Nancy Joan Glace Van Pelt

Mrs. Nancy Joan Glace Van Pelt, 91 years young, entered into the Kingdom of Heaven on April 4, 2024.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, she lived in Pittsburgh, Lawrenceville, NJ, and later moved to Aiken, SC. She worked for Ketchum, McCloud & Grove, an advertising agency in Pittsburgh, for 4 years and for Valentine’s in Lawrenceville, NJ, a furniture and design business, for 13 years.

Daughter of Clement Hortanac and Madelyn Johana Glace Kanasko. Proceeded in death by her parents and son William Clark and husband William Herrmann. Lovingly remembered by her daughters Lisa (Noble) Van Pelt-Diller and Meredith Van Pelt of Aiken, SC, and grandsons Maxwell Van Pelt Diller (Maggie Martin) of Phoenix, AZ, and Bennett Van Pelt Diller of San Diego, CA. Also, survived by sister Jean Dunn of Ashland, OH.

She attended Robert Morris Business College in Pittsburgh, PA, and had a lifetime interest in fashion, art, and classical music. She was a member of the Aiken Symphony Orchestra Guild, as well as a member of the Women of Woodside. She was a passionate fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team. She filled her days reading books and the New York Times while enjoying her loving family and friends. She was a social, elegant butterfly who was and always will be unforgettable.

A Celebration of Life for both Nancy and William will be held on Friday, May 24, 2024, from 2 to 4 p.m., at The Constantine House, 3406 Richland Avenue, W, Aiken, SC 29801.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Friends of Aiken Symphony (friendsofaikensymphony.org) and The Aiken Center for the Arts (aikencenterforthearts.org).

The Historic George Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 211 Park Avenue, SW, Aiken, SC 29801 (803-649-6234), has charge of arrangements.

Expressions of sympathy for the family may be left by visiting georgefuneralhomes.com.

Brooke A. Johnson

Brooke A. Johnson, 54, of Princeton, NJ, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, joining her beloved father, George, after his sudden death last year.

Brooke was a fifth generation Princetonian born at the old Princeton hospital in August 1969. She grew up in the heart of downtown, skipping under Witherspoon’s pear trees, selling lemonade in front of Johnson Electric, picking wild strawberries, and chasing fireflies along Wiggins and Park Place.

She attended Community Park Elementary School, graduated from Princeton High, and went on to attend the universities of North Carolina and New Hampshire where she studied environmental sciences. An avid outdoors woman, Brooke spent much of her time hiking and camping, and lived in her tent for months on end reading, meditating, and photographing the beauty around her. Her photos of Carnegie Lake and the birdlife there were spectacular.

Brooke was also an avid follower of the Grateful Dead and the Blues Travelers bands, and in her younger years traveled all across America with her brother George to see them. Likewise, she attended many a Broadway show, always a lover of a good story, especially any Edward Albee or Stephen Sondheim production.

But one of her biggest passions was cooking. After working for a stint in Princeton Hospital’s kitchen as a young teenager, the cooking bug stuck, and Brooke continued in the cooking industry throughout her adult life. After college she spent several years in Boston honing her skills as a baker, and upon returning to Princeton worked at the Institute for Advanced Study and Princeton University in their food services departments, at Theresa’s on Palmer Square as their hostess, at Princeton Junction train station’s En-Route snack shop, and at the Blawenburg Market where she gave cooking and pastry making classes. In 2010 Brooke began her own successful catering business, “Cook with Brooke,” serving dinners for Prince Albert of Monaco and Governor Phil Murphy among many others.

During the pandemic her catering business took a hit and Brooke returned to her love of nature and animals to start a dog walking business. “Cook with Brooke” became “Walk with Brooke” as she turned to her childhood stomping grounds once again, walking dogs on downtown streets, hiking Princeton’s parks, and photographing it all.

Brooke took the loss of her Dad in the summer of 2023 very hard. Her Father’s close friends Doug Hoffman, Noel Sabatino, and Mike Miller, along with the Princeton Fire Department were a huge comfort to her and her family.

She once said, after her Dad passed away, that she vowed to continue to give her time to those in need of help, to live a life of service just as her Dad always did. All who knew them both would certainly agree that she was “her Father’s daughter,” and Brooke would have taken this as the highest of compliments.

But no matter what difficulty she faced, Brooke always managed to turn it around. She brought light and passion to whatever she did, her loud cheer and laughter never failed to light up a room, and her hilarious storytelling could rival any Sondheim. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her, including her menagerie of furry friends whom she cared for with love and respect.

Daughter of the late George W. Johnson, she is survived by her mother Catherine Nestor Johnson, and a brother George W. Johnson. Brooke’s grandparents, deceased, were Dorothy L. Nestor and Martin S. Nestor and Cecilia M. Johnson and Reuben F. Johnson.

Brooke is also survived by her Aunt Peggy (Margaret) and Flavio Fener; Thomas H. Johnson (deceased) and Josephine Johnson; Linda Lee Nestor; Marta Lowe and Jeffery Lowe (deceased); and Martin F. Nestor (deceased).

Many cousins including Heidi Fener (deceased), Heather Fener and Brandon Kessler; Thomas E. Shockley Jr. (deceased); Lindsay Lowe, Molly and Brian Rooney; and other family members, Sue Bruswitz, Caroline Clancy, and Missy and Kenny Bruvick. And her special friends Kelly, Robin and Matt, and Zuzu.

A memorial service for both Brooke and her late father George W. Johnson will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 19, 2024, at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton.
Visitation will be held from 6 p.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Princeton Fire Department and to SAVE Animal Shelter.

Linda Baruch Leon

Linda Baruch Leon passed away peacefully, surrounded by loving family on April 10, 2024 due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 75 and had resided on Casey Key in Nokomis, FL, since 2004.

These words cannot do justice for the incredible life that Linda led and the significant impact she had on the people around her. Linda was a remarkable and courageous woman. She will be remembered most for her generosity, her bravery, and how she lived life on her own terms.

Linda is survived by her husband, Mitchell Leon, and her daughter, Lindsay Sullivan (Steve Trimble). She was a wonderful stepmother and loved dearly by Anya Olin-Leon and Noah Leon (Nicole Leon). Linda is also survived by her six grandchildren: Audrey Trimble, Nora Trimble, Victoria Costa Silva, Oliva Costa Silva, Mia Leon, and Asher Leon as well as her five siblings, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends. Linda was predeceased by her son, Teddy Sullivan.

Linda was born January 16, 1949 and lived in Baltimore, MD, until her family moved to Princeton, NJ, in 1954. She attended Westover School in Middlebury, CT, and the University of Denver where she majored in fine arts. In 1970 Linda married Brian Sullivan. Although their marriage ended after 30 years, they remained good friends and co-parents of Lindsay and Teddy.

In 1972, Linda returned from Denver to Princeton to work with her mother in their graphic design/printing business, Minute Press, which Linda ran until 1988. She was an artist and businesswoman, having started a number of businesses including DesignWrite, a medical education company, in 1993 with Mitch which survives to this day. Linda retired after Teddy’s death in 2002. In March of 2009, Linda and Mitch were married at their home on Casey Key.

Linda was a wonderful mother and a well-loved member of every community she lived in. A travel enthusiast, she enjoyed incredible trips to some of the most exciting places in the world. She was a woman whose devotion to family and friends was her guiding principle and most important legacy.

Gone too soon, Linda loved this life filled with so much joy and friendship. She will be deeply missed by so many.

A memorial service will be held at Princeton Cemetery on May 18, 2024 at 4 p.m. She will be buried near her parents and son, Teddy.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Linda’s name to HomeFront (1880 Princeton Avenue, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648), an important organization in the Princeton and surrounding community working to break the cycle of poverty.