Jane Russell Dennison

Jane Dennison a longtime resident of Princeton, New Jersey, and then later Skillman and Duxbury, MA, died Sunday, June 30 at the age of 100 a week after attending her 100th birthday party with her family.

The daughter of John Burnett and Lucille Harvey Russell of Wilkes-Barre, PA, she was raised there and later in Farmington, CT. She attended the Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, CT, and upon graduation from Garland Junior College in Boston, she moved to New York and worked in advertising before moving to Bermuda to marry Sam Wharton. The marriage ended after two years and Jane became a single mother of 2-year-old son, James. She stayed in Bermuda, and with an enterprising friend founded Bermuda Cottages, a tourist accommodation competing with the hotels by renting the homes of Bermudians frequently absent on business or vacation. The venture became and remains a very successful component of Bermuda’s tourist business today.

She moved to New York for her son’s schooling and in1957 she met and married Charles P. Dennison. In 1959 they welcomed their daughter Anne and moved to Washington, DC, so that Charles could take on an appointment to the U.S. Office of Education and later at the State Department. In 1961 their daughter Laura (Lolli) was born. Jane thrived on the fringes of government, and she took an active volunteer role in several organizations, particularly the American Field Service’s major annual Washington visit program bringing to Washington all its British commonwealth grantees attending schools in the U.S.

The family returned to Princeton in 1966 as Charles commuted to New York for jobs in the U.S. Department of Education and later as Executive Director of the English-Speaking Union. Jane’s artistic and community interests joined in volunteer work for the Princeton University Art Museum and in her decisive role in saving Guernsey Hall, the now historic home of the Marquand Family. Jane formed a corporation to purchase it and turn it into a six-apartment condominium. The project survived with landmark designation and remains a landscape feature on the border of Marquand Park.

Jane was a founding member of the Friends of the YWCA, a group that raised money to support the organization, and in 2014 was given The Waxwood award, a lifetime achievement honor for the decades of volunteer service she had given to the YWCA. A member for most of her life, Jane credited the YWCA with helping her feel settled each time her life felt unbalanced.

Jane was collector of American women artists of the late 18th and early 19th century. In 1981, Jane became a founding member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC, the only museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women artists.

Jane was a member of the Cosmopolitan Club in New York, the Coral Beach Club in Bermuda, and a member of the Present Day Club in Princeton. She and Charles were members of the Nassau Club, Pretty Brook Tennis Club, and Springdale Golf Club.

She was an avid tennis and bridge player, loved travel and her garden, and read voraciously. Jane worked hard on her relationships with friends and family and it showed as she had legions of lifelong friends who were treated to her quick wit and wicked sense of humor.

Jane is survived by her son James D. Wharton and Mary Hutchinson of Jamestown, RI; Anne Dennison Fleming and her husband Steve of Duxbury, MA; and Laura (Lolli) Dennison Leeson and her husband Robert of Marblehead, MA. She is also survived by her five grandchildren: Robert Charles Leeson Mace and his wife Jaclyn, William Russell Fleming, Nathaniel Hazard Leeson and his wife Katey, Christopher Wright Fleming, and Annabelle Hope Leeson.

A memorial service for Jane will be held on Saturday, October 26 at 3 p.m. at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton.

Anyone wishing to make a contribution in her name, please consider the Friends of the YWCA, Princeton, New Jersey.

David Erdman

David Erdman, adored and adoring husband of Eleanor (Ellie) Crosby Erdman, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2024 at the age of 94. The fourth of five sons of Lucy Kidder Bulkley and Dr. Charles R. Erdman Jr., David lived in Princeton, NJ, Edgartown, MA, and Rockland, ME. His father, Dr. Erdman, was a prominent professor of Political Science at Princeton University, two-term mayor of Princeton Borough, and Commissioner of Economic Development for the State of New Jersey.

David was educated at Miss Fine’s, Princeton Country Day School, Phillips Exeter Academy (Class of 1949), and Princeton University (Class of 1953) where he was a member of Cottage Club and the 1953 Princeton Championship Hockey team. Upon graduation, David served abroad in the U.S. Army. He spent his career in the aluminum industry, culminating as Sales Manager for New Jersey Aluminum.

David is predeceased by his parents and brothers, Harold, Charles, and Peter. He is survived by his wife Eleanor Crosby Erdman and a broad and loving family of children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and his younger brother, Michael Erdman of Avon, PA.

In 1960, David married Eldred Eve Pearce (deceased) in England. They had three children: Charlotte Eve (Peter) Rizzo, Jon (Nathalie) Erdman, and Jane (Charlie) Abrahams, and seven grandchildren: Meredith, Hilary, Matthew, Alexander, Hadley, Eryn, and Riley.

In 1980, David married Eleanor Crosby Sinclair of New York City, who remained his wife for 44 years. His stepchildren include Jay (Sherry) and Ian (Stephanie) Sinclair. He was also a loving grandfather to Ian and Stephanie’s children, Parker and Clay Sinclair.

A passionate and accomplished sailor, David spent many summers on Martha’s Vineyard, followed by decades living harborside in Rockland, ME, with his wife Ellie and their beloved Westies.

David’s family would like to thank his many devoted friends and tireless caregivers for all of their support during his final years.

Lois Young

Lois Dickason Young, a beloved mother, grandmother, and visionary leader, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2024, at the age of 88. A longtime resident of Princeton, NJ, Deer Isle, Maine, and Penney Farms, FL, she leaves a legacy of compassion, dedication, and service that touched countless lives across the globe.

Born in Burma to missionary parents, Lois was an adventurer from the start. She attended the Kodaikanal International School in India from an early age. She attended The College of Wooster and Case Western University School of Nursing and earned her master’s degree from Columbia Teachers College. Lois supplemented her education by working at Camp Green Lake, in Wisconsin. While waiting tables there, she spied a tall busboy with a welcoming smile. It didn’t take long for Lois and Jack to realize they were meant to be. They married during the winter break of their senior years in college in December 1957.

Jack, it turns out, had as much (or more) of an adventurous streak. The newlyweds spent their “honeymoon” as fire lookouts in a mountaintop cabin in Glacier National Park. Thus the stage was set for a lifetime of wonder.

In the late 1950s Lois was a visiting nurse to underprivileged new mothers in Harlem. While raising her three children, Jennifer, David, and Charles, she (and Jack) attended Riverside Church and were active in civil rights protests. Later, her attention turned to Vietnam War protests. She was always standing with and speaking out for those less fortunate.

Lois’ life was so accomplished that it cannot be done justice within the boundaries of this notice. She was a nurse to the underprivileged. As a visionary, nationally recognized educator, and school leader, Lois co-founded the Newgrange School and coordinated countless professional development conferences that opened the doors for a better understanding of learning different students. Once retired (but not done working), she became involved with the Prison Literacy Project at Trenton State Prison where she taught inmates to read. Finally, Lois was reunited with her birth country, Burma (now Myanmar), where she helped to start Cetena Educational Foundation, a foundation dedicated to teaching English to local people throughout the country. As a part of this work, Lois and Jack led trips to the amazing sites in-country for more than 20 years.

Lois’ faith in God was important to her. She was particularly involved and an active member at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, NJ.

A leader. A supporter of others. Lois could talk to anyone (and often did!) and find something interesting to report. She was a connector and intensely interested in helping others to succeed. As one of her former colleagues said, “Lois Young was one of the sweetest nicest people that I’ve ever met in my life, but she was also one of the toughest and her legacy still lives.”

For all of her professional accomplishments, Lois’ true joy came from her family. Her family; Jennifer and Jim Suddath, David and Melaina Young, and Charlie and Georgann Young, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Her “happy place” was the family home on Deer Isle, Maine, where she baked, sewed, and painted rocks with her family.

Services to celebrate Lois’ life are yet to be planned. For those who feel inclined, donations may be made to Cetana Educational Foundation, online at cetena.org/donate or by mail to: Cetana Educational Foundation 487 Jefferson Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.