Leigh B. “Tim” Harris II

Leigh B. “Tim” Harris II, 92, of Glenville, North Carolina, and formerly of Princeton, passed away peacefully with his children and loved ones all around him on Saturday, February 6, 2021, at Sterling Estates of West Cobb Retirement Community in Marietta, GA. 

Beloved father, grandfather, uncle, mentor, and friend, Tim was born and raised in Princeton, NJ, by the late Leigh B. Harris, Sr. (master glassblower at Princeton University for 42 years) and Maude Bishop Harris. He married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Jane “Betty” Vandenberg, who passed away after 64 years of marriage in 2013. He is also preceded in death by his sister, Jean Harris Mason, whom he loved dearly.

Carp fishing in Lake Carnegie and hunting were pastimes he enjoyed with his father, whom he was very close to. Tim had a love for music. As a youngster and into adulthood, he was a member of the Princeton Drum and Bugle Corps, and often played “Taps” at the Borough Monument for special memorial occasions. In high school, he played the baritone saxophone in the band, and for a time was invited to travel with the jazz band, Hank Durell and the Dreamers.  Tim played on the football team in various positions. After high school, he received a B.S. degree from Rutgers University. 

Working alongside his father-in-law, John Vandenberg, Tim worked at Tiger Bus Line, which provided bus service for Princeton Borough and Township Schools, as well as transportation service for many Princeton University sports teams. On two occasions, Tim provided cross-country transportation for a six-week “Westward Ho” trip for students from Princeton Country Day School. 

Tim was a volunteer fireman with Engine Company #3. He also enjoyed bowling and playing baseball with his men’s Nassau Social Club league. Even though he had moved away from Princeton many years ago, he still cherished the times he could come back to visit his daughter and reminisce about his growing up in Princeton and days gone by with longtime friends.

In 1964, Tim changed careers and went on to get a teaching degree. He taught math for more than 25 years, having been on the faculty of Northeast High School and Pine Crest School, both in Ft. Lauderdale, FL; and The Hun School of Princeton in Princeton, NJ. He coached football and wrestling for most of his teaching career, and as an experienced outdoorsman, he organized student activities that included intramural sports, community service, hiking, climbing, canoeing, and other camping skills that helped students to appreciate nature and being outdoors. 

In the summer of 1965, through his relationship with Pine Crest School, Tim started a five-decade-long affiliation with Camp Highlander, a residential camp owned by Pine Crest School in the mountains of Highlands, NC, which eventually moved to Mills River, NC. He was counselor of the oldest boys cabin his first year, then became Program Director, Assistant Director, and eventually, Tim was Director of the camp for many years. In 2000, when the camp was sold, Tim stayed on, holding various roles until he was 89 years old. 

Tim was devoted to his family, along with his wife Betty, and they both worked into their 80s to provide a good and full life for their children and one another. Their family meant everything to them, and neither tired of talking about their children or one another. Tim is survived by four children of whom he was so proud: Donna Harris Pope, Princeton, NJ; Leigh Harris and wife Mary Jane Morrison, Fletcher, NC; Dale Harris Sparacino and husband David, Hendersonville, NC; and son Timothy Harris and wife Deana, Kennesaw, GA. Along with his children, Tim leaves behind 13 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews, and many
coworkers and friends who will feel the emptiness his absence leaves. 

Tim was known by many names: Dad, Pops, Pappy, Uncle Tim, Mr. H, Boss, Popi, and Mr. Tim, but anyone who had the blessing and opportunity to know Tim was touched by his kind nature, and his sincere interest in them when they spoke. His commitment to the development of the skills and confidence of youth, his wisdom and sage advice, and his mere presence touched the lives of thousands of children, young people, and adults. Tim’s passing leaves a gaping hole in the hearts of many.

Tim’s children cannot thank enough the owners, administration, and wonderful staff at Sterling Estates of West Cobb in Marietta, GA. He could not have been better loved nor better cared for. We are also very grateful to the staff of Trinity Hospice Care of Marietta.

In Honor of our Dad and his legacy in camping and the lives of children, a scholarship in his name has been established with the American Camp Association to send children to Camp Highlander. Tax deductible donations can be made through the following link: https://acacamps.formstack.com/forms/aca. Please be sure to note: “In Memory of Mr. Tim Harris.”

A Celebration of the Life of Tim Harris will be held on August 21, 2021 at Camp Highlander in Mills River, NC. The following link provides information, along with a tribute from Camp Highlander: https://everloved.com/life-of/leigh-harris-ii.

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Bruce L. Ackerman

1945 – 2021

With sadness the family of Bruce Lawrence Ackerman announces his death on February 25, 2021. Bruce grew up in Millville, New Jersey. He was the son of Samuel Ackerman (B. T. Ackerman Sons) and Wilma Freedman Ackerman (The Children’s Shop). Bruce attended Millville High School and went to Haverford College where he majored in political science. After college, he went to Yale Law School.

In the summer of 1971, he drove west to Los Angeles where he had a job with George Lefcoe, a law professor at USC. Under a HUD contract, Bruce did research concerning subsidized housing and community development. He also had the opportunity to teach administrative and local government law. In 1972, he married Martha Ruffin (Pittsburgh, PA) whom he met in a parking lot in New Haven, CT. While living in Los Angeles, she found a job at the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church Nursery School. One of the children in her class was Robbie Sherman, whose father and uncle wrote the music for the movie Mary Poppins.

In 1974, they drove back to New Jersey with most of their possessions in their car, so that Bruce could work for Governor Byrne, first in the governor’s office and from 1977 to 1982 for the Treasurer, Clifford Goldman. Bruce has two close friends from the Byrne administration who still reside in Princeton. Bruce and Marty bought their first little house near Grover’s Mill in West Windsor and lived there for the next 17 years. During his spare time before children, he wrote and published four law review articles. One of them has a slightly jazzy title (“The Conclusive Presumption Shuffle”). Their first child was born in 1977 and the house grew in time for the second child in 1980.

In 1982, Bruce began working for Merrill Lynch in NYC, primarily structuring, negotiating, and executing commercial mortgage loans. In 2005, he retired. Throughout his life, Bruce played lots of tennis and basketball. He traveled, he became a Grandpa, and he tried to make the most of his life while battling Parkinson’s disease.

He is survived by his wife Marty of Princeton; his sister Harriet Ackerman of Philadelphia; his son John and John’s wife Robin Schuldenfrei of Yalding, England; his daughter Robin Cameron and her husband Phil of Jackson, WY; and four wonderful grandsons, Henry and Theo Ackerman of Yalding and Dylan and William Cameron of Jackson.

He will be remembered by his friends, colleagues, and family members for his sharp intellect and dry sense of humor, which included learning how to say “without cheese” in the language of each country to which he traveled. Bruce was determined to not let the addition of cheese ruin a good meal.

If you would like to make a contribution in Bruce’s memory, we suggest the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA).

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Joshua Mark Levy

May 4, 1975 — March 11, 2021

Joshua Mark Levy, of Hopewell Township, New Jersey, passed away Thursday, March 11, 2021 after a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 45. He died in his home among family and friends.

Joshua is survived by his wife Marcy Sheldon; his children Sienna (23), Alden (11), and Taegan (9); his parents Harold Levy (Marta) and Stephanie Lurie (Cliff); his brother Jeffrey Levy (Lauren); his sister Rebecca Levy-Cruz (Frank); step-siblings: Adam Paster, Scott Paster, Doron Greenbaum, Naomi Greenbaum, Alyssa Lurie; his grandmother, Marcia Levy; his grandparents, Jack and Sylvia Goldstein; and his very large extended family.

Joshua was born on May 4, 1975 in Livingston, NJ. He met Marcy while studying Conservation Biology at Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA, and they had a daughter, Sienna, in 1997. He went on to pursue a law degree from Lewis & Clark University in Portland, OR. In 2005, Josh and Marcy had a beautiful wedding on San Juan Island. Upon completion of his juris doctorate degree, he moved his family back to his home state of New Jersey and in 2009 and 2011, they welcomed two more children, sons, Alden and Taegan, into their family.

Josh quickly achieved success as an environmental lawyer and moved on to construction law where he became a financial partner at Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP in New York City. Josh was an active father and a devoted husband. He was passionate about politics, baseball (Yankees), music, particularly the Grateful Dead, and he attended live concerts whenever possible. He also enjoyed gardening, skiing, and anything that allowed him to be outside in nature.

Throughout his life Josh embodied the true spirit of an extended family and the concept of “strangers stoppin’ strangers just to shake their hands.” Friendships and acquaintances took on a deeper meaning born from his authenticity.

The family would like to thank everyone who supported them over the past two years. They will be honoring his life in a private celebration. To send condolences to the family visit OrlandsMemorialChapel.com.

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Sandra Sinclair Dinsmore

Sandra Sinclair Dinsmore died on March 12, 2021 in Bath, Maine, after a four-month decline in health due to a stroke.

Sandy, as she was affectionately known, was born on May 12, 1936, in Princeton, New Jersey, where her father, Robert Braddock Dinsmore, attended Princeton University years earlier. Sandy was popular and pretty, succeeding in school. She played the piano, sang, and performed in theater as a member of the Princeton High School class of 1954. She attended Bradford Junior College, achieving an associate’s degree.

Sandy met Charles A. Chapman, a Bowdoin College class of 1957 jazz drummer. They married in Castine, Maine. They had three children in succession, Cameron Reed, Deborah Blackwood, and Wendy Robbins by 1960. Her son currently resides in Skillman, New Jersey.

After divorcing, Sandy moved back to Castine with the children in 1967 and worked as a secretary to Admiral Rodgers at Maine Maritime Academy. She married her high school beau, Dr. Tom Robbins of Princeton, New Jersey, in 1968. They divorced In 1971, and Sandy set up an Early New England antiques shop next to her home.

After attending an antiques show in Princeton, she became reacquainted with Drury ap Rice, a fellow dealer, living in Woolwich, Maine. They married and moved in 1974. Sadly, he passed away in 1976.

From 1976 to 1983 Sandy managed her antique business, and wrote copy and advertising for Antiques Magazine and Maine Antiques Digest. In 1984 she attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME, and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA.

Since 1989 Sandy worked as a volunteer and advocate for literacy and the arts, and wrote articles for The Penobscot Bay Press, Ellsworth American, The Working Waterfront, Fisherman’s Voice, Maine Times, Bangor Daily News, Down East, Island Journal, Maine Boats and Harbors, Points East, and Wooden Boat. Her last 20 years were spent writing about the working waterfront for Commercial Fisheries News, and books including More By Eye Than By Measure, which was nominated for a Maine Literary Award in 2020.

Sandy is survived by two sisters, three children, six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, cousins, nieces, and nephews. Her life will be celebrated in Maine over the summer, as her extended family finally gathers together again.