Courtney Alexis Leopold

A beloved daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and friend left this world on Monday, November 30th, at 32 years of age. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, on July 8, 1988, Courtney grew up in Princeton and Burlington, NJ, where she attended All Saints Grammar School and was awarded the President’s Medal for Academic Achievement.

Courtney graduated from Princeton Day School in 2006. She studied piano and voice at Westminster Choir College for many years, where she was part of their Cantus Choir. She graduated cum laude from The College of New Jersey in 2010, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. Courtney was inducted into the Golden Key Honor Society, and Psi Chi National Psychology Honor Society. As a Psychology Honors student, Courtney was a research assistant in the Memory and Aging Lab, followed by a psychology externship at the William James Psychology Building at Harvard University’s Emotion Health and Physiology Lab. In 2012, she was awarded a Master’s degree in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, became a Certified Yoga Therapist while there, inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society, and Kappa Delta Pi International Education Honor Society.  A straight “A” graduate student, Courtney became a Licensed Associate Counselor in 2016 helping children, teens, and adults in the Cherry Hill area, and was an adjunct professor in the psychology department at The College of New Jersey.

Her passion was yoga and the mind-body connection, having taught yoga in Princeton at Gratitude Yoga, Yoga Above, and Honor Yoga, as well as yoga studios in Southern New Jersey, and Los Angeles. One of her projects was teaching yoga to underprivileged children in Trenton. She was a talented yogi with many followers.

Courtney had great faith in the Lord as evidenced by her care, love, and concern for others. Some of her projects included working with children at the Puerto Rican Daycare Center in Trenton, and doing chair yoga for seniors at a nursing home in Los Angeles. She insisted on changing her assigned clinical counseling hours to work with high school students whose parents were in gangs, or were in gangs themselves, and counseled them regarding coping skills, including yoga and meditation. Courtney asked to be transferred from Beverly Hills High School while in her master’s program training to a Latino high school in East LA where the primary language was Spanish. Courtney was always reaching out and pushing herself to go to areas most people do not want to go, for purposes of helping others.

She was also a dancer, singer, writer, and artist. Courtney excelled in every area of her life, and combined intellect, art, and passion in every endeavor. Highly spiritual and
compassionate, a docent at Kidsbridge Tolerance Museum, a lover of animals, the beach, and all of nature, she was a beautiful soul. She especially loved her dogs, Trixie and Tommy. She loved to travel, having been to Nairobi, Kenya (to help reintegrate enslaved women into society), Ecuador, Mexico, Israel, London, and throughout the U.S.

She is survived by her father, Clayton E. Leopold, MD of Princeton, her mother Joyce Solero, her stepfather Ivan Solero, and her grandparents Dolores and John Zalewski ( “Babci and Dziadzi”) of Burlington, NJ. She was preceded in death by grandparents Carol and Harvey Leopold of New York City.

She will be deeply missed by her family, clients, and her many yoga students, and all who knew her. Courtney always reminded us that the springtime was a time of rebirth and renewal. Therefore, a Celebration of Life service and memorial will be held in the spring and more information will be posted at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that a donation be made in Courtney’s name when a foundation in her name is created in the spring.

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Mary Ellen Telfeian

Mary Ellen Telfeian, age 84, of Princeton, NJ, died on Sunday, December 6, 2020. 

She was predeceased by her husband of 26 years, Artin Telfeian, M.D., in 1989. She is survived by her three children, Arthur Telfeian (Victoria), Albert Telfeian, M.D., Ph.D. (Jennifer), and Ann Mary Telfeian; her grandsons Sean and Ryan, Clark and Brooks; and her brother Dan Carey (Ronnie). 

Mary Ellen graduated from the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Riverdale, NY, earning a B.S., and later earned her master’s degree in nursing at N.Y.U. 

She served as a nurse at St. Vincent Hospital in Manhattan and at Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, CT.  She met her husband Artin, through a priest friend, playing bridge. They married, raised their three children in, first, Stamford, Connecticut, then near Sembach Airforce Base and McGuire Airforce Base, where Artin was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force. They both worked at Deborah Heart & Lung Hospital in Brownsville, New Jersey. After Artin’s death, she moved to Princeton, New Jersey and, very proudly, worked as a nurse at the Princeton University Infirmary. 

Mary Ellen was a devout Roman Catholic who attended mass at St. Paul Parish in Princeton. She was also a very active member in the Spanish speaking community in Princeton.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, a Memorial Mass, in St. Paul Parish, will be scheduled in the Spring of 2021. Please go to TheKimbleFuneralHome.com to extend condolences, share memories, and obtain memorial mass update information.

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Mary Amesbury Stabler

Mary Amesbury Stabler, 85, of Skillman, New Jersey, passed away on December 14, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 in early December.

Mary was born July 16, 1935, in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, to William and Mildred Amesbury. She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Robert; her sister, Jane Winton; and her brother, Stephen Amesbury. She is survived by her brother, William Amesbury, of Reno, Nevada; her children Julie Hull (Tom) of Shoreline, Washington; Ted (Martha Embrey) of Durango, Colorado; Larry (Betsy) of Princeton, New Jersey; Peggy Fischer of Mercer Island, Washington; Peter (Martha) of San Francisco, California; and 10 grandchildren.

Mary attended The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and graduated from Vassar College in 1957. She and Bob raised their family in Ithaca, New York; Newport Beach, CA; and Princeton, New Jersey. They later resided in Breckenridge, Colorado, and Skillman, New Jersey. 

Mary greatly enjoyed reunions with her children and grandchildren and was an avid world traveler, bridge player, knitter, reader, sailor, and New York Times crossword solver. She resided in independent living at Stonebridge at Montgomery at the time of her death.

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Joan A. Eisenmann

Joan A. Eisenmann, 84, of Kingston passed away Saturday, December 12, 2020 at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center of Plainsboro, NJ.

Joan was born in Princeton, NJ. Joan and her husband Karl are lifelong residents of Kingston. She was a life member of The Ladies Auxiliary of Kingston Volunteer Fire Company. Joan was also a member of Kingston Presbyterian Church for over 50 years. She was a member of the Kingston Quilting Club since it began in 1999. She was employed by Woodwinds as an office manager. Joan enjoyed cooking, spending time with her family, and shopping with her granddaughters.

She is survived by her loving husband of 65 years Karl Eisenmann, daughter and son-in-law Shari and Richard Russo, son and daughter-in-law Gary and Jane Eisenmann, five grandchildren Kimberly (David) Reed, Carly (Christopher) Whittaker, Veronica Eisenmann, Emily Russo, Jaclyn Eisenmann, and two great-grandchildren Kailey Reed and Courtney Reed. 

Burial will be in Kingston Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Kingston on Saturday, December 19 at 11 a.m. Family and friends are permitted at the graveside. Visitation and Service will be by family invitation only due to COVID-19 restrictions.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Kingston Presbyterian Church. Arrangements are under the direction of the M.J. Murphy Funeral Home.

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David Balitz

David Balitz, age 68, passed away at his home in Ewing, NJ, on Sunday, December 13, 2020.

David was a lifelong resident of Ewing, graduating from Ewing High School.

For the past 18 years he was the director of mail operations and services at Princeton University. Previously he worked at the New Jersey Division of Taxation. David was an avid golfer and loved watching sports and movies with his wife, Joan. He also enjoyed visiting Atlantic City and rooting for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Predeceased by his parents Abe and Virginia Balitz, and his brother Robert Balitz. He is survived by his loving wife Joan Balitz.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, December 19 at 11 a.m. at Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, 1534 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ. Masks and social distancing are required, Covid-19 restrictions on building capacity are enforced. The service will be live streamed for those who cannot attend in person.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

To view the service live stream and to send condolences visit OrlandsMemorialChapel.com.

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Donald S. Knutson

Donald S. Knutson, 88, passed away peacefully at Artis Senior Living in Princeton, NJ, with family at his side on December 11, 2020. Born June 24, 1932 in Hartford, CT, to the late Axel J. and Helga (Johnson) Knutson. He grew up in Wethersfield, CT, and spent many, joyful summers at the family farm in Waterville, Quebec. Family and relatives were always an important part of his life and he stayed well-connected with all of them throughout his life.

Following graduation from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Donald went to work for Westinghouse. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He accepted an engineering position at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in early 1966, where he worked on fusion energy research, and ultimately the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). Donald became Principal Engineer of the Mechanical Engineering Section. He retired from the Laboratory in 1997 after 31 years.

Donald was a lifelong player and fan of ice hockey, and greatly enjoyed participation as part of Princeton University’s Intramural League. He was an accomplished accordion player and performed, recorded, and traveled with the Scandinavian Accordion Club of NY. He was a closet-historian who extensively researched genealogy and published books on his family’s history dating back to the time of Vikings in Scandinavia.

Donald and Gunilla, his wife of 44 years, enjoyed traveling together internationally, especially to Sweden. They also were fond of classical music, opera, and theater. Donald loved spending time with his six grandchildren. He enjoyed seeing family in their lakeside cottage in Harrisville, NH. Don was a talented builder who finished large projects such as a garage and sauna. He will be remembered fondly for his kind disposition, gentle nature, and generosity. 

He was predeceased in 1972 by his first wife Barbro E. (Bjornsson) Knutson.

He is survived by his wife, Ebba Gunilla (Olsson) Knutson; his daughters, Ellen (Mark) Kramm, Lisa (Donald) Hamnes, Carol Knutson, Linda (Andrew) Fiscus, and Maria (Nathan) Adkins; and six grandchildren, Karin, Sarah, Grete, Daniel, Steven, and Klara.

A memorial service will be planned for a later date in Harrisville, NH.

In lieu of flowers, honorary donations to a favorite charity are welcome.

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

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Barbara Alice Gillespie

Barbara Alice Gillespie, 89, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 23, 2020 in Monroe Township, NJ.

Born November 21, 1931 in Los Angeles, CA, to Alice Greiner and Ernst Arnold Lugenbill, Barbara graduated from Pepperdine College and married Thomas W. Gillespie in 1953. They spent the first year of their happy 58-year marriage in Princeton, NJ, where Tom was a student at Princeton Theological Seminary and Barbara taught school nearby. Partners in life and ministry, they returned to California where they served two Presbyterian congregations and raised three children. They returned to Princeton in 1983 when Tom was called to serve as the 5^th President of Princeton Theological Seminary. Barbara is remembered for her wit and gracious hospitality, opening their home to friends, students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Barbara was energetic and creative, enjoying quilting and other needle arts, cooking, gardening, and travel.

A beloved mother and grandmother, Barbara is survived by daughters Robyn Glassman (Kenneth) and Dayle Rounds (Stephen), son Bill Gillespie, and six grandchildren: William Glassman, Trevor Glassman, Hilary Glassman, Emily Rounds, Allie Rounds, and Isla Gillespie.

A private burial at the Princeton Cemetery took place Saturday, November 28, 2020. A memorial service will be planned for a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Barbara’s name to Nassau Presbyterian Church or to the Thomas Gillespie Scholarship fund at Princeton Theological Seminary.

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Beverly M. Silverman

Mrs. Beverly M. Silverman, 94, of Woodcliff Lake, NJ, and a longtime former resident of Princeton, NJ, passed away on December 10th, 2020.

Beverly Miller was born and raised in Baltimore, MD, the daughter of Isadore and Sophie Miller. She graduated from Goucher College in 1948. That year, she married Dr. Benjamin K. Silverman. After Beverly taught elementary school for a year, the couple moved around the country as Ben completed his medical residency, military service, and fellowship. In 1954, they settled in Princeton for Ben to start his pediatric practice and to raise their family.

In Princeton, Beverly became an engaged member of the community. She taught at the Stuart School, and was an active mother in the schooling of her four sons. She adored art and enjoyed many visits to the Princeton University Art Museum, as well as museums in New York City. For many years, she and Ben belonged to a theater group of close friends that attended regular performances at McCarter Theatre. Beverly loved Princeton and all that it had to offer her family. She was also the architect of many family vacations to different parts of the country. Later, as the family had scattered to different states, she and Ben purchased a beach house in Bay Head, NJ, to serve as a central gathering place for children and grandchildren. To her grandchildren, she was “Grammy,” provider of love, card games, and chocolate doughnuts.

Perhaps Beverly’s greatest accomplishment came in the care and nurturing that she provided to her son Steve, who was born with a congenital heart defect. Through Steve’s numerous surgeries and ultimately two heart transplants, she and Ben helped him to grow, thrive, and lead an independent life. They left Princeton in 1991 and moved to California, where Steve worked, to help him recover from his first transplant and stayed there until his passing in 2009. 

Beverly is predeceased by her parents, her beloved husband of 62 years, Dr. Benjamin K. Silverman, her son Steven, and her brothers Louis Miller and S. Murray Miller. Survivors include her sons Richard (Mary) of Cupertino, CA, Robert (Joanne) of Austin, TX, and Jonathan (Anne Marie) of Upper Saddle River, NJ. Survivors also include her seven grandchildren, Scott, Lara, Sarai, Dustin, Allie, Kevin, and Jeremy.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey at https://give.cfbnj.org/BeverlySilverman.

To send condolences visit OrlandsMemorialChapel.com.