Olive E. Hoagland

Olive E. Hoagland, 99, passed away on January 7, 2022. She was born in Newark, NJ, moved to Griggstown in 1945, and resided in Freehold since 2010. She worked as a secretary and in sales for Princeton Nurseries of Kingston for 39 years. She was a member of the Griggstown Reformed Church since 1935, where she served as a Deacon. She was a charter member of the Ladies Auxillary of Griggstown Fire Company and was a member of the Franklin Township Senior Citizens.

Predeceased by her parents Dr. Herman and Mae (Lee) Campbell; husband Kenneth A. Hoagland; sister Doris (Campbell) Carroll; and brother-in-law Arthur Carroll; she is survived by her sister-in-law Cynthia Hoagland; and 12 loving nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at the Griggstown Reformed Church and burial in Rocky Hill Cemetery at the convenience of the family.

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

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Margaret “Pegie” Dunn Morris

December 22, 1942 – January 7, 2022

Pegie Morris, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother passed away early on Friday morning, January 7, 2022. She died peacefully at home, following a valiant fight against COPD. She is survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Alexander E. Morris, her son Robert V. Morris, his wife Kendall L. Morris, three grandchildren – Parker, Hayden, and Ellie, her son Garret E. Morris and his wife Joyce B. Morris, plus a host of friends and family.

Pegie grew up on a small farm in Franklin Park, near Princeton, New Jersey. She was the oldest of five siblings and the only girl among them. She graduated from Princeton High School in 1960. She subsequently attended Rider University, obtained an Associate Degree, and graduated from nursing school in Princeton, N.J.

She enjoyed a diverse career, starting as an OB/GYN nurse at Princeton Hospital and even delivered three babies herself when doctors were delayed. She later became the Secretary of her children’s school (The Lewis School in Princeton, NJ) to ensure that she was able to spend time with them. Eventually, Pegie became an entrepreneur by opening and running a PIP Printing franchise throughout the 1990s.

The essence of Pegie was that of a devoted and loving wife and mother. She never missed one of her sons’ events and treated all of their friends as an extension of the family. Pegie was an, “I like babies and dogs” kind of gal. In addition to being a homemaker, she enjoyed activities like dog shows, gardening, games, and travel.

Her twinkling eyes, easy smile, and occasional quick, happy laugh made it easy for her to make friends — many since coming to the Naples area with her husband as “snowbirders” in 1988 and permanently nearly nine years ago.

A funeral mass will be celebrated for Pegie in the chapel at St. Agnes Catholic Church (7775 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, Naples, FL 34120) on Friday, January 21, 2022 at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will be appreciated.

Online condolences may be offered at FullerNaples.com.

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Haskell Emery Smith Rhett

Haskell Emery Smith Rhett, 85, died peacefully at home on January 7, 2022, in Afton, Virginia.

Dr. Rhett was President Emeritus of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (now The Institute for Citizens & Scholars).

Born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1936 to Eunice Campbell Rhett (Emery) and Haskell Smith Rhett, he grew up in Long Beach, Indiana, and attended The Governor’s Academy in Massachusetts on a full scholarship. He earned a BA in English at Hamilton College.

Upon graduation, he served as a Naval Flight Officer, flying A-3’s off the USS Forrestal. In 1961, he married his first wife, Roberta Teel Oliver, with whom he had two children, Kathryn Emery Rhett and Cecily Coffin Rhett.

After his naval service, Dr. Rhett was Assistant Dean of Admissions for Hamilton College before earning his Ph.D. in philosophy at Cornell University, and as a fellow at the London Institute for Education. In 1970 he became Director of Program Development at the Educational Testing Service in Princeton, New Jersey. A champion of equitable education for all, in 1973 he became Assistant Chancellor of Higher Education for the State of New Jersey, and then, in 1985, Vice President for the College Board. In 1990, he assumed the role of President of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

A trustee of The Governor’s Academy and Dominican University of California, he also served as chair of the board of trustees of The College of New Jersey. He was on the board of directors for the Trenton After School Program, and a facilitator for the nation’s longest-running career transition group, JobSeekers. He held fellowships at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and the Eliot-Winant Fellowship to lecture at British universities.

Dr. Rhett was an avid sailor, crewing on the Newport Bermuda Race, and a competitive tennis player. A longtime member of Trinity Church, in Princeton, New Jersey, he served as senior warden and three-time vestryman.

While in New Jersey, he met his beloved wife of the past 25 years, Janet Lee Rollings. Devoted supporters of the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team, they housed athletes and coaches in their home during training at Princeton’s Lake Carnegie. Their love of nature, and Janet’s work as a United Airlines captain, led them to live in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, near Dulles International Airport. They traveled the world together, including Antarctica.

He is survived by his wife, his two daughters, son-in-law Brian N. Sawyer, and grandchildren Cade Emery Leebron, Jacob Rhett Leebron, Benjamin Harvey Leebron, and Josephine Rhett Sawyer. In his final years, Dr. Rhett appreciated the friendship of his home health aide Ray Robinson. Friends and family will miss his inimitable sense of style, quick wit, and wise counsel.

A memorial service and celebration of Haskell’s life will be held later this year at Trinity Church in Princeton. In lieu of flowers, it was Haskell’s wish for donations to The Governor’s Academy or Trinity Church.

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James E. Anderson

James E. Anderson died unexpectedly in Skillman, NJ, on January 9, 2022. He was 86. Jim was the only child of adoring parents, Alan and Eleanor Anderson, and was born in Orange, NJ, on February 27, 1935. He was raised in South Orange and Chatham NJ, where he graduated in 1953 from Chatham High School.

He continued his studies at Amherst College, Class of 57, and Harvard Law School, JD ’60. Jim married Sarah (Sally) Whittaker in 1958. They had three children and raised their family in Simsbury, CT. Jim spent his career as corporate counsel at what is now CIGNA. He retired to Pawlet, VT, where he and Sally lived for 23 years. Jim named their Vermont home Solla Sollew, “where they never have troubles, at least very few,” according to Dr. Seuss. The Pawlet house was an idyllic family retreat that provided many special memories for Jim, Sally, and the growing families of their children.

This time also allowed Jim to focus on what he enjoyed — volunteering at Manchester Congregational Church, providing legal services pro bono, and walking in the woods accompanied by his beloved yellow labs Abby and then Andy. Jim was a lifelong chorister and sang in school choruses, glee club, barbershop quartets, and community musicals. He also had passions for nature, theology, politics, sports, and enjoying time with friends and family. And snowshoeing! 

Jim declared that it was time to head south when he was no longer able to climb a ladder, chainsaw in hand, to remove a fallen tree from the driveway in Pawlet. He and Sally headed south to Vero Beach, Florida. There he was active at Christ-by-the-Sea Methodist Church and enjoyed family visits, tennis, and twice daily beach walks with Andy. Eventually, it became important to live near their children, so Jim and Sally returned to their New Jersey roots.

Jim leaves his wife of 63 years, Sally, and their children: Beth Coogan and husband Tom; Stewart Anderson and wife Alexandra Gulacsi; David Anderson and wife Olga Anderson Ferreras; and his six grandchildren, Grace Coogan, John Coogan, Sara Anderson, Danny Anderson, Yunyi Anderson, and Elliot Anderson. His family and his many friends will miss him dearly. They will hold a celebration of his life in the spring.

Donations may be made in Jim’s memory to AFS-USA, Inc. or the International Committee of the Red Cross.