Cornelis M. Wildenboer

Cornelis M. Wildenboer, 79, of Princeton died Monday, December 9, 2019 at home. 

Cornelis was born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa. He was an electrical engineer for Data Sphere for more than 20 years, which took him all over the world from Canada to Saudi Arabia and then to New Jersey. Subsequently, he formed DataCon in Princeton, serving as President/CEO for 20 years.

An accomplished sailor, he always had boats and loved sailboat racing. He enjoyed motorcycles, especially Harley Davidson, riding from various parts of Florida all the way down to Key West. He coached his sons’ sports teams, built elaborate tree houses for them, and participated in their Boy Scouts. He split his time between Princeton and Long Beach Island, where he had been going for over 30 years, where he enjoyed his weekly lunches and outings with his crew of good buddies!

Corky loved to travel and went all over the world. Even in his later years with mobility an issue for him, he discovered cruising and went on a lot of fabulous world cruises with his beloved wife Lynne right up until her recent death. And even after that, in the last year or so, he managed to make it home to South Africa to see family and to Mexico to meet his new young granddaughter! He loved his pets throughout his life and his five cats were a great comfort to him in his final years. He loved his family and friends and was really loved back!

Predeceased by his parents, Meritus and Felicia (deJongh) Wildenboer, his wife Lynne E. Wildenboer, and sisters Eugenie Dempers and Marlene Nance-Kivell, he is survived by two sons David Wildenboer and his girlfriend Veronica Green, Andrew Wildenboer and his wife Gabriela Solorio Garcia, and a daughter-in-law Belinda Wildenboer, sisters Evie Ravenhil, Vicky Janse Van Vuuren, brother-in-law and longtime friend Dale Dempers, and two grandchildren Andrèa and Isabelle Wildenboer.

A Memorial Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. followed by a Memorial Service at 12 p.m. on Friday, December 20, 2019 at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to SAVE (A Friend to Homeless Animals), 1010 Route 601, Skillman, NJ 08558; savehomelessanimals.org.

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Donna J. Montgomery

On Sunday, January 27, 2019 Donna J. Montgomery passed away at JFK Medical Center in Edison, with her husband and her daughter by her side.

Donna was a loving and devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She is survived by her loving husband Phil, her daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and John, her grandchildren Austin and Hailey, her mother Marie, her brother and sister-in-law Paul and Cathy, and her nephew Tobi.

Donna was a strong, intelligent, and driven woman who graduated from Franklin High School in three years. Following high school, she joined the workforce where she taught herself accounting. She went on to acquire her enrolled agents license and run a successful accounting firm. Her dedication to helping others made her adored by all of her clients.

Outside of being passionate about her work, Donna enjoyed gardening and making sauce with her fresh tomatoes. She loved camping and her cottage at Swartswood Lake where she would spend her days fishing, boating, and walking barefoot through the woods with her dogs. Most of all Donna loved to laugh.

A memorial service was held at Montgomery Evangelical Free Church in Belle Mead on February 2, 2019.

Send condolences to Phil Montgomery, 3830 Route 27, Princeton, NJ 08540.

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Margaret Custis Archer Clark

Margaret Custis Archer Clark, 84, died on Wednesday, November 20th at her home at Stonebridge in Skillman, NJ. She was pre-deceased by her husband, James W. Clark, in August. She is survived by her three daughters, Margaret Custis Clark, Susan Clark Randaccio, Archer Griffith; her five grandchildren; and her brother, Perry Archer.

Born in Bluefield, West Virginia, Custis, as she was known, grew up in Staunton, Virginia.  She attended high school at Stuart Hall School and graduated from Hollins University in 1956. In her senior year, she received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for excellence of character and service to humanity, presented to graduating seniors of selected colleges and universities in the eastern United States. Upon graduation, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the Smithsonian Institute. It was in D.C. that she met her husband, Jim, with whom shared a commitment to community service. Early in their marriage, she joined him as a volunteer with the Youth Recreation Program under the auspices of the YWCA serving the neighborhoods of South East Washington.

Upon moving to Princeton, NJ, in 1970, Custis focused on raising their three children and volunteering in the schools through the local PTA/PTOs. In 1980, she became the administrative assistant in the Chapel Music Department at Princeton University where she worked for 12 years. More recently, she served as the chair of the Buildings and Grounds Committee for the 50-unit condo association where she and Jim lived for a time, protecting the wonderful forest habitat that surrounded their condo complex.

Custis loved birds, dogs, gardening, and time spent in the country; all interests that she has passed on to her children and grandchildren. She was very creative, crafting intricate pop-up birthday cards for her friends, as well as handmade gifts, Christmas ornaments, and beautiful needlepoint. Custis made sure that the door to the Clark family home was always open. There are many examples of her opening her home and hearth to others, including international students from Germany and Iran as well as nieces and nephews who came to live with us and attend high school, elderly neighbors needing assistance, and kids in the neighborhood who needed a sympathetic ear. All were welcome in her kitchen and in her heart.

A memorial service celebrating her life and that of her husband of 62 years, James W. Clark, will be held in Princeton, NJ., on December 21, at 1 p.m. at Nassau Presbyterian Church.

Memorial contributions may be made in her honor to The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203 USA; or Hollins University, Box 9629, 7916 Williamson Road, Roanoke, VA 24020.

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

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William P. Jacobus

July 13, 1961 — December 3, 2019

After a long and courageous battle with the progressive consequences of toxic epidermal necrolysis and other medical conditions, William P. Jacobus, age 58, died at his home in Seattle, Washington.

Bill was born in Washington, DC, and moved with his family to Princeton, NJ, when he was 9 years old. He attended Princeton Day School, graduating in the Class of 1979. He then attended Middlebury College, graduating in the Class of 1983 with a BA degree in Religion. While at Middlebury, he also studied American Foreign Policy. He took his Junior year abroad, pursuing studies in Religion & English at The University of St. Andrews in Scotland. After college, he attended graduate school at the Russian Language School at Middlebury, becoming fluent in Russian. Later in life, he also obtained a Master in Teaching (M.I.T.) degree from Seattle University, Seattle, Washington.   

Throughout his life, Bill was interested in philosophy and public policy. He devoted his working career to helping others. He believed that the kernels of caring and concern for others should be instilled in young people through teaching and the example of service.

At the start of his career, he worked at the World Without War Council in Chicago (1983) and the United Nations Association (UNA) (1984). While working at the UNA, he was the chief researcher for a study prepared at the Dag Hammarskjold Library examining Afghan refugees in Pakistan. The report was published in the UNA’s 1985 Issues Before the General Assembly of the United Nations. 

Later in life, he became a teacher at Thomas Academy, where he taught American Government and Ancient and Medieval History in the Middle and Upper Schools. He also worked for the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services, Social Security Administration (SSA), where he focused on explaining SSA laws and regulations regarding benefits to the public. While at the SSA, he was known for his success in relieving others of their cares; his managers described him as thorough, persistent, patient, and empathetic. 

Bill was an avid and accomplished photographer and chess player. He was a soccer enthusiast, and also enjoyed adventure, making bungee jumps and engaging in sky diving. He also loved hiking in the wilderness and walking through cities.  He was an accomplished traveler, visiting Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, and The United Kingdom. His adventuresome spirit led him to take cross-country train rides in Canada. 

As his life progressed, Bill was afflicted with multiple life-threatening diseases, which badly injured his body and left him partially blind. Defying the odds, Bill remained resilient and forged ahead in life without complaint. He bore a multiplicity of medical issues with great fortitude. He remained fiercely independent and maintained his sense of self-worth, asking respect from all who interacted with him. The request for respect reflected Bill’s core belief in, and empathy for, his fellow human beings.

Bill asked to be remembered with a smile and a grin. The request for a smile reflects Bill’s acknowledgement of the joy in life he wanted others to feel and his own kind and generous spirit. The request for a grin is a tip of his hat to his own irreverent sense of humor and, at times, resolute stubbornness. His family celebrates his valor, his humor, and his fierce concern for humanity. 

Bill leaves a daughter, Ellen, of Oakland, CA, who was the light of his life; his father and mother, David and Claire Jacobus, of Princeton, NJ; his sister Marget Jacobus, of Westfield, MA; his sister Hughie Jacobus and her husband Andrew Hildick-Smith, of Winchester, MA; his sister Laura Jacobus, of Princeton, NJ; his brother John Jacobus, of Washington, DC; and his nephews, Gordon Hildick-Smith and his wife Alice Wisener, of Boston, MA, Seth Hildick-Smith, of Pacifica, CA, and Neil Hildick-Smith, of New York City. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name, William P. Jacobus, to Seattle’s Public Radio Station, KUOW. 

A memorial service and internment will occur at a later date.