Dr. Katherine Cannon Hughes

Our beloved and adored Dr. Katherine Lynne Cannon Hughes passed peacefully on November 10, 2017 after a courageous and inspiring battle against Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at her home in Princeton. For 36 years Katherine embraced life with total enthusiasm and gifted her heart and her mind to others without regard for self! All who met her even for a moment were captivated by her grace, her charm, her energy, and her empathy.

Among Katherine’s many accomplishments are her academic successes at The Lawrenceville School in Princeton N.J. and at Brown University for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. She completed a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey followed by an OBGYN Medical Residency at RWJ Barnabas Hospital in 2016. Her global focus was apparent in her comparative research study of healthcare in the U.S., Peru, and France. Other presentations and research included: The Physician Experience in the Era of Cost Containment. Brown University Press; Cell Salvage in Obstetrics & Gynecology: utilization review & cost v. benefit analysis; and Rapid Prototyping technique for designing joints using Bezier curves.

Katherine’s leadership roles and awards include: Sidney Leftkovics Outstanding Resident Research Award nominee; Undergraduate Medical Education Chief Resident; Graduate Medical Education Committee, Resident representative; Rutgers-NJMS Golden Apple Excellence in Teaching award; American Osteopathic Association Council of Student Affairs, Regional Representative; Community Planning & Advocacy Council of Camden, NJ; Jerrothia Riggs Education Award; UMDNJ-SOM Student Council Executive Board, President & Executive Committee Chair; Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents; UMDNJ Student Senate Executive Council, Senator & Co-chair Senate Academic Affairs Committee; UMDNJ Student Senate Award for leadership and service; Brown University 1764 Society Award for young alumni leadership; recipient Brown University Teaching Assistantship, faculty appointment and research award.

In 2016 Katherine’s devotion to women’s health shaped her choice to join New Beginnings in Springfield N.J. She was overjoyed to care for women and excited to deliver babies at any hour of the day or night. She prayed that she would live to return to her medical practice.

Known for her incredible capacity to perform and her endurance, she was fondly referred to by her students as Onco Bronco. Medical Residents saw her as a team player and a spirited teacher. Her most outstanding performance was to give birth to her two sons in 2014 and 2015 during medical residency.

Exceedingly well rounded, Katherine had traveled worldwide and spoke several languages. She was an amazing figure skater and a diverse athlete who starred in track and field hockey. Staying fit was a life goal, and all who knew her recall her fitness regimen even during her illness this year.

Katherine is survived by her beloved husband, Dr. Wray Hughes and the brightest and sweetest lights in her life, her sons, 3-year-old Jackson Cannon Hughes and 2-year-old Harrison Edward Hughes as well as her Mother, J Lynne Cannon and her sister, Jacqueline Cannon. For her husband and her whole family, Katherine was a shining, loving and beautiful force of nature and her spirit will be with them and live on forever in her sons.

A special fund will be established to continue Katherine’s mission to improve and support healthcare for women.

Katherine’s funeral arrangements are under the care of Mulligan Funeral Home, Harrison, N.J.

The funeral will be conducted from Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue Princeton, NJ 08542. A funeral mass will be held at Saint Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, Princeton on Friday, November 17, 2017 at 10:30 a.m. Her Interment will follow in Saint Paul’s Church Cemetery, Princeton. Friends and neighbors may call at Kimble Funeral Home on Thursday, November 16th from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. There will be no viewing hours on Friday morning. Kindly meet us at Saint Paul’s R.C. Church.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to: Dr. Katherine Lynne Cannon Cancer Fund, c/o Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Foundation, 1 Hamilton Health Place, Hamilton, NJ 08690 in loving memory of Katherine.

For directions, or to sign her guest book, please visit www.thekimblefuneralhome.com.

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Kerry Loftus

The world lost a beautiful young lady, Kerry Loftus, on Tuesday, November 7, 2017, after a brief illness.

Kerry was raised in Wayne, having graduated from Wayne Hills High School with the Class of 1989. She went on to earn her BS in Nursing and RN degrees from Fairfield University with the Class of 1993.

Her first job ever was working at Kay’s Bakery in Normandy Beach at the Jersey Shore. After college she worked as a nurse for a dermatology group in Montclair, an Administrator for Richards Associates Insurance in Clifton, and the Foundation for the Blind in Denville as a teacher relating to the technologies available to the blind.

Kerry was a warrior having fought through two kidney transplants, two pancreas transplants, blindness, diabetes, and did it all with a smile. She was fun loving, outgoing, always smiling, and drank coffee day and night. She would sip her hazelnut coffee and more recently lattes for hours on end until it was ice cold. Armed with her walking stick, coffee, and Uber app, Kerry was fearless in her travels. She had a “Mr. Magoo-like” ability to narrowly avoid accidents and trouble that would make those accompanying her cringe.

Those that know Kerry will agree that she marched to a different drummer — both literally and figuratively. While working at the Foundation for the Blind she was introduced to Drum Circle Therapy that helped heal through rhythm and sound. She found great comfort in seeing the results of this therapy with the many and varied groups that were influenced by it.

To honor Kerry’s life her family is organizing a Drum Circle with WoodnDrums, with whom she worked with for several years. The date and time of this Celebration of Kerry’s life will be posted here once they have been scheduled. To honor Kerry’s memory in the meantime the family asks you to order a coffee, sip it, and remember how she touched your life.

Kerry was the loving and devoted daughter of Ed and Carol “Snuffy” Loftus; beloved sister of Kevin Loftus and his wife Terri of Montville; Craig Loftus and his wife Emma of Ho-Ho-Kus; and Kristin Gallagher and her husband Scott of Verona; she was the much loved aunt of seven nieces and nephews and her much loved friend, Glenn Weissman, of Cedar Grove.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Transplant Center, RWJ St. Barnabas Health, 95 Old Short Hills Road, West Orange, NJ 07052 would be greatly appreciated.

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James E. Roderick

James E. Roderick, 93, of Princeton died Monday, November 6, 2017 at University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. Born in Marion, Ohio, he attended public schools there. He was a United States Army Air Corps Veteran in its Pre-Meteorological Program and served in the Corps of Engineers during World War II in the European Theater. He graduated from Ohio State University with a BS and MS in Physics. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and the American Physical Society. Mr. Roderick was employed by General Electric Co., in Schenectady and Syracuse, N.Y. from 1951 to 1965 and by EMR Photoelectric, Princeton Junction from 1965 until his retirement in 1991. He had been a resident of Princeton for over 52 years.

He enjoyed reading and traveling with his wife, Gwendolyn, and served as a volunteer tutor in the Princeton public schools and as a Scouting merit badge counselor. He was a member of The Old Guard of Princeton and the Lutheran Church of the Messiah.

Son of the late Walter and Florence (Collinson) Roderick; husband of the late Gwendolyn (Long) Roderick; he is survived by two sons and a daughter in law: David and Jana Roderick of Manville, N.J.; and Steven L. Roderick of Princeton.

Calling hours will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, November 16, 2017 at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Ave., Princeton.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Friday, November 17, 2017 at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, 407 Nassau St., Princeton.

Burial will be in Marion Cemetery in Marion, Ohio.

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Patrick E. Lyons

Patrick E. Lyons, 71, died suddenly on November 4 from cardiac arrest at Yale New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. He was a 30-year resident of Princeton until 2013 when he and his wife moved to Lawrenceville, N.J.

Pat earned a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute in New York City, and was founder and president of Lyons Graphics for over 40 years, a design firm launched in New York and later based in Princeton. In the years leading up to his retirement, he also served as the Director of Communications at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton. In addition, Pat was an adjunct professor at Mercer County Community College for many years where he taught computer design — and was routinely delighted by his students’ dedication and creativity. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army in the Signal Corps in both the U.S. and Germany during the Vietnam era.

A loving husband and father, Pat will be remembered by most as a committed community organizer and spirited Princeton volunteer. He served on numerous committees and boards, including the vestry of Trinity Church where he was a long-time member. Pat was a founding member of the Corner House board of directors where he was instrumental in creating their mission statement and was a great champion for Corner House in the community. He also volunteered his time as a member of the Princeton Boy Scout Troop 43 Committee for many years. For the past two years, Pat was president of the Ocean Inlet Yacht Club Condominium in his hometown, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., where he and his wife spent their post-retirement winters.

Rowing, however, was Pat’s mid-life discovery — and his greatest joy. He joined Carnegie Lake Rowing Association in 1995 and became an active and enthusiastic member of both the club and the board of directors. He co-managed the annual Learn-to-Row program every year where novices are introduced to rowing during a 3-month instruction course. An avid racer, Pat eagerly participated in the Head of the Charles in Boston on many occasions, as well as in other regattas across the country. He also loved volunteering at Princeton University regattas on Lake Carnegie.

Pat is survived by his wife of 40 years, Linda, and their two children:  Oliver Benton Lyons and his wife, Lucy, of Boston, Mass., and Maggie Ryan and her husband, Terence, of Burke, Va.; a brother, Charles N. Lyons and his wife, Janet, and one nephew, Michael Brian Lyons, all of New Smyrna Beach, Fla. He is survived, as well, by countless friends here and abroad, including many in his beloved St. Antonin Noble Val, France, where he was restoring a 15th C. house.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 9th at 1 p.m. at Trinity Church in Princeton. Contributions may be made in Pat’s memory to Trinity Church, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ 08540 or to Carnegie Lake Rowing Association, P. O. Box 330, Princeton, NJ 08542.