Marcus Van Plateringen

Marcus Van Plateringen, 95, passed away on Thursday morning, January 5, 2017, at Stonebridge at Montgomery in Skillman, with loved ones by his side. Affectionately referred to as Max by friends and family, he was born on October 3, 1921 in Amersfoort, The Netherlands. A member of the Dutch resistance against the Nazis in World War II, Max escaped work camp internment in 1944 and went into hiding in Rotterdam, where he met his late wife, Yvonne. Max and Yvonne left post-war Europe for the island country of Curaçao, where they married in 1949 and where Max began working for Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) as a catering manager. Eventually moving with Yvonne to Miami in 1957 to start a family, Max continued his work at KLM, becoming the Miami International Airport station manager in charge of all flights to and from the Caribbean. After many years in Miami, Max moved with Yvonne to Skillman in 2005, where they resided at Stonebridge at Montgomery, close to family, for the remainder of their lives. Max touched the lives and hearts of all he knew with his warmth, positivity, and genuine character. Never one to turn down a good coffee or a good scotch, his stories were plentiful and his smile contagious. Max is predeceased by his wife Yvonne and his brother Meijndert. He is survived by his daughter Lisette (husband Hank Siegel); his grandsons Andrew and Ben; and his nieces Maureen, Elly, and Tine.

The family would like to thank the staff at Stonebridge at Montgomery for their love and support of Max throughout his entire time there.

Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend a memorial gathering at Stonebridge at Montgomery on Sunday, January 15 at 2 p.m.

The family respectfully requests memorial contributions to Greenwood House Hospice, 6 Colonial Lake Drive, Suite G, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. Alternatively, in memory of his love of animals, donations may be sent to SAVE Animal Shelter, 1010 County Road 601, Skillman, NJ 08558.

Arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, 1534 Pennington Road, Ewing Township.

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Memorial Service:

Nancy Scott Amick 

Nancy Scott Amick, 85, passed away on October 31, 2016, at her home in Princeton after a courageous battle with metastatic kidney cancer. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on January 21, 2017, at 2 p.m. at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton. To honor her memory, the family suggests donations be made to Learning Ally.

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Hannah Putnam Fox

“What’s a six letter palindrome that scores 32 in Scrabble (when going first and when you can use proper nouns from the Bible)? Answer: Hannah.

Hannah Putnam Fox died surrounded by her family on December 30, 2016 at Collington, the retirement community in Mitchellville, Md. where she had lived for 11 years. She was 96 years old. She moved to Collington in 2005, after living four years at Piper Shores, a sister community to Collington located south of Portland, Maine. From 1964 to 2001, Hannah lived in Princeton where her husband, Frederic, was first Recording Secretary and then Keeper of Princetoniana at the University. As a pastor’s wife she lived in New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Maryland (which included five memorable years when Frederic worked in the White House as a Special Assistant to President Eisenhower).

Hannah was active in many groups and organizations over the 37 years she lived in Princeton. These ranged from “Youth Employment Services,” to the American Field Service, to the Friends of the Public Library, to the Smith Club, to the Princeton Child Development Institute, to the Education Center in Blairstown, to the Chapel Advisory Committee.

From 1971 to 1983 she was an elected member of the Princeton Regional School Board, serving twice at its president. When she announced her decision not to run for a fifth term the newspaper quoted her saying, “in her deceptively soft southern way, ‘If I ran again, I’d have to buy a new filing cabinet.’” She was especially known for her tireless work as the Board’s negotiator with the teacher and staff unions.

For ten years (minus 1969 and 1974), Hannah hosted the reunions of her husband’s Class of 1939 in her back yard. A custom-made, orange and black tent filled up the whole area behind the house at 28 Vandeventer along Spring Street. This was just the beginning of her volunteer service to the University. Together with a fellow widow, Hannah initiated the very successful annual fundraising appeal to Princeton University alumni widows (“The Class Associates program”). At reunions in 1996, Hannah was honored by receiving the Alumni Council Award for Service to Princeton. A paragraph from the citation sums up her independent contributions to the University:

“The requests haven’t let up. Hannah, could you serve lemonade and cookies for the Friends of the Princeton Chapel? Could you interview students applying for scholarships through the ’39 Foundation? Could you join Triangle Club’s National Committee for its Second Century Campaign? Yes. Yes. Yes.”

Hannah was born on May 16, 1920 in Ashland, Kentucky. She was the first child of her namesake mother, Hannah Russell Putnam and her father, Donald Hardie Putnam. She attended public schools in Ashland, graduating from high school in 1938. She then went to Smith College, as her mother had. Graduating in the war year of 1942, she soon went to work as a civilian for the U.S. Army Signal Corps in Nashville, Tennessee. And there, in November 1943, shortly before she was promoted to the Army’s code-breaking operations located in Arlington Hall, suburban Washington, she met Lt. Frederic Fox. It was love at first sight.

And then it was love separated by her fiancé’s service in the European “theater” where he literally acted a part in the Army’s only deception unit: the 23^rd Special Headquarters Troops. Their love letters during their separation were hampered by the fact that Fred’s activities with “The Ghost Army” were top secret. (In spite of this, 25 years later, Fred gathered together this correspondence that was so dear to him and tried to get it published as a war-time memoir entitled “Dear Hannah/Dear Fred.”)

The result of the marriage of Hannah and Frederic have been published, as it were. They are their five children: the late Josephine Morgan, Elizabeth (the late Stanley Meisler), Frederick (Elisa Parra), Donald (Elizabeth Billington), and Amy (Jim Kubacki). These were followed by 13 grandchildren: Hanna (who died in infancy), Gabriel, Jenaro, Michelle, Elissa, Jeffrey, Gene Paul, Kelvin, Sheida, Susannah, Elizabeth, Robert, and Sarah. And they have been joined, at last count, by ten great-grandchildren.

The divinity that shaped Hannah and Fred’s ends was early felt in the fact that they both came from families of five children. Hannah was predeceased by her brothers Donald and Louis Putnam, and by her sister Harriet Henry. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law Betty and Walter Huebner; her sisters-in-law, Karlene Putnam and Sally Putnam, and her brother-in-law, Merton Henry. She was predeceased by her brothers- and sisters-in-law, Kel and Patty Fox; Wynfred and Tom Greacen; Morley Fox; and Quentin Fox. She is survived by her sister-in-law Nancy Fox Elder. Hannah is further survived by many nieces and nephews and their children.

She was a fair and loving person. She had only three rules for her children: “Don’t lie; always tell us where you are; and you can be sick at home for only one day.” Among her final words, two days before she died, were, “I have no complaints.” Among the many words that could be added here are, “Thank you, Hannah.”

And one final word of thanks: to Hannah’s devoted care-giver at Collington: Doris Cooper.

Memorials can be given to the Princeton Education Foundation (pefnj.org) or to any cause or institution dear to Hannah or to the giver.

A memorial service will be held in Princeton at a later date.

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Martha M. Merritt

Martha M. Merritt, 84, of Belle Mead died Sunday, January 8, 2017 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital of New Brunswick surrounded by her loving family. Born in New York, N.Y., she resided most of her life in Belle Mead. Daughter of the late Joseph and Martha (Roh) Hoffman, wife of the late Douglas H. Merritt, she is survived by a son Douglas K. Merritt, three daughters, and three sons-in-law: Lynn and Lee Mangan, Karen and Martin Cummins, Pamela and Brian McGinley; a sister Wilma DeHart, a brother-in-law Ted Merritt; ten grandchildren: Sarah, Thomas, Laura, Marty, Ryan, Meghan, Larissa, Katie, Brian Jr., Justin; and four great grandchildren.

Martha retired as a school teacher to raise her family and later served on the Montgomery Board of Education. She enjoyed her tenure as a Girl Scout Leader. She was an avid swimmer and loved swimming in Crystal Lake on Cape Cod. She was an animal lover being especially fond of her horses and trail riding on her beloved farm. She adored her family and treasured traditional family gatherings.

Her memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 11 a.m. at the Harlingen Reformed Church in Belle Mead.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding Center, 83 Old Turnpike Rd/Rte 517, Oldwick, NJ, 08858 and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, PO Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005 (donatenow.heart.org/stroke)

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

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Rosemary S. Warren

Rosemary S. Warren passed away January 9, 2017. Born Rosemary Stofila, she was the youngest daughter of John and Elizabeth Stofila.

She was a graduate of Dallas Area High School and College Misericordia in Dallas, Pa.

Rosemary worked as head dietician at Princeton Hospital for her entire career.

She is preceded in death by her Husband, Ira S. Warren, Jr,; her sisters Irene Krivak and Elizabeth Doskas; and her brothers George and John Stofila.

Funeral services are planned for Friday, January 13, 2017 at 2 p.m. in the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue, Princeton, NJ.

Relatives and friends may gather from noon until the time of the service.

Interment will be, with her beloved husband, in Princeton Cemetery at a future date.

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Charles J. Hunt Jr.

Charles J. Hunt, Jr., 91, of Princeton passed away Sunday, January 8, 2017 at home. Born in Trenton, he was a life-long area resident. He was a graduate of Princeton High School and was an Army veteran of World War II serving as a medic on the USS Comfort, having been awarded three purple hearts. He retired from the State of New Jersey where he was an architect. He was a member of The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville. He was a long-standing member of the Princeton Cemetery Board and was acknowledged and recognized for his dedication and service as a member of the Board of Improvement Assessors from 1964 until 2009.

Son of the late Charles J. Hunt, Sr., and Bessie E. Sharp and husband of the late Ruth Terhune Hunt. He is survived by his two sons and daughters-in-law, Charles David and Judith Hunt of Lawrenceville, Stephen and Helen Hunt of Watertown, Mass.; a daughter and son-in-law, Cynthia Hunt Latham and Christopher Latham; grandchildren, Jonathan and Matthew Hunt, Leah, Hunt, and Charles Latham, Eric Hunt; granddaughter-in-law, Jordan Pouliot Latham; great-grandchildren, Archer Latham and Easton Mayer-Hunt.

Funeral services will be held Friday, January 13 at 11 a.m. at The Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, 2688 Main Street, Lawrenceville, with pastor Jeffrey Vamos officiating. The burial will follow in Princeton Cemetery. Arrangements are by the Wilson-Apple Funeral Home, 2560 Pennington Road, Pennington. Condolences are welcome at www.wilsonapple.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, https://donate3.cancer.org.

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George Ryazanov

George Ryazanov, a renowned physicist and philosopher passed away on January 7, 2017 in Princeton, New Jersey. He was born on September 8, 1930 in Moscow, Russia. Before retirement he worked at The Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is survived by his son, Alexey Ryazanov of Princeton, and grandsons, Vladimir Ryazanov and Arseny Ryazanov.

Funeral services and burial will be held at Princeton Cemetery at 1 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2017. Visitation will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on January 12 at Mather-Hodge Funeral Home 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton.

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Joel Zieden

Joel David Zieden, 71, of Princeton, died Wednesday, December 28, 2016. Born in Bronx, New York to Louis and Gertrude Zieden, he had lived in Princeton for 40 years. He was a graduate of Syracuse University and The Pratt Institute. Joel was an architect who ran his own firm, Joel David Zieden Architects, in Princeton for more than 40 years. Joel worked with the Urban Development Corporation on the initial 1970s civil engineering of Roosevelt Island in New York City. His Princeton firm worked on local projects for Carnegie Center, Bristol Meyers Squibb, and Boston Properties. He built a beloved nursery center and playground in Carnegie Center and most recently worked with Miax designing their Miami Stock Exchange. He is survived by his two daughters, Gabrielle Anne Zieden and Lara Britton Zieden; his sister Priscilla Richter, her husband Michael Richter; and his niece and nephew, Lisa Vanderee and Gary Richter. In addition, he is survived by his dearest friend of 54 years, Alfred Kahn and his wife Pattykake. The funeral service was held on January 2, 2017 at the Star of David Chapel at Mather Hodge in Princeton with a remembrance on January 3 at Jasna Polana.