Evelyn Auerbach

Evie died at home on September 5, 2017 in Sylva, North Carolina of metastatic breast cancer. She was 63 years old.

Predeceased by her beloved mother Vivienne F. Auerbach in 1997, she leaves her father Raymond and his wife Carolyn; her sisters Jeanne, Margaret, Carol, and Linda; and her brother Ray, and his children Alayna and Steven.

As a young girl Evie was always sketching and drawing, and in her teenage years she gradually trained herself to work in watercolor, pastel, oil, and pen and ink. On graduating from South Brunswick High School in 1972, she had by invitation an opportunity to work with a potter in clay art at the Liberty Village Artists Collective in Flemington, New Jersey. She soon discovered a new form of expression for her gifts as a designer and experimentalist; it decided her path in life.

After residing in Princeton in the mid-1970s, Evie left her native New Jersey and ventured south to Florida and Georgia. From 1978 to 1982 she ran the Georgia Tech student crafts center, where she used the university’s equipment to teach herself how to throw a pot, operate a kiln, and make glazes.

For the last 35 years, she lived in rural locations in the Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina. In the inspiring natural setting that she deeply loved, Evie worked long and hard at designing and creating her own style of pottery and her unique porcelain jewelry and animal sculptures, all painstakingly handcrafted and one of a kind. Over the decades she regularly traveled to local, regional, and state art shows and festivals in four southern states to display and sell her art.

She was also a talented self-taught pianist who enjoyed playing everything from Chopin to Scott Joplin, her lifelong favorites.

Evie was first diagnosed with cancer at age 45 and decided to remain private about her illness and the treatment she pursued. Despite much hardship in the final years of her life, she very bravely continued to create, produce, and show her work until this past May.

Evie will long be missed by her family and by her friends and colleagues. While her family mourns privately, we encourage you to remember her by supporting local artisans or by giving toward the care and better treatment of all animals.

Rest easy Ev, we’ll see you soon.

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Marina Menaker

Marina “Shayna” Menaker, 77, passed away Sunday, October 22, 2017.

Born in Moscow, Russia, she was a resident of Princeton.   She earned her Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in Russia, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1975.

Shayna was actively engaged in numerous community activities, and especially enjoyed her membership at the New York Sports Club and her time playing Ping-Pong and in other programs at the Suzanne Patterson Senior Center in Princeton. She was a member of The Jewish Center of Princeton and a regular attendee at services, educational programs, and social events.

Predeceased by her parents, Bitsalem and Hannah Menaker, she is survived by a brother, Zahar Menaker, and a niece, Anna Menaker.

Funeral services and burial were Thursday, October 26 at Washington Cemetery. There will be a memorial service to celebrate her life on Tuesday, November 21 at 7:30 p.m. at The Jewish Center, 435 Nassau Street in Princeton.  Donations in memory of Shayna can be made to the Shabbat Luncheon Fund at The Jewish Center. Funeral arrangements by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, 1534 Pennington Road, Ewing.

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Lesley Jeanne Mitchell

Lesley Jeanne Mitchell, formerly of Princeton, died October 14th after a brief illness. A graduate of Douglass College (Rutgers University), she had moved to Princeton to accept employment in Princeton University’s Department of Art and Archaeology, but will be more widely remembered here as an exuberant, cheerful folk dance leader and performer.

In 1980, following what she believed to be her calling, Lesley moved to Philadelphia to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her work there won her a traveling scholarship, which enabled her to spend a year visiting many of the western world’s art centers and monuments. Upon her return, she was appointed to teach printmaking at the Academy.

All the while, but for the travel period, Lesley continued to dance. She was a performer with the Princeton Ethnic Dancers repeatedly at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and with the Janosik Polish Dance Ensemble at various venues in Poland. And in more recent years she returned to Princeton to teach Tango regularly at the Graduate College, Princeton University, and at the Suzanne Patterson center.

In 1989, she married Kelly Ray, her Janosik dance partner, and they founded Dance Philadelphia, teaching various dance forms in their combination dance studio-art studio.

He survives her, as does sister Nicole, brother Noel, and their respective families. And she is remembered by countless others who were touched by her joyous and generous spirit.

A celebration of Lesley Mitchell’s life is planned for a later date. For information, or to share remembrances/condolences, please visit her Facebook page, or go to dancephiladelphia.com.

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Raymond J. Clark

Raymond J. Clark, 58, died Sunday, October 29, 2017. Born in Bethesda, Md., raised in Princeton. Raymond is survived by his wife, Kathleen; his parents, Raymond J. and Marie Clark; his brother, Phillip (Patricia); his sister, Mary Bianco (Raymond); nieces and nephews, Michael, Paige, Ryan and Kyle; his stepdaughter, Christine Vaugh (Kevin), stepson, Kenneth James (Courtney); and his beloved grandchildren, Kyle, Brody, Hunter, and Colton.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at St. Paul’s Church, 216 Nassau Street, Princeton. Burial will be Private. Friends may pay respects on Thursday, November 2, 2017 from 8 a.m. until noon at the Mather Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania.

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Sophie S. Silvester

Sophie S. Silvester, 93, of Atlanta, Ga. died Sunday, October 29, 2017 at Phoenix of Dunwoody of Atlanta, Ga. Born in Trenton, N.J., she resided in Princeton most of her life.

Sophie retired in 1988 with over 20 years of service as a Historical Book Binder, Princeton University.

Daughter of the late Demitri and Josephine Silvester, wife of the late Robert H. Silvester, she is survived by a son James Silvester, a daughter Linda Locicero, daughter-in-law Jill E. Silvester, son-in-law Tony Locciero, six grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at Rocky Hill Cemetery.

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