Rabbi Eric B. Wisnia

Rabbi Eric B. Wisnia passed away on Friday, September 29, 2023.

He was the devoted husband of Judith Glassburg Wisnia for 52 years, and is survived by his children, Sara and Avi Wisnia; siblings Karen Wisnia (Kirk Wattles), Jana Dickstein (I. Lee Dickstein), Michael Wisnia (Misa Wisnia), Michele Glassburg (Eldred Bullard), and Sandra Sloane (Bruce Solomon). He was also the father of the late Dov Benjamin Wisnia. He is remembered and loved by all of his many family members and countless friends, colleagues, and congregants.

Eric was born on November 6, 1949 in Brooklyn, NY, the son of Cantor David and Dr. Hope Wisnia, and was raised in Levittown, PA. He raised his own family in East Windsor, NJ, and later resided in Yardley and Dresher, PA.

Rabbi Wisnia graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Thought from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1970. He received a Master of Hebrew Letters and was ordained at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, OH, in May 1974. He was awarded a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1999. He served as assistant Rabbi at Congregation Shomer Emunim in Toledo, OH, from 1974 to 1977 before joining Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction, NJ. Rabbi Wisnia served Congregation Beth Chaim as Senior Rabbi from June 1977 until his retirement in February 2019, when he was named Rabbi Emeritus.

Rabbi Wisnia will be remembered for his exuberance, intelligence, guidance, and humor. He was a prominent religious and community leader who cared deeply about Judaism, Israel, ethics, and education. Over his four decades of leadership at Congregation Beth Chaim, he helped the synagogue grow from 160 to 600 families with comparable growth in the Preschool to 12th-grade religious school. During his tenure, the physical structure of the synagogue was rebuilt and expanded twice. A social action program, a cantor, and a volunteer congregational choir were added to enhance the ritual experience. He taught many classes at Beth Chaim, for both students and adults, while also officiating well over 4,000 important life cycle events for families all over the country. With his colleagues in the area, he organized and instituted many initiatives and programs that helped nurture a thriving Jewish community and fostered deep interfaith connections. His strong vocal support for the building of the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton in West Windsor led the mosque to honor him with a Community Service Award in December 2014. He operated with the philosophy that “we are all brothers and sisters, and when any of our rights are diminished, all of our rights are diminished.”

During his rabbinic career, Rabbi Wisnia served as President of the Mercer County Board of Rabbis, President of the New Jersey Association of Reform Rabbis, President of the Shore Area Board of Rabbis, and President of the Hightstown Area Ministerium. At the Medical Center at Princeton, he was on the Institutional Review Board for Medical Ethics, was a longtime Chaplaincy Committee member, and was past Chair of the Committee on Religious Ministries. He served the Jewish Committee on Scouting for the Central New Jersey Council Boy Scouts of America. He was also a past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Family Service Agency of Princeton and served on the Board of The National Brain Tumor Association. At the time of his passing, he was working on a book of Jewish Philosophy.

Rabbi Wisnia’s family is grateful that he was able to be a tissue donor and give the gift of life to others.

Funeral services were held on Sunday, October 1, at Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia.

Rabbi Wisnia had many famous sayings, but one he loved to espouse the most was this: “Prayers don’t change things. Prayers change people, and people change things.” He will be dearly missed by the many souls he brought comfort to in times of need and by everyone he made feel welcome with open arms and a joke for every occasion. His teachings, his words of wisdom, and his puns will live on in all of the lives he touched.

Donations in Rabbi Wisnia’s memory can be made to the National Brain Tumor Society – please designate those donations to “Team Dov” (https://tinyurl.com/TeamDov2023).

For condolences, please visit OrlandsMemorialChapel.com/rabbi-eric-wisnia.

Funeral arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel.

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Charles S. Ganoe

Charles S. Ganoe, a retired banker and consultant, passed away in Princeton Hospital at age 94 on October 3, 2023. The cause of his death was heart failure according to his family. 

Born in Abington, PA, to Robert L. Ganoe and Leonette Rehfuss Ganoe, Charlie grew up in Philadelphia attending William Penn Charter School for 12 years, graduating from Princeton University and receiving an MBA from the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1952, Charlie joined the Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company (later known as Fidelity Bank) as a trainee, rising to Senior Executive Vice President and Director of the bank and its holding company. During much of this period, Charlie managed the bank’s fast growing International Department, opening an international banking office in New York and establishing 10 offices and subsidiaries overseas. During this time, he also served as President of the Washington-based trade association for international banking, Bankers Association for Foreign Trade, was on the Board of the Export-Import Bank and was an informal advisor on international finance to several government agencies.

Charlie moved to Princeton in 1979 to take senior executive positions successively with The New York Bank for Savings, American Express International Bank, and The First American Bank of New York. In 1995, he opened his own consulting office, Ganoe Associates, in Princeton which he maintained until 2019 providing marketing advice for investment managers and, in later years, clubs and associations.

During the course of his career, Charlie was an officer and/or a board member of a number of companies and organizations. This included President of the Wharton Graduate School Alumni Association, the Princeton University Class of 1951, the Philadelphia Council for International Visitors, the Philadelphia Chapter of the Robert Morris Associates (now Risk Management Associates), and Princeton’s Constitution Hill Property Association. He also was Secretary Treasurer of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Philadelphia Committee on Foreign Relations.

Charlie enjoyed writing. He was co-author of two books on international banking, won several awards for the dozens of pieces written for professional journals, and wrote a number of articles for general U.S. and European publications ranging from The New York Times to the Princeton Alumni Weekly.

Charlie traveled to Europe more than 100 times and flew around the world four times. All told, he visited more than 100 countries in all parts of the world. In addition to business, he was an adventurous personal traveler; he was one of the first Americans to visit the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin, and his travels in the recent years prior to his death took him to such places as Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Tibet, and North Korea. He and his wife loved good food and they always tried to eat at the top restaurants in the countries they visited. They were proud that, at one point in time, they had eaten at every Michelin 3-star restaurant in New York, London, Paris, and the Riviera, as well as the Spanish El Bulli, long rated the No. 1 restaurant in the world.

Captain of his high school baseball team, Charlie was an avid sports follower, especially Princeton football and basketball. He took up road racing at age 50; by the time he ran his final 10k race at age 76, he had competed in over 500 races including 12 marathons in the U.S. and Europe and over 40 half-marathons.

Charlie was a member of the Council on Foreign Relations for more than 45 years. He was also a member of the Delta Psi Fraternity (St. Anthony Hall), the Ausable Club, Princeton Club of New York, Merion Cricket Club, Nassau Club, and the Old Guard of Princeton. He and his family own a cottage on the grounds of the Ausable Club in the high peaks region of the Adirondacks where he spent his summer vacations and occasional holiday weekends in the winter. He and his wife also regularly vacationed in St. Barths in January.

Charlie was predeceased in 2009 by his wife, the former Frances-Sue “Susie” Williams, a prize-winning gardener who was the daughter of R. Norris Williams II, a survivor of the Titanic and winner of two U.S. singles titles, five U.S. doubles, one Wimbledon doubles, and one Olympic doubles title. He is survived by two daughters, Hemsley Ganoe Hughes (James) of NYC and Leyden, MA, and Alice Ganoe of Larchmont, NY, plus five grandchildren: William, Cate, Kurt, James, and John.

Burial is strictly private. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Princeton University Class of 1951 Annual Giving, PO Box 5357, Princeton, NJ 08543.

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Nancy “Hilary” Hays

Nancy “Hilary” Hays, of Princeton, NJ, and Brewster, MA, passed away peacefully on October 6, 2023, in Princeton surrounded by her family. Hilary, originally from East Liverpool, OH, settled in Princeton in 1971 after residing in Cambridge, MA.  She navigated the challenges of single motherhood, raising four teenagers as she pursued her education, earning both an MSW and a PhD in social work while working full-time. 

Hilary’s commitment to helping others led her to work at the Rutgers Community Mental Health Center and later at the Counseling Center at Princeton University. Her dedication to her field continued even after her retirement from Princeton, as she maintained a private practice until 2022. Along the way, she made many friends who appreciated her love, generosity, and kindness, and knew that a friendship with her was a friendship for life.

In 1983, Hilary brought her vision to life with the design and construction of her dream house in Princeton.  Her Master Gardener experience was put to work as she passionately created many beautiful gardens in her yard and people often asked her advice for their gardens.  With her gardening skills, she created many beautiful flower arrangements and she was asked to do the flower arrangements for weddings.

She loved the outdoors and was an avid walker as well as a runner. She ran the Marine Corp Marathon and was a member of the Carnegie Lake Crew team.  She also was an enthusiastic practitioner of yoga, sharing sessions with her “mat mates.”

Later in life Hilary resumed her piano talent from her childhood by taking up piano lessons.  She cherished the time spent with her family and friends at her home in Cape Cod with many celebrations and games on the beach.  She had a deep love for the dogs she had over the years that kept her both active and in good company.

In 1996, Hilary married her longtime friend, Tony Cline, and together, they created a life filled with adventures, entertaining, and world travels until he passed in 2016.

Hilary is survived by her children Robert “Bob” Ogilvie of Princeton, William “Bill” Ogilvie (Alice) of Austin, TX, Bradley Ogilvie (Qianmo) of Winfield, IL, and Beth Ogilvie-Freda (Mark) of Princeton; her step-children Lynn Cline (Kyle) of Santa Fe, NM, and Hugh Cline (Richard) of Long Beach, CA; and her beloved grandchildren, Rebecca Freda and Alex Freda. She is also survived by her sisters, Mary Ann Davidson and Sue Hays, nieces, and her dear family friend, Ellyn Geller.

A memorial service to celebrate Hilary’s life will be held on a date to be announced.

Contributions in her honor may be made to Princeton Senior Resource Center (101 Poor Farm Road, Princeton, NJ 08540) and SAVE (1010 Route 601 Skillman, NJ 08558).