Anthony D. Nolde, 82, musician from North Wales

Anthony Derf Nolde, 82, of North Wales, a former music professor at Rutgers University and pianist who for 20 years operated Nolde's Music Box in Flemington, N.J., and performed throughout the Northeast, died of heart failure Saturday, Sept. 25, at home.

Mr. Nolde never regretted leaving academia after five years of teaching music history and composition, his family said.

Though an educated man with a psychology degree and a master's in music, Mr. Nolde preferred a more bohemian lifestyle, traveling around the Eastern states, playing piano at small and large venues, sailing to the Caribbean on his own "to get away" for a few days, and smoking his signature corncob pipe.

"Playing [music] was his true love," said his daughter, Kate.

When Mr. Nolde left Rutgers in the early 1960s, he intended to focus on performing.

But when the opportunity came up to buy a little music store on Main Street in Flemington, Hunterdon County, he took it.

In 1963, Mr. Nolde opened Nolde's Music Box, which sold mainly pianos and organs.

But when guitars became popular in the 1960s and '70s, Mr. Nolde kept adding inventory.

Soon he moved to the Hunterdon Shopping Center, and his store had two divisions: pianos and organs, and guitars, drums, and amps, his daughter said.

The store became a popular spot and Mr. Nolde a sort of local celebrity. His height, white hair, and beard made him easy to spot, and people still remember the sweet pipe-tobacco smell that lingered in the store, his daughter said.

In the early 1980s, he sold the store to his protege, Joe Dorio, and started the Keystone Jazz Group.

Mr. Nolde was a constant figure in Keystone Jazz, but his partners would change for almost every gig. He had a portfolio of about 100 musicians he would call to play with him, depending on what ensemble had been requested.

Based out of Eagles Mere, Pa., for 30 years, Mr. Nolde played all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey and often traveled to New York and even New Orleans to play at weddings, festivals, and corporate events.

He mentored many young musicians throughout the years, his daughter said.

"He was very wise, very opinionated," she said.

Mr. Nolde was born and raised in Wyndmoor and graduated from Germantown Friends School in the mid-1940s.

By 1950, he had a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and had enlisted in the Army. He served during the Korean War.

After the war, Mr. Nolde earned a master's degree in music history and theory from the Manhattan School of Music. He taught at Rutgers for five years.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Nolde is survived by his son, Scott; three grandchildren; two sisters; his companion of 20 years, Alice Berendzen; and his former wife, Jane Benge.

A memorial service will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at Holly Hedge Estate, 6987 Upper York Rd., New Hope.