Jeremiah Anthony “Tony” Dowling

Jeremiah Anthony “Tony” Dowling left for Heaven to find an eternal pot of Gold on October 9, 2023. Tony was a long time resident of Princeton Junction, NJ. He was born on May 31, 1935 in Dublin, Ireland. He spent his childhood on his grandparents’ farm in Ballylongford, County Kerry.

Tony was preceded in death by his parents Mary Dineen Dowling, Jeremiah Anthony Dowling, a guardian Uncle Thomas Dineen, Uncle Paddy Dineen, and a beloved grandson Patrick Thomas Marchbank.

Tony is survived by loving son Brendan Anthony Dowling, grandchildren Cameron, Cassidy, and Jackson of Cranbury, NJ, adoring daughter B. Kelly Dowling Marchbank (Jim) and granddaughter Sean Kerry of Black Forest, CO. He is also survived by the honorary family of Billy and Paula Hall of Princeton Junction, NJ, Dineen Family cousins in County Kerry, Ireland, and special lifelong family and friends: Millie (Dowling) and Joe Ratcliff, the Pisani/Trani/Wolf Family, the Consoli Family, the Cahills, the Fontaines, the Murphys, the Gennarellis, the Perones, the Herrmanns, the Ninis, the Turner Domestic and International family, all the “Shub” faithful, and thousands of others friends worldwide.

Prior to migrating to the United States, Tony graduated from Sheffield College, England, with a Civil Engineering Degree in 1956. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Service from 1957 to 1960 as a Dental Assistant. Tony worked several jobs sometimes simultaneously to include Fortunato Construction of Long Island, NY, and Princeton Rug and Furtniture Mart. In 1976, he began his illustrious career at Turner Construction: International and Domestic as Senior Estimating Engineer. Tony was excellent at his job working quotes down to the penny. His clients as well as his peers trusted his knowledge and integrity for all of his projects. While working for Turner, Tony literally traveled the world, gracing at least 55 countries. He spent the majority of time working in the Middle East. Some of his favorite projects were the Dubai Sail Building, Taipei 101, and the Amari Diwan Palace in Kuwait. But his proudest project and one of his last was the new Yankee Stadium where he wrote his children and grandchildren’s names and birthdays in the I-beam of the right field bleachers. Tony “Topped Out” his amazing construction career after more than 45 years, retiring in 2009.

Tony was a decades-long member of St. Paul’s Parish of Princeton, NJ, where he served as an usher for over 30 years. He also attended St. David the King in West Windsor, NJ. His Catholic Faith has always been foremost in his life and service to others. Tony has always been a cheerful giver.

Tony’s love of anything Celtic taking him back to his roots and everything New York Giants is truly what has made him infamous. The combination of these two loves is evident by the invention of the “Shub” — a shed that is a pub where Tony has created a loving community. A New York Giants season ticket holder since 1957, Tony is one of New Jersey’s most known “Super Fans” — even winning a radio contest while celebrating in the Meadowlands. Epic tailgate parties with the Giants’ “mobile” bus garnered him media attention. He has been interviewed by local media outlets highlighing his Giants Memorabilia Collections and the novelty of the Shub. His latest interview was only last year when NBC/New York reported on the rivalry of the Giants vs. Eagles NFC playoffs and that Princeton Junction is the dividing line between fans. His quote said it all, “We dislike the Cowboys, but we hate the Eagles.” The Shub is also tailgate central as traveling to the stadium grew harder in recent years. Watching the Giants in the Shub with the community of neighbors and friends near and far is where you would find Tony every Sunday after church of course. The Shub is truly a Cheers-like place where everybody knows your name and beverage of choice. It was his happy, safe, Shire-like place where everyone is always welcome and greeted with Irish cheer and “Big Blue” enthusiasm. A tray of fried chicken from Chicken Holiday, potato salad, and a cold Bud Ice in hand with the big screens lit up was Tony’s favorite place to be.

“TD” will be remembered as a man who was funny with a great sense of humor. He was smart and generous to a fault. He was fiercely loyal to his loved ones. He and his heart were bigger than life. He will be missed by so many and his absence will be a void never to be filled. Slan gofoill Gaelic for Bye for now!!! Here we go Giants here we go … it’s “tird and tree” …

Visitation and Wake were held at Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08542. A buffet tailgate party followed immediately after at the “Shub” in Princeton Junction. Funeral Mass was held at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 218 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Tony’s name can be made to St. Paul’s School or your favorite Catholic Charities.

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William B. Russel

William B. Russel, a 49-year resident of Princeton, passed away on September 24. He was 77.

Born in Corpus Christi and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, Bill attended Rice University where he earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees while also playing intercollegiate baseball in the Southwest Conference. During his five years there, Bill formed an abiding allegiance to Rice as the place which had awakened and nurtured his passion for math. He continued his education with a Ph.D. at Stanford University. There he met and married Priscilla Griffiths, a fellow graduate student. They then moved to England for a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.

Arriving at Princeton University in 1974 Bill took a faculty position in the Department of Chemical Engineering (now Chemical and Biological Engineering). During his 42 years at Princeton, Bill served the university as member and chair of his department, director of the Materials Science Institute and, as dean of the Graduate School. He mentored 40 graduate students, who called themselves “Russel’s Sprouts” and produced numerous books and papers in the field of colloid science. His students recall him as patient, kind, and gentle blended with high standards and great depth of knowledge and, despite the numerous awards he received, unassuming in manner.

In Bill’s final professional chapter as dean of the Graduate School, he determined that a major goal would be to create much needed connections with both the students and the alumni. His first step was restoring and living in Wyman House, the unoccupied dean’s house next to the Graduate College. He then hosted frequent “Dinners with the dean” and “High Tables”’ for current graduate students and traveled the world gathering alumni for receptions and dinners. Bill retired from the university in 2016.

He approached his family life with the same passion and profound sense of responsibility that guided his professional life. Following the arrival of his sons Daniel and Bailey, for 18 years he arose each school day at 6 a.m. to prepare breakfast for the family, and then walked or biked the boys to school before heading to campus. He would return home for dinner before family reading for at least an hour, finally heading into his study to work. An avid hiker, biker, and camper, Bill started the boys early on these activities, taking them on a short backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail when they were 6 and 8 in anticipation of a weeklong expedition in the Grand Tetons later that year. Soccer and track were new to him, having grown up with baseball and basketball, and he learned to appreciate his sons’ accomplishments in these sports and, also, in ultimate frisbee which both boys eventually settled on as their sport of choice. In his final years, Bill loved to be outdoors and was often seen walking or biking around town.

Bill is survived by his wife, Priscilla, his sons and daughters-in-laws, Daniel and Lena of Palo Alto, California, and Bailey and Annika Walters of Laramie, Wyoming; by his beloved grandchildren, Kai and Katla; and by his sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Edwin Keath of Bend, Oregon.

Contributions in his memory may be made to Somos Amigos Medical Mission in the Dominican Republic, (somosamigos.org) in support of his sister’s and brother-in-law’s volunteer work there, or to the Princeton Public Library (princetonlibrarywv.com/donate) which Bill enjoyed visiting during his retirement.

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John F. Wilson

John F. Wilson (90) of Peterborough, NH, died on Thursday, October 5, 2023, when COVID rapidly overwhelmed his precarious health.

Born in Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1933 to Esther Gregory and Frederick Colburn Wilson, John spent his youth exploring the parsonage of the First Congregational Church where his father was the minister, and it was rumored that pirates had buried treasure. He learned woodworking skills from a local craftsman and helped his father identify planes during WWII, among other adventures. After graduating from Mount Herman School, he attended Harvard College, where John met Ruth Alden Cooke. The two married between final exams and their graduation in 1954.

After earning his doctoral degree from Union Theological Seminary, John joined the Princeton University faculty in 1960, where he remained until his retirement in 2003. A historian of American religious history, John pursued scholarly work focused primarily on the relationship between church and state in America. His publications include Public Religion in American Culture, a critical edition of Jonathan Edwards’s History of the Work of Redemption, The Study of Religion in American Universities and Colleges, and Religion and the American Nation. He developed and was the director of the Princeton Project on Church and State and was president of the American Society of Church History. Within his academic field, John is remembered as a quiet but forceful presence. He served as an exemplary mentor to many doctoral students and young scholars.

In addition to producing scholarly work in his field, John spent countless hours serving Princeton University as a whole and the broader academic community. He was instrumental in developing the University’s residential college system and served as Dean of the Graduate School until he retired. He also served on the boards of Northfield Mount Hermon School, Union Theological Seminary, and Educational Testing Service. One of his graduate students observed that John’s four-decade career provides eloquent illustration for the maxim that there is no limit to what one person can accomplish if they don’t care who receives the credit.

Along the way, John and Ruth raised four children: Abigail, Nathaniel, Johanna, and Jeremy; they have 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

In spare time, John loved to tackle challenging electrical or plumbing projects and any number of other household problems. New wasn’t better. A solution could be conceived and built with materials found in the garage or basement — which were always packed with things that may be useful some day! John was also the family navigator. From memory, he could recite the directions one should take and what lane to be in before taking an exit. He also maintained a vast collection of old-fashioned road maps; his children didn’t need AAA or Google maps, they had John.

In 2009, John and Ruth moved to RiverMead in Peterborough, where John made many close friendships and involved himself in several committees. He also served on the boards of the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music and Peterborough Players, and enjoyed visiting his lake home, doing projects, and engaging with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

The family is planning a celebration of his life in spring or summer 2024.

To share a memory, or to leave the family a message of condolence, please visit John’s tribute page at jellisonfuneralhome.com.