TX.

He was preceded in death by his previous wife and Mother of his children, Carol Gene Schleifer Hutchings, Parents, Thomas Deady Hutchings and Alice Jean MacKinnon Hutchings, Sister Patricia Hutchings, and Brother Thomas Hutchings, Jr (Betty, Joann) of IL; Nephews Gary Hutchings and Patrick Hutchings, of CA; and Daughter, Wendie Sue Hutchings, of New Berlin, NY.

He grew up in Chicago, where he graduated from St. Timothy Parochial School and Lane Technical High School. From 1952 until 1956, he served in the United States Coast Guard in New England, Alaska and the Great Lakes. Following his military service, he received a BA from Lake Forest College and a PhD in Psychology from the University of Chicago.

From 1963 until his retirement in 1996, he was a Research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute in the Department of Developmental Psychobiology. He was also an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. His federally-funded research investigated important neurobehavioral effects of maternal substance abuse and related drugs on the fetus, infant and child.

Among his many professional activities, from 1970 until 1983, he was an Adjunct Professor at Barnard College and Columbia College, Division of General Studies, where he taught undergraduate psychology courses. In 1968, he was elected Fellow of the NY Academy of Science. He served as a regular consultant to the National Institutes of Health, the Institute of Medicine, the Center for Disease Control, the National Academy of Sciences, the EPA and FDA, Washington D.C. He was a founding member of the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (formerly Neurobehavioral Teratology Society) and served as President from 1981-1982. From 1990 to 1995, he served as Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Neurotoxicology & Teratology. He authored numerous research papers and book chapters and organized national conferences on the effects of maternal substance abuse on neurobehavioral development. He mentored many graduate students and junior faculty throughout his career.

Donald was an avid traveler and photographer. He regularly visited family and friends in Australia and the United Kingdom. He and his partner, Jill Wolfe, loved adventure travel; among their many international and domestic trips, they toured Antarctica and made five trips to the Arctic. He shared these adventures through PowerPoint presentations at nature centers in Bergen County, NJ, and for interested groups in the United Kingdom. He also wrote several fiction pieces, was an accomplished guitarist, and a great lover of bird-watching at home, chopping wood in the Adirondacks, and spicy jokes everywhere!

Please join us for Donald's Memorial Service on Saturday, October 28th 2023, 10:00 to 12:00 a.m. at Moritz Funeral Home, 348 Closter Dock Road, Closter New Jersey, (in person or via Livestream) and for the luncheon afterward (RSVP). Please share your email to receive the Livestream link for this event, and please share your photos and written or recorded memories in advance with us, via the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, Don has requested that memorial donations may be made either to The Parkinson's Disease Foundation (www.pdf.org) or The Brain & Behavioral Research Fund (www.bbrfoundation.org)

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