Te Ning Chin

Te Ning Chin, 92, of Princeton, died on May 16, 2013 in University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro after a brief illness. Born on July 15, 1920, he grew up on a farm in rural China.

Dr. Chin received a B.S. in electrical engineering from National Tsing Hua University (Kunming, Yunnan) in 1942. From 1942 to 1945, he worked at Central Radio Manufacturing Works in Kunming and then served as an instructor at Tsing Hua University in Beijing from 1945 to 1947. He was awarded a scholarship to attend graduate school in the United States through a U.S. government-sponsored program created to recognize China for having been an ally during World War II.

A member of the Sigma Xi honor society, Te Ning received an MS in 1949 and a PhD in 1952 in electrical engineering and physics from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Ill. While he was a PhD candidate, the Communists announced their takeover of China in October 1949. This great and generous nation called America, the “Shining City on a Hill”, not only welcomed him to stay but also provided a path to citizenship.

Dr. Chin did postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois and then worked as a senior engineer for RCA Corp. from 1955 to 1957. From 1957 to 1977, he was a member of the technical staff at RCA Laboratories. He took a sabbatical year from 1963 to 1964, during which he was an associate professor in the department of electrical engineering at Rutgers University and was awarded a National Science Foundation fellowship to participate in MIT’s program on experimental solid state physics. After departing RCA Labs, he worked at New Jersey Institute of Technology before joining the United States Army armament research and development command in 1979. He retired from the department of defense in 1989. He made pioneering contributions in the television industry, authored numerous journal articles, and one book, and he was the holder of five patents.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Mary Yun-Chen Kao, sons Alvin and Gilbert, and two granddaughters, Fiona and Meredith.

A memorial gathering will be held at a future date.

Extend condolences at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

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Wanda D. Saums

Wanda D. Saums passed away after a brief illness on May 17, 2013 at home in Blawenburg. She was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and raised on the family farm in the Hopewell Valley area.

Wanda was a pioneer for women and was a founder along with her husband Bob of Saums Paint & Wallpaper in 1957 now called Saums Interiors and Saums Paint Shop. She was a decorator, salesperson, bookkeeper, and overseer of everything.

She was a member of St. Alphonsus Church in Hopewell. She also studied the bible and received further fellowship from the Blawenburg Dutch Reformed Church.

Wanda is predeceased by her husband, Robert C. Saums and grandson R. Scott Perrine. She is survived by her daughters, Sharon of Hopewell, Maryann and Jerry Keating of Pennington, and Eileen and Mike McCandlish of Columbus, Ohio; 3 grandchildren, Steven Perrine, Jennifer Dragert, and Caz Finnegan. She is also survived by one great-grandchild Danielle Perrine.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, May 21 at 10 a.m. at St. Alphonsus Church on Prospect Street in Hopewell. Burial will follow at Blawenburg Cemetery.

There will be no calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Montgomery Twp. Volunteer Fire Co. #2, P.O. Box 267, Blawenburg, N.J. 08504.

Arrangements are under the direction of Blackwell Memorial Funeral Home, Pennington.

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Peter Tilden Hitchcock

Peter Tilden Hitchcock, 81, passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was the son of the late Horace Gaylord Hitchcock and Elinor Tilden Hitchcock of Bronxville, New York. He was the grandson of the late Charles Joseph Tilden and Katherine Myers Tilden.

Peter graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1949 from Phillips Exeter Academy and Cum Laude from Princeton University, class of 1953. While in attendance, he went to Officer Candidate School and upon graduation he served in the United States Navy during the Korean War. He was released from active duty on Honorable Discharge, having attained the rank of Lieutenant, Senior Grade. In 1959 he received a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia University School of Law, New York City. While there he met his beloved wife, Cecily (Ceci) Kohlsaat Hitchcock of 55 years. Ceci’s parents were the late Minot C. Morgan, Jr. and Virginia Myers Kohlsaat Morgan of 36 Mercer Street. Minot (Mike) was mayor of Princeton in 1946.

He joined Allied Chemical Corp. (later Allied Signal, now G.E. Honeywell) where he served as Counsel for many divisions, eventually becoming assistant general counsel. In 1980 he accepted a position with Conoco Chemical (later DuPont) and did extensive international legal work and later was a founding executive of Vista Chemical, later acquired by Condea of Germany. He retired in 1994.

Peter was active in politics, as chairman of the Republican Municipal Committee of Mountain Lakes, N.J. He was also active at St. Peter’s Church, Mountain Lakes.

After his retirement, he and Ceci spent several years at Hilton Head Island, S.C. In 2002 they moved to Jackson, N.J. and continued to split their time between Jackson and Sandisfield, Mass., living at “Thurtilperk Hill”, his family home since 1923. Most recently he was a member of Trinity Church, Princeton.

Besides his beloved wife, Ceci, Peter is survived by two daughters, Sharon Myers Hitchcock of Brooklyn, N.Y. and Courtney Hitchcock Cole, her husband Richard and grandson, Nicholas Tilden Cole of Bluffton, S.C. He is also survived by his brother, Father Horace Gaylord Hitchcock, Jr. of Hawaii.

A Mass of Christian Burial, officiated by Father Russell Griffin and Father H. Gaylord Hitchcock, brother of the deceased, will take place at the Church of St. Uriel the Archangel, 219 Philadelphia and Third Avenue, Sea Girt, N.J. on Saturday, May 25 at 11 a.m. A luncheon will follow in the Parish Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Wag On Inn Rescue (an organization that rescues animals from kill shelters up and down the Atlantic Coast), 400 W. Park Ave., Oakhurst, N.J. 07755. Arrangements are under the direction of the George S. Hassler Funeral Home, 980 Bennetts Mills Rd., Jackson Twp., N.J.

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Edmund R. Wyder, Jr. 

Edmund R. Wyder, Jr., died Wednesday, May 14 at his home in Somerset, N.J. He was 92. Mr. Wyder was born in Jersey City and spent his youth growing up in White Plains, New York. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a second lieutenant. He graduated from Harvard University in 1947 and worked at McGraw Hill Publishing Company for most of his career before retiring in 1985.

In 1949 he married the love of his life, Ollie Labash, who passed away in 1999. He is preceded in death by his beloved son Mark T. Wyder. He is survived by his loving son, Bruce E. Wyder of Somerset, and his loving daughter, Susan Newton-Dunn (Nick) of Pennington. Also surviving him are five grandchildren, Kara L. Fraser of Manhattan, N.Y,, Cristina Dunlap (Peter) of Wayzata, Minn,, Theodore Wyder of Minneapolis, Minn,, Alexandra Wyder of Chicago, Ill., and Julia Wyder of Minneapolis, Minn. His daughter-in-law Jan Wyder-Barck of Plymouth, Minn. also survives him.

Services were held on Saturday, May 18at 10:30 a.m. in the Montgomery Evangelical Free Church in Belle Mead. Interment was private. Visiting for family and friends was held from 10 to 10:30 a.m. in the church. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials in Mr. Wyder’s name be made to World Vision Organization for the relief of suffering children.

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Donald E. Blankenbush

Donald E. Blankenbush died at his home on May 16, 2013. Don was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. on May 28, 1929. He died of pulmonary disease and other medical problems.

He graduated from Wilkes College, served with the U.S. Army in the Korean conflict, and earned a Master’s degree in U.S. History from Rutger’s University. He taught social studies at the Princeton Regional Schools for 37 years, was president of the Teacher’s Association and coached baseball. Don assisted Henry Drewry in the establishment of the Teacher Preparation Program at Princeton University and created the Jefferson Meeting, an inter-generational debate program at the John Witherspoon Middle School. He was director of the Hun School summer day camp, and president of the Trenton Ski Club when the ski slope commonly referred to as “Belle Bump” was opened.

Upon retirement Don taught at the Rescue Mission in Trenton and homebound students through the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. He also started a tennis program as part of Pennington Parks and Recreation.

His beloved family was all with him before he died. He is survived by his lovely and adored wife, Anthea Spencer; his son, David Blankenbush and his wife, Kristin; his two daughters, Sara Foster, Diana(Dede) Geherty and husband, Ted; his stepdaughter, Melanie Spencer and husband, Mark Horlock; ; his stepson, Silas Spencer and partner Tom Wynn; his five grandchildren, Amanda and Julia Foster, Ben and Will Geherty, and Ayla Blankenbush; his three stepgrandchildren, Aria Arnone, Max and Marcus Merriman; many nephews, nieces, great nephews and great nieces; and many wonderful friends.

There will be a celebration and remembrance of his life at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to Mercer Street Friends, 151 Mercer Street. Trenton, N.J. 08611-1799, www.mercerstreet
friends.org; Crisis Ministry, 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, 08542, www.thecrisisministry.org; Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 790, Trenton, N.J. 08605-0790, www.rescuemissionoftrenton.org or Catholic Charities, 383 W. State Street, Trenton 08610, www.catholiccharitiestrenton.org.