Sybil Parnes

Thirteen days before her 90th birthday, June 25, wife, mother, teacher, sports fan, world traveler, and lover of the arts, Sybil Parnes passed peacefully on June 12, 2015 in Louisville, KY. A Princeton, New Jersey native, Sybil graduated from Penn State University, where she was President of Sigma Delta Tau sorority, before later receiving a Masters Degree in Counseling from The College of New Jersey. For 22 years she taught social studies at Princeton High School, where she also served as Assistant Principal.

One of three daughters of Julius and Laura Peskin, a founding family of the Jewish community in 1930 and owners of the Princeton News Service, Sybil attended Princeton High School. In 1948 she married David Parnes and lived in New York until 1956, when they moved back to Princeton. Sybil was actively involved in her Princeton community. She was on many committees at The Jewish Center. Seeing a need for jobs for young people she co-founded in the 1960’s The Youth Employment Service. Later on she co-originated The Roster for Women, for women needing employment. Volunteering at The Princeton Historical Society, especially as a docent for the house tours, was a special interest of hers. Early on, Sybil was part of Community Without Walls-House and a member of Hopewell Valley Golf Club.

In 2010 Sybil moved to Louisville’s Treyton Oak Towers retirement community to be near her daughter and son-in-law, Susan and Tom Sobel. During her Louisville years she grew to love her adopted hometown, extended family, and new friends. Continuing her interests from Princeton, she became a tireless volunteer, donating time to The Old Louisville Visitor’s Center, taking Veritas classes at Bellarmine University, and attending as many arts events as she could fit into her always busy schedule. Happily involved at Treyton Oak Towers, she was Vice President of The Residents Council and served on the Compassion Committee and Stretching the Minds series.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Julius and Laura Peskin, sister, Diane Elice, and husband, David Parnes. She is survived by her sister, Rosalie Hersh of Tampa, FL, son Mitchel Parnes of Palm Springs, CA, son Dr. Neil Parnes (Diana) of Spartanburg, SC, daughter Susan Parnes Sobel (Tom) of Louisville, KY, four grandchildren, Molly Parnes, Sydelle Elshenawy (Tarek), Max Parnes, Lisa Sobel-Berlow (Benji), and great grandson, Jacen Parnes.

A celebration of Sybil’s 90th birthday was already planned for June 25, 2015 and will still be held, now as a loving memorial, on that date at 2 p.m. at The Temple, 5101 US Highway 42, Louisville, KY. In early fall she will be interred by her husband at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge, NJ.

Expressions of sympathy may be directed to The Princeton Historical Society and The Jewish Center-Princeton.

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Margaret Helen Cox Stange

Margaret Helen Cox Stange, a longtime Princeton resident, died peacefully on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at Princeton’s Acorn Glen Assisted Living Residence. She was 94 years old.

Helen, as she was known to all, was born on January 25, 1921 in Fort Wayne, Indiana where she grew up and where she was valedictorian of her graduating class at Fort Wayne’s South Side High School in 1938.

Helen attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and graduated in 1942 having majored in mathematics with a minor in classical Latin and Greek. At Northwestern, she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. While only a junior, she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She later attended graduate school also at Northwestern and earned a masters degree in mathematics in 1946.

It was as an undergraduate at Northwestern that she met her future husband, Hugo Stange of Wilmette, Illinois. The two were married in September 1942 and remained married until Dr. Stange’s death in December 2007.

Mrs. Stange is survived by her five children, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. They are: Mark Stange of Shoreview, Minnesota and his two children, Erik and Jennifer Stange and Erik’s two children Greta and Henrik Stange; Paul Stange of Newark, New Jersey and his three children Anna, Vivian and Ted Stange; Karl Stange of Los Angeles, California and his two children, Justine and Celeste Stange; Martha Stange Borkan of Melrose, Massachusetts and her son Daniel Borkan; and Tom Stange of Princeton and his two children, William and Jack Stange.

Before moving to Princeton in 1956, Mrs. Stange was active in the Parent Teachers Association of Niagra Falls, New York, serving there as president of the 93rd Street Elementary School’s PTA. In Princeton she served as den mother to several of her sons’ Cub Scout packs, and was active as a Girl Scouts troop leader. She also volunteered her time to Recordings for the Blind. An accomplished and proficient knitter, Mrs. Stange often created her own sweater patterns based solely on old photographs of Irish fishermen.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

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Rev. Carl D. Reimers, Jr. 

Rev. Carl D. Reimers, Jr. passed away peacefully at his home on June 17, 2015.  He was born on January 17, 1930 in Richmond Virginia.  He spent his formative years growing up in Fort Worth, Texas with loving parents Charles Dietrich & Ray Saunders Reimers.  After graduating from the St. Marks School of Texas he went on to graduate from Northwestern University.  Realizing that he desired a career to serve both Man and God, he received a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and further graduate studies at Harvard Divinity School.

After his formal education, he became the Minister at the First Presbyterian Church, Coleman, Texas.  Three years later in 1959, he was recruited to become the Assistant Dean of the Chapel, Princeton University serving as minister and professor.  In 1970 he went on to become the Chairman of the Religion Department at Princeton Day School where he remained until he retired in 1993.  He loved his years at Princeton Day School as a teacher, advisor and later Dean of Students.  The “Rev”, as his students at PDS affectionately called him, was a beloved teacher, mentor, and friend.  Many former students would contact him well after retirement for advice and to officiate at their weddings and children’s baptisms.  He had an infectious personality with an abundant sense of humor.

Carl served on various Boards including Princeton Day School, Historic Morven, Princeton University Art Museum, and the Council for Religion in Independent Schools.  He was a member of the Century Association in New York and an honorary member of the Princeton Ivy Club.

He is survived by his son Carl D. Reimers III, his son’s wife Pamela, and their children Grace Pauline and Charles Damon Reimers of Greenwich, CT.  He cherished his two stepsons from his marriage to the late Jane G. Irwin, Watt W. and Thomas B. Reynolds of Fort Worth, Texas.

His Memorial Service will be held at the Princeton University Chapel on July 9 at 11 a.m.

Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.

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Ai Constance Handa Moore

Ai Constance Handa Moore died in her home at sunrise on June 13, 2015.  Born and raised in Seattle, she lived and worked in Princeton over the course of thirty-three years before moving to Monroe Township in 1985. She was 90 years old.

Ai’s young life was shaped, like that of most other Japanese Americans on the West Coast, by the dislocations of the Second World War.  She was a student at Garfield High School when she and her family were forcibly “evacuated” from their homes in the mass relocation of Japanese to internment camps in the interior West.  Her family’s incarceration began at the Puyallup Fairgrounds before transfer to the internment camp in desolate Minadoka, Idaho, where Ai completed her secondary school studies and received her high school diploma.

Thanks to the American Friends Service Committee, Ai was permitted to leave the internment camp to pursue a college education on the East Coast at Beaver College (now Arcadia University) in Pennsylvania. At the war’s end, when she and her family were allowed to return to Seattle, she transferred to the University of Washington and earned her bachelor of arts in the department of sociology, a degree that was formally conferred only in 2015.  At the university she was a co-founder of Valeda, a Japanese-American sorority, at a time when established on-campus sororities did not welcome non-white co-eds.

During summers while at the University of Washington, Ai did volunteer social work in Harlem, New York, and then became a resident volunteer with inmates at the New Jersey State Reformatory for Women, at the time an open correctional facility at Clinton Farms.  Ai served as a volunteer aide on an Indian reservation in Washington before becoming a junior case worker for the King County welfare department, Seattle. She was a member of the Japanese Presbyterian Church in Seattle and served on the boards of the Seattle Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Seattle Urban League.

In 1952 Ai moved to Princeton, New Jersey. In Princeton she joined the Witherspoon Presbyterian Church, where she served as church secretary in 1950s, and married James W. Moore. She worked at the Educational Testing Service when it was headquartered on Nassau Street, Princeton, and as a social worker with Mercer County Neighborhood Youth Corps.  She launched Handa Food Management in Princeton, providing food catering services to individual and corporate clients.  Ai was a contributor to a Time-Life volume on international cuisines and taught cooking at the Princeton Y adult school.  As Handa Food Management’s owner-operator, she ran the dining facility of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for many years.  She retired in 1987.

Ai was active in the Princeton community, serving on the boards of the Princeton Nursery School, Princeton Homemakers, and the Princeton Day School Parents Association, and was active in the Soroptimist Club.  With a teaching diploma in Japanese tea ceremony and flower arrangement, she pursued Japanese paper arts through her entire adult life.  Her other interests included interior design and travel, particularly to Japan and Italy.

Ai was preceded in death by her parents, Yuki and Takeyoshi Handa, originally of Fukushima and Niigata, Japan, respectively; a sister, Shizuko Nakashima Handa of Koriyama, and brother Michihiko Handa of Los Angeles; and her former husband James Moore.

She is survived by a daughter, Yuki Moore Laurenti, and her husband Jeffrey; a grandson, Mario Laurenti; a brother, Yoshihiko Robert Handa of Bellevue, Washington; nephews Dan Handa and David Handa, respectively of Gig Harbor and Seattle, Washington, and Doug Handa of Poway, California; and cousins in Seattle and in Koriyama and Tokyo, Japan.

A funeral and memorial to Ai’s life will be celebrated at Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 18, 2015.  Ai requested that, in lieu of flowers, friends might make donations to the Mario Laurenti ‘03 Financial Aid Endowment at the Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, 1128 Great Road, Princeton 08540.

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Dr. Alfred S. Cook, Jr. 

Dr. Alfred S. Cook Jr., formerly of Princeton, died in Fort Myers, Florida on June 15, 2015.  He was 91.  Born and raised in Princeton, he had a medical practice in Princeton and was on the staff of Princeton Medical center from 1954 to 1996.  He was educated in the Princeton Public Schools and graduated from The Hun School.  He attended Lehigh University and received his medical degree from the Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Pennsylvania post-graduate program in internal medicine.  He served his internship and residency at Mercer Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey.

Dr. Cook served in World War II and as a doctor in the Korean War where he was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina serving as the head of the clinic for dependent families.

Dr. Cook loved to garden and was noted for his vegetable and flower gardens.  He especially took pride in his “pumpkin patch” which became a regular visit for the nearby elementary school kindergarten classes every fall.  He was also an avid fly fisherman who loved his fishing trips to Maine and also enjoyed surf fishing on Long Beach Island.

He was the son of the late Alfred S. Cook Sr. and Leah Suydam Cook.  He is survived by his wife Mary Elise, also born in Princeton, daughters Mary Ann Cook of Princeton, Margaret Farley of Fort Myers, Florida and son Raymond Cook of Princeton and 4 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.  He was pre-deceased by daughter Sandra Labaree of Wiscasset, Maine and his sister Marjorie Mason of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The family will hold a memorial service to be announced at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University or to a charity of your choice.

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Phyllis M. Simone 

Phyllis M. Simone (Dalton), 65, of Hamilton died Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at home surrounded by her loving family. Born in Legga, Moyne, Co. Longford, Ireland, she has been a resident of Hamilton for over 40 years. Phyllis was co-owner along with her husband of Hulit’s Shoes of Princeton. Daughter of the late John and Winifred (Whelan) Dalton, sister of the late Frances Mahon (Eamon), she is survived by her husband of 43 years Charles V. Simone, two sons and their wives, Christopher and Jessica, Ryan and Maria, her brother Sean and Marion Dalton, her sisters Elizabeth Butler, Mary Jo and Seamus Conboy, Patricia and John Mellody, Marie and Thomas Mulligan, Joan and David Walsh, her grandchildren Amelia, Penelope and John Francis and many nieces and nephews.

Phyllis was a devoted wife, mother and granny. She loved her family and friends and lived her life always thinking of others. Some of her favorite moments were spent at many of her large family gatherings and at the shore in Lavallette, New Jersey. We will miss her laugher, Irish wisdom and her caring heart. She leaves a void that cannot be replaced.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 22, 2015, St. Paul’s Church, located at 214 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ. Burial followed at Princeton Cemetery. Friends were asked to call on Sunday, June 21, 2015 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ. Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

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Charles Homer Burkman

Charles Homer Burkman of Pennington, New Jersey died Sunday, June 21, 2015 surrounded by his loving family with prayers from around the world at Compassionate Care Hospice at St. Francis.  Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, he was the son of the late Eric and Ethel Berry Burkman, he had lived in Pennington for many years.  Charles attended Pingry School in Elizabeth, New Jersey and in 1944 was enrolled as a member of Princeton University’s Class of 1948.  He served in the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps, 1944-1946, before returning to Princeton, from which he graduated in 1952.

He traveled and lived in France for over a year, and worked at ETS for several years upon his return.

August 1959 was a watershed: He began graduate studies at Rutgers Library School, began working at Princeton University Library, and met his wife-to-be, Sally Wilt of Towanda, Pennsylvania, in Seabright, New Jersey.  They were married in 1960.  After receiving his Masters in Library Service, he served his alma mater for 34 years, both as a Reference Librarian and a Cataloger, retiring in 1993.

He and his wife loved to travel, making several road trips to all the contiguous states, as well as Eastern Canada and Newfoundland.  They were especially fond of cruising: the Caribbean and the North Atlantic, Iceland, Scandinavia and Great Britain.  Perhaps the best holiday was by train across Canada, by ship up the Alaskan Inside Passage, two weeks with family on the Kenai Peninsula, then retracing the whole trip!

He was an avid reader of literature, history and religion, a lover of classical music and opera, a great bird watcher, and a cat afficianado!  He loved being with all his family, especially sharing his special love of Maine.  He was a faithful member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Pennington for many years, serving on its Vestry and on the Music and Worship Adult Education Committees.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, 3 daughters and sons-in-law, Katherine Burkman-Mole (Theodore) of Alaska, and their three sons, Matthew, Andrew and Nathanael of Alaska; Elisabeth Burkman Bielski (Edwin) of Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania; Sarah F. Burkman (Anthony Shelborne) of Sterling, Virginia.

A Requiem Eucharist and Celebration of Life will be held Thursday, June 25, 2015 at 11 a.m. at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 300 S. Main Street, Pennington with the Rev. Canon John C. Belmont Rector officiating.  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Princeton University Library or St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church or Compassionate Care Hospice.

Arrangements are by the Wilson-Apple Funeral Home, 2560 Pennington Road, Pennington.  Condolences are welcome at wilsonapple.com.

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Irwin Gordon

Irwin Gordon passed away peacefully in his sleep on Monday, June 15, 2015.

Beloved husband and treasured companion to Lenore; doting father to Mark (Susan), Princeton, NJ and Sara (London, England); grandfather “Pop” to Thea Colman (Craig), Winchester, MA, Alene Pearson (Val Jordan), Albany, CA, and Melissa Gordon, Somerville, MA; and great-grandfather to Eli, James, Maya and Zoe.

Irwin began life in Brooklyn, NY and soon moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he was raised by his parents, Benjamin and May Gordon.  He was a big brother to Allen (deceased), Highland Park, IL and Larry, Houston, TX.
Irwin was a grateful graduate of Rutgers where he completed his PhD in Ceramics after returning from distinguished service in World War II, primarily in Europe.  He served in the U.S. Army’s Company A 179th Engineer Combat Battalion. Irwin received two Purple Hearts and later was honored by the French government with membership in the Legion of Honor for his military service. Irwin’s mother was ever-optimistic when he was shipped out to war and wrote in her diary, “Irwin is spending the summer in Europe.”

Irwin was immersed in research at the David Sarnoff Research Center throughout his career.  In the early days of color television, he worked on its development.  Over time, he came to hold a number patents for his efforts.  Given his generation and upbringing, much free time was spent as a volunteer for various local charities and organizations.  In particular, he melded his scientific knowledge with a melodious voice to be a reader/volunteer for Recording for the Blind for 35 years.  He served as President of The Jewish Center of Princeton in its formative years as well as the Chairman of United Jewish Appeal.  His Jewish heritage was a strong basis of his character which saw an artistic outlet when he took courses at the Jewish Museum in NYC for many years to craft beautiful Judaica (some of which were donated to The Jewish Center of Princeton).  Combining his passion for helping the blind with his artistry, Irwin designed and crafted a Braille mezuzah which is on permanent display at the Grand Synagogue in Jerusalem.

Irwin’s sunny disposition was matched by a smile which rarely set.  In his later years, Irwin would remark upon the wonder and pleasure of his travels with Lenore to 42 countries.  He would greet the immigration official on his return with a smile and announce, “G-d Bless America!”  Despite failing health over the past few months, Irwin greeted each day with his usual smile and gentle demeanor.  He died peacefully in his sleep one week short of his 67th wedding anniversary.

The funeral was attended by immediate family only.  If you would like to share in his memory, belt out a chorus of his favorite, “G-d Bless America”, and make a contribution to a charity of your choice.

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Elliott Howard Sylvan

Elliott Howard Sylvan, age 87, who passed on Tuesday June 2, 2015 left an indelible mark around his original residence on Long Island through his volunteer service and participation in senior sports. So, when he moved to his new home in New Jersey, he wasn’t going to stop.

He and his beloved wife Lenore retired to the Princeton area in order to experience the enriching life that the area offers such as attending numerous classes at Princeton University and delivering books for the Princeton Public Library to nearby homebound citizens. He could also be found fundraising and working on special events at the Princeton Senior Resource Center.

In addition, on any given day, Sylvan who had been a star baseball player at Jamaica High School in Queens, New York and was drafted and played in the New York Giants system, could be seen coaching young people. This included working for Autism New Jersey/COSAC and Special Olympics athletes in addition to playing with children at the YMCA after school athletic programs.

Sylvan, who married his high-school sweetheart and “Life” cheerleader, Lenore Cohen, served in the Army occupation forces in Japan post World War II. In 1990, Sylvan renewed his love for baseball by playing First Base on Senior Softball teams in New York, winning 10 championships in 11 years. He was inducted into the ISSA Hall of Fame and National Senior Softball Hall of Fame, won Senior Olympics and Senior Softball World Series.

His career focused on the trucking industry as President of the NYC Garment Center trucking company, Empire Carriers Corp., then with NJ-based Supermarkets General Corp. and finally in his own brokerage firm. He used these skills in his volunteer work for Island Harvest and more recently, securing and delivering food for the PSRC Breakfast at Home Fundraiser.

Loving husband of Lenore, father of Harlan (deceased), Sanford, Gwen, and Seth, their spouses Ann, Mark, and Carol. Devoted grandfather to Jason and his wife Rosalynn, Alex, Kristen, and Matthew, and great grandfather to Theo.

Memorial Services will take place at the Princeton Senior Resource Center in the Fall.

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