Obituaries 8/19/15
Jean F. Byrne
Jean F. Byrne, of Princeton, died peacefully on August 9, 2015, at the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro surrounded by family members. The cause was complications from Babesiosis (a tick-borne disease of the red blood cells), and her illness was brief. Jean was New Jersey’s first lady from 1974 to 1982.
Jean was born in 1926 in Newark, New Jersey, and spent her childhood in West Orange, where she lived until 1974 when she moved to Princeton upon her former husband’s election as governor. She graduated from West Orange High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University where she majored in Spanish. As an undergraduate, she also won academic awards in English composition and literature. She subsequently earned a master’s degree in education from New York University.
Like her mother, she was deeply committed to education. As a student teacher, she taught in public schools in Harlem and elsewhere in Manhattan. Jean then taught second grade in West Orange until required to retire when she became pregnant with her first child. She remained a lifelong proponent of quality education and civil rights.
During her time as New Jersey’s first lady, in addition to raising her children and carrying out her official obligations, Mrs. Byrne was active in the Princeton public schools as a teacher’s assistant and coordinator of special programs. While Jean’s priority remained her family, she supported her husband’s policies in frequent public engagements and in an influential letter to the editor defending his record. She also appreciated the rarity of opportunities the role brought to her: to dance with Prince Philip, to attend operas with one of its greatest stars, Maria Jeritza, and to host Princess Grace and her family at Morven, the governor’s residence in Princeton at the time. But she was most grateful to come in contact with amazing people quietly working to address a variety of education, health, and other welfare needs of the state’s citizens.
Mrs. Byrne remained a Princeton resident after her years in the governor’s mansion, but she retained throughout her life many friendships formed as early as kindergarten in West Orange. Jean was an avid bridge player, gardener, cook, music and opera lover, dog lover, traveler, reader, tennis player, and tennis fan. Jean was also a member of the Nassau Club, past member of the Orange Lawn Tennis Club, and active in the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville. She remained active and independent throughout her life, and she will be remembered by all who knew her for her simple graciousness.
Jean is predeceased is by her parents, George and Jane (née Crysler) Featherly; an older sister Anne Phinney; and a daughter, Susan. She is survived by her son Brendan Thomas Byrne, Jr. and his wife Barbara Moakler Byrne; daughter Nancy Byrne Reinhart and her husband Peter; son Timothy J. Byrne and his companion Mercy Salaz; daughter Mary Anne Byrne; daughter Barbara Byrne Stefan and her husband Albert; son William K. Byrne, and their children and stepchildren Meaghan, Erin, Brendan, and Kelly; Matthew and Anna; Jack, Lukas, and Saiya; and Alexandra and Scarlett; as well as her beloved nieces and nephews and her extended family and close friends.
A memorial service for Jean will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, September 18, at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville. In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome contributions in Jean’s memory to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, P.O. Box 872, Trenton, NJ 08605 or SAVE Animal Rescue, 900 Herrontown Road, Princeton, NJ 08540, or another worthwhile cause of which Jean knew there are many.
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Elizabeth Bryant Miles
Mrs. Elizabeth Bryant Miles (Lid), 102, a resident of Princeton, died of natural causes on Friday August 14, 2015. She was a loving mother and wife, grandmother, drama teacher, and enthusiastic community leader. She lived with her family in Orinda, Calif., Old Greenwich, Conn., Houston Tex. and Princeton.
Lid was born on May 7, 1913 in Kansas City, Mo. to Dr. Carl Herbert Bryant and Mary Tanner Shannon Bryant of Independence Mo. Her father was a member of the class of 1904 at Yale and, according to her, an author of the Whiffenpoof Song, which she sang and played on the piano her whole life, up to the day before her death. She grew up with her four younger brothers in Atascadero, Calif. and attended Mills College, where she majored in drama, performing many roles, often as the male lead, since she was tall relative to the other girls. Her memorable roles included Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, the lines of which she always remembered and recited often. After graduation from Mills she taught drama at Anna Head School (Now Head-Royce School) in Berkeley, Calif. and served as Miss San Louis Obispo County at the San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition. In 1939 she met Thomas Kirk Miles (Kirk), a resident at her boarding house in Berkeley. He was a civil engineering graduate from Stanford University with a master’s degree from MIT and worked for Shell Development in Emeryville, California. They were married at the Stanford Memorial Church on May 13, 1939. They settled in Orinda, Calif. where they lived until 1962, with the exception of a few years in Washington D.C. during World War II. Their first son, Thomas Kirk Miles, Jr. was born on October 5, 1941 in Oakland. He died in an automobile accident in 1964 during his senior year at Pacific University, Oregon. His dedication to theater and acting led Pacific University to name the Tom Miles Theater in his memory. Their second son, Richard Bryant Miles, was born July 10, 1943 in Washington D.C. He is currently Robert Porter Patterson Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Emeritus at Princeton University. In 1962 Kirk was transferred to Shell’s head office in New York City, and they moved to Old Greenwich Conn., a short commute from the city, where, with the exception of five years in Houston Tex., they lived until 1995. That year they moved to Princeton next door to their son, Richard, and his family.
Lid was always engaged in community affairs. She co-directed the comic review, Absurdia in Suburbia, and put on children’s performances of the Nutcracker Suite, Sleeping Beauty and other favorites to the delight of the Orinda community. Their friends included many Shell families. They gathered around her Steinway piano on many occasions, singing old favorites late into the night. Most of these families were also transferred to the east coast and remained close friends. In Old Greenwich she was active in the garden club of Old Greenwich, the First Congregational Church choir and the Mills Alumnae Association. Her Parties to Picnics cookbook presented one meal for each week of the year with recipes from Mills Alumnae and friends as a fund-raiser for the Mills College Club of New York. She and Kirk enjoyed tennis and sailing and their wonderful Lucas Point neighbors. They were members of the Riverside Yacht Club, and sailed their 35-foot sloop, Sea Otter, in Long Island Sound and “down East” to Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. In 1971 they sailed Sea Otter all the way to Houston, Texas when Shell moved its New York offices there, sailing back again in 1975 after Kirk retired. They moved to Princeton after their home in Old Greenwich was flooded by a nor’easter. In Princeton, Lid participated in the Let’s Talk group at the Senior Resource Center, making many new friends there. Every evening she played the piano after dinner and before climbing the stairs to bed. She had a piano piece for each of the beloved men in her life, always ending with Good Night Sweetheart for Kirk.
She is survived by her son, Richard Miles; his wife, Dr. Susan McCoy Miles, of Princeton; and her grandchildren, Thomas Nelson Miles of Princeton and Julia Elizabeth Miles of Fredericksburg, Va.
Services will he held at the First Congregational Church in Old Greenwich Connecticut on Saturday, August 22 at 3 p.m.
Donations may be made in her memory to the Tom Miles Endowment for the Performing Arts at Pacific University, 2043 College Way, Forest Grove, Oregon 97116, to Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, California, 94613, or to the Princeton Senior Resource Center, 45 Stockton Street, Princeton NJ 08540.
Arrangements are under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
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Timothy M. Hosea
Timothy Michael Hosea, MD, orthopaedic surgeon, and Rutgers University Football team physician of Princeton, passed away suddenly at the age of 62 on Saturday, August 8, 2015. Born in Grosse Pointe, Mich, to Elizabeth R. Hosea and the late Thomas J. Hosea, Tim is survived by his wife of 40 years, Elizabeth (Libet) Murray Hosea, and three daughters, Hadley Elizabeth Hosea, Mary Whitney Hosea, and Katherine Kirby Hosea. Tim is also survived by three brothers, David (Valerie) of Palm Coast, Fla.; Mark (Sharon) of Orchard Lake, Mich.; and Paul (Crisi) of Laguna Beach, Calif.; along with numerous nieces, nephews, and a wide and wonderful circle of friends.
A longtime resident of Princeton, Tim attended Harvard University where he was a member of the Harvard crew team, training under legendary Harvard coach Harry Parker and competed in the boat that won the Ladies Challenge Cup at Henley-on-Thames in 1973. Twenty-five years later as an avid master’s oarsman, Tim won gold in an epic race against a Russian eight at the Nike World Masters Championships. Following his graduation from Harvard, Tim enrolled in medical school at the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine. Tim returned to Boston completing his internship at Peter Brent Brigham Hospital, his residency at the Harvard Combined Orthopedic Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in sports medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Tim and Libet moved to Princeton in 1985 where he began his orthopaedic practice with University Orthopaedic Associates, specializing in sports medicine. Tim had affiliations with five hospitals: the University Center for Ambulatory Surgery, Center for Ambulatory Resources, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Saint Peter’s University Hospital, and The Medical Center at Princeton.
Tim’s affinity for sports shone through in his professional life, serving as the team physician for the USRowing national team at 12 world rowing championships and multiple Olympic Games over the past two decades. He was also the U.S. Olympic team physician for the Rowing, Canoe/Kayak, and Cycling teams at the XXVIIth Olympiad in Sydney, Australia and the U.S. Olympic team physician for the Rowing and Athletic teams at the XXX Olympiad in London, England. In addition, Tim was the orthopaedic consultant and team physician for Rutgers University, where he traveled with the football team for 30 years.
Tim was the president of the Princeton National Rowing Association, authored numerous articles and presentations on sports medicine, and was a member of several orthopaedic and sports medicine societies, including the Herodicus Society and the Thomas B. Quigley Society. He was a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, a chair of the Sports Medicine Commission, a member of the United States Rowing Association, and a Clinical Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UMDNJ — Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Tim also enjoyed work as a committed board member for various organizations, including a trustee of the Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart.
A dedicated sportsman, Tim had a love of the outdoors and was a golf, rowing, skeet shooting, hunting, and fly fishing enthusiast. Tim’s passion extended beyond his own enjoyment, as he took enormous pleasure in sharing his knowledge by teaching, as well as learning from others. He exemplified the finest qualities of a sportsman — cherishing the community and camaraderie of sport, but also giving of himself so that others could enjoy the rewards of sport. He tirelessly offered himself, his time, his connections, and his expertise for the benefit of everyone he met. Tim will be remembered for enriching the lives of others and his warm dimpled smile, contagious laugh, self-effacing nature and witty sense of humor.
Tim was a member of the Pine Valley Golf Club, the Bedens Brook Club, the United States Seniors Golf Association, as well as the Philadelphia Gun Club, Nassau Gun Club, and the Blooming Grove Hunting and Fishing Club where he served on the Board of Directors.
Per Tim’s wishes, there will be a private family service. Tim asked that those lives he touched spend time doing what he loved: golfing, shooting, fishing, rowing and being with family.
In lieu of flowers, the Hosea family graciously welcomes contributions to the Timothy M. Hosea Memorial Fund at the Princeton National Rowing Association.
Donations may be sent to: Princeton National Rowing Association, Timothy M. Hosea Memorial Fund, 1 South Post Road, Princeton Junction, NJ 08550 or visit www.rowpnra.org/polDonate.cfm.
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Zelda Lynn Bogdonoff
Zelda Lynn Bogdonoff, 65, died August 8, 2015 at St. Luke’s Hospice House in Bethlehem, Pa. She was born in Princeton and attended Princeton public schools. She graduated from Connecticut College and then earned a Masters in early childhood development from Leslie College.
Zelda moved to Bethlehem to work at Head Start, Community Services for Children. She spent nearly 40 years there, ultimately becoming director for early childhood development. Her career was dedicated to helping young children by giving them an educational head start and by nurturing the teachers required to do so.
She was a valued and long-time member of congregation Brith Shalom, a community that she cherished.
Zelda will be deeply missed by all she touched. She is survived by her mother, Harriet Bogdonoff, of Portland, Me.; a sister, Sondra Bogdonoff and spouse Jamie Johnston of Portland, Me.; a brother Alan Bogdonoff and spouse Estelle Bogdonoff of Niantic, Conn.; nieces and nephews Emma, Noah, Nemo, Caitlin and Jake; and grand niece, Scout.
Contributions in her memory can be made to: Community Services for Children, Head Start, 1520 Hanover Avenue, Allentown, PA 18109.
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Laurence G. Long
Laurence (Larry) G. Long was peacefully called to heaven on August 14, 2015 at home surrounded by his beloved family. He is survived by Gail Foley Long, his loving and devoted wife of 37 years; his three children, Kathleen Toto and her husband Albert Toto III; Laurence Long Jr. and his wife Anna; and Pamela Niederer and her husband Brady Niederer; and his three adored grandchildren Alby, Ava, and Andrew Toto. Larry is also survived by his siblings Gail Smith, David Long Jr., Noel Long, and Matthew Long.
He began his career at Pleasantville Ford and in 1979 became a proud founder of Long Motor Company in Princeton and retired in 2011.
Larry’s extraordinary devotion to his friends, family, and his work was recognized by all who knew him. He was a consummate family man and professional with an unshakable spirit and bravery. He lived his life as if every day was a blessing, which he encouraged others to do on a daily basis. His virtue, faith, and love for life and those around him will be forever remembered.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to VNA/Hospice Foundation, 1110 35th Lane, Vero Beach, FL 32960 and Compassionate Care ALS, P.O. Box 1052, West Falmouth, MA 02574.
Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday August 22, 2015 at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Vero Beach, Florida. Arrangements are under the direction of Strunk Funeral Home and Crematory in Vero Beach. A guest book is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.
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Kees Bol
Kees Bol passed away Saturday, August 8, 2015 at his residence in Montgomery Township, New Jersey. Kees was predeceased by his wife of 65 years, Markee, who passed in 2013. He is survived by two brothers, Joor and Morris Bol; four children, Peter (Satomi) Bol, Stacy (John) Stahl, Christina Bol, and Faith (Harlan) Fish; and his four grandchildren, Christopher Bol, Rebecca Stahl, Alison Stahl, and Daniel Fish.
Kees was born on June 16, 1925 and was the oldest of the six sons of Cornelis and Josina Bol. In 1936 the Bol family emigrated from Eindhoven, the Netherlands, where Kees’ father was a leading research scientist at Philips, to Palo Alto, California, where his father continued his scientific work at Stanford University. Kees looked back to his childhood in Eindhoven as a mixture of the idyllic, a life at home romping with his brothers in the family gardens, and the less-than-pleasant experience of enduring a strict and stultifying elementary school. Family life in California was built around his father’s entrepreneurship, ranching and farming, riding horses, and education in a system that he found more open and creative. Kees studied physics at Stanford, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1945, and he earned his PhD from Stanford in 1951 at the age of 26.
From the time he was in college Kees was a political activist. He was committed to social justice and equality; it was as a counselor and riding instructor at Frank and Josephine Duveneck’s Hidden Villa camp, one of the earliest interracial summer camps, that he fell in love with fellow counselor Markee. Together they joined the Society of Friends, in no small part because of the Quaker commitment to racial equality and pacifism. Eventually Kees also joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation and would serve as Clerk of the Princeton Friends Meeting.
In 1949 Kees moved east to take a position with the Sperry Gyroscope Company on Long Island. However, his previous summer job at Hidden Villa interracial camp was seen by the FBI as a sign of communist leanings, and his security clearance was revoked in 1954. Sperry had no choice but to terminate Kees’ employment. Kees then took a job teaching physics at Adelphi College. In 1957 he succeeded in gaining a grant from the National Science Foundation for an experimental study at the Gordon McKay Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Two years later Kees was recruited to work on Project Matterhorn at what was later to become the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Former colleagues remembered his quiet professionalism and his role as a mentor in a career that spanned the beginning of the controlled fusion program at PPPL through the 1980s. His kindness and thoughtfulness made early graduate students that he mentored feel welcome and part of the team.
Kees retired from PPPL in 1987, after which he and Markee spent as much time as possible traveling around the world. Summers were spent at their cabin on beloved Lake Willoughby in Westmore, Vermont. Kees enjoyed hiking, and was active in creating and maintaining hiking trails in Vermont and later at Stonebridge.
Kees was a skilled craftsman and woodworker. After having a house designed and constructed for them in Skillman, New Jersey, he finished the interior and built all the furniture. He and Markee moved to Stonebridge in 2004, where he continued to enjoy reading, gardening, hiking, and woodworking. He was active in the workshop at Stonebridge, building assorted items for the Stonebridge community and his children and grandchildren.
Kees will long be remembered for his intellect, patience, kindness, sense of humor, and his natural ability to teach. He was adept at gently turning errors into opportunities for learning. Kees cherished the close friendships he made later in life.
There will be a memorial service for Kees Bol at Stonebridge at Montgomery in Skillman, New Jersey on August 29, 2015 at 2 p.m.
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Joseph Leddy
Dr. Joseph Patrick Leddy MD, 75, passed away peacefully at home in Mantoloking, N.J. on August 15, 2015.
Born in Bayonne, N.J., he was the first son of the late Joseph and Helen Leddy. Joseph is a graduate of Xavier High School (’57) in New York City and The College of the Holy Cross (’61) in Worcester, Mass. He attended Jefferson Medical College and received his medical degree in 1965. His surgical internship was at New York Hospital, Cornell Medical Center, and orthopaedic training completed at New York Orthopaedic Hospital at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Canter. Joseph then completed a fellowship in hand surgery with an NIH grant at USC Medical Center with Dr. Joseph Boyes MD and Dr. Herb Stark MD. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Air Force.
Dr. Leddy was a renowned orthopaedic surgeon, devoted to the care of his patients and the training of his residents in orthopaedic surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The dedication to his profession is evidenced by countless original publications and contributions to medical textbooks and surgical reference literature like Green’s Operative Hand Surgery. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Orthopaedic Association, and the American Society of Surgery of the Hand. He was a Diplomat of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, a member of the AOA Honor society, former president and member of the New York Society for Surgery of the Hand, the Irish American Orthopedic Society, the Stinchfield Orthopaedic Club, and a founding member of the Joseph Boyes Hand Surgery Club.
Dr. Leddy retired as chairman of the department of orthopaedic surgery at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in 2005. He served as chief of staff at St. Peters Hospital and chief of the hand surgery service at both hospitals in the past while also maintaining hospital privileges at Princeton Medical Center. He was a longtime resident of Princeton before moving to Mantoloking, N.J. and Hobe Sound, Fla. Dr. Leddy was an avid golfer, and former member of the Loblolly Golf Club, TPC Jasna Polana, The Bedens Brook Club, and Spring Lake Golf Club. In honor of his eldest son, the late Joseph P. Leddy, Jr, Dr. Leddy founded the Joseph P. Leddy, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund at The Lawrenceville School and the Joseph P. Leddy Jr. Trophy for Princeton Peewee Hockey. He was also a member of the Princeton Investment Group.
A former parishioner of Our Lady of Princeton R.C. Church, he attended Sacred Heart Church in Bay Head and St Christopher’s Church in Hobe Sound, Fla. Dr. Leddy was a man dedicated to his profession and community, but most of all, a husband, father, and grandfather who’s legacy of caring and integrity will live on for generations to come. He spent his entire life with a loving generosity that would be difficult to duplicate.
Surviving are his wife of 49 years and best friend, Mary Jo Leddy; his sons, Timothy and wife Georgiana; Terence and wife Megan; Christopher; and Robert. Dr. Leddy has two brothers Mark and Brian; and his grandchildren, J.P., Grace, Topher, and Willy.
Dr. Leddy is predeceased by his son, Joseph P. Leddy, Jr. on March 2, 1984.
A Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Church in Bay Head is held for family and close friends with a private interment. Services are under the direction of the O’Brien Funeral Home, Brick, N.J.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Dr. Leddy’s memory to the Joseph P. Leddy, Jr. Scholarship Fund c/o The Lawrenceville School, 2500 Main St, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
For condolences, please visit www.OBrienFuneralHome.com.
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