Charles Donald (“Don”) Coppinger

Charles Donald (“Don”) Coppinger, of Princeton, N.J., passed away peacefully on December 15, 2024, at Fox Trail Memory Care in Princeton. He was 79.

Don was born in Newark, N.J., and spent his early years in Montclair, N.J., before his family moved to Princeton. He was predeceased by his parents, Charles A. and Eleanor (Quinby) Coppinger, and his older brother, William Q. Coppinger. Known for his warm personality and love of conversation, Don touched the lives of many in his community.

Don’s deep connection to the Mooney family began when his family moved to Princeton, two doors away from the Mooneys on Dodds Lane. Over the years, he became an honorary member of their family, serving as a cherished “grandfather” figure to Rob and Cheryl Mooney’s four children.

A graduate of Princeton High School, Class of 1962, Don was a standout Varsity tennis player and a devoted sports fan. His passion extended beyond his own athletic pursuits to coaching and supporting the Mooney children in their various sports endeavors.

Whether shooting hoops, tossing a baseball, or cheering from the sidelines, Don found immense joy in the camaraderie of sports. He was well known by many on the sidelines of local Little League and high school games.  A dedicated Mets and Giants fan, his greatest pride was spectating games featuring the Mooney kids, whose accomplishments he celebrated with heartfelt enthusiasm.

Professionally, Don worked for a time as Director of Sales for Overseas Charter-a-Flight, a wholesaler for low fare aviation pioneer Freddie Laker’s Laker Airways. Don traveled on business to London, developing a lifelong appreciation for the city. Later, he served as a school bus driver for Princeton-area schools and worked for several car hire companies, always engaging with those around him.
A talented musician, Don was a gifted pianist known for his lively renditions of Gershwin’s “Maple Leaf Rag” and other classics. He also served as an organist for Nassau Presbyterian Church, sharing his love of music with the congregation.

In his later years, Don was a beloved regular at Starbucks, where he met with friends most every morning to catch up and share stories. He was an avid newspaper reader, and nearly always with copies of the New York Times, the Newark Star Ledger, the Trenton Times, the Trentonian, and the Town Topics, and always up to date on the local sports pages. His affable nature and keen interest in the world around him made him a constant source of joy to those who knew him.

Don’s final years were marked by the unwavering care and companionship of Cheryl Mooney, who supervised his care with love and dedication. His good-natured spirit and genuine kindness will be deeply missed by his many friends, neighbors, and especially the Mooney family, who considered him one of their own.

Don will be interred with his beloved parents at Oakwood Cemetery, Mount Kisco, N.Y., in the spring next year.
Rest in peace, Don. Your light will forever shine in the hearts of those who loved you.

———

David Eyre Steward

David Eyre Steward died on October 15, 2024, shortly after he was diagnosed with abdominal carcinoma. Until the day he was hospitalized he worked on his last poetry series that will be published in early 2025.

David was born on April 29, 1936 in Doylestown, PA, son of Frederic Evans Steward and Anne née Aucoin who lived on Sandy Ridge Rd in Stockton, NJ. David’s brother Peter was born May 17,1939. Frederic died in the spring of 1944, a big shock for the family, especially Anne, who was hospitalized for over a year following her husband’s death. David and Peter were sent to live with their aunt Florence, who was an Episcopalian missionary at St. Stephen Mission in Elkton, VA, in the Shenandoah Valley. The school friends, the local people, many of whom had a hardscrabble life, but also the surrounding nature were lasting memories for David, and he comes back to these memories again and again in his work. He also stayed in contact with some of the friends he made during that year. In 1945, Anne bought a small house on Mount Airy Rd. off Sandy Ridge in Stockton, NJ, where she lived until her death in 1998. Once back in NJ, Anne and her sons joined the Quaker community and received fellowships to attend Buckingham Friend’s School and George School. There, David met his two lifelong friends Charles Wells and David Dillard.

At 17 David started at Williams College. After his second year, he volunteered to serve in the Army. He spent some of his time in Korea after the armistice, another lasting impression, and became particularly interested in the development of Korea after the war. After his deployment he continued to his studies at Williams and graduated with a BA in history in 1960. During his studies he decided that he wanted to be a writer and he kept true to this decision throughout his life.

With a small inheritance he traveled and lived for several years in different places in Western Europe and spent almost two years in South Africa, Swaziland, and Tanzania. His intention was to learn about the Apartheid and its consequences. Again he made lifelong friends.

Upon his return from Africa he needed to support himself and worked for three seasons in the Forest Service as a crewman, on a fire tower, and as a ranger in the Angeles National Forrest north of Los Angeles. During that time he met his wife Ruth Silberschmidt. David and Ruth got married in 1971 in Basel, Switzerland. Ruth went back to school and David had part-time jobs to support his writing. After time in Charlottesville, VA, and Tübingen, Germany, they settled in Princeton in 1982.

In 1986, David started working on his life’s work. Every month he wrote one long poem, which he titled by the name of the month in different languages. David’s months embrace topics from nature, arts, music, events, and include his observations about the world and life in general. The inspiration for these month poems came from his daily life, his reading, his travels. For instance, the experience of sailing with one of his best friends from Hawaii to Tahiti, or from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Nome, Alaska, through the Northern Pacific is captured in Chroma in different months.

David was mainly a small press prose and poetry writer and published most of his work in literary journals. Thirty years of his months are collected and published under the title Chroma Volumes 1-6: Archae Editions in 2018. The last eight years of months written after Chroma will be published as Chronica at the beginning of 2025. David was passionate about his work. He was working on his last month, August 2024, the day he was hospitalized.

Books were David’s constant companions throughout his life, fueling his insatiable curiosity and love for learning. He read widely, constantly exploring new aspects of the subjects that fascinated him. When he wasn’t writing, he was reading — to inform his work, to educate himself, and simply for the joy of it. David shared his enthusiasm with family, friends, and neighbors, radiating openness and positivity. He embraced life fully, and his energy, engagement, kindness, and affection remain his most memorable qualities.
On his hospital bed, when asked whether he wanted his biography to be included as preface to Chronica, maybe Chroma as well, David said, “The whole damn thing is a biography.”

David was a treasured husband; his marriage to Ruth spanned cultures and intellectual interests and combined two powerful, generous and inexhaustible people. David was a brother and a son; a cousin and uncle in the Steward, Aucoin, and Silberschmidt families; and a great and singular friend to many, all of whom miss him.

In memory of David please donate to Words Without Borders (https://secure.givelively.org/donate/words-without-borders) or your favorite charity.

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

———

Michael J. Suber

Michael J. Suber, 93, of Princeton passed away, Thursday, November 28, 2024 at the UPenn Medical Center of Princeton, in Plainsboro.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Michael was raised in Nutley where he met his future wife, Phyllis Eldridge. He and Phyllis married in 1955. They settled in Princeton in the early 1960s where they raised their family and became rooted in the community.

Michael attended Bucknell University where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He was a chemical engineer with various companies over the span of his career. After retiring from chemical engineering, he enjoyed working in finance.

A man of many interests, Michael enjoyed bicycling and hiking with his wife, and was a member of the Princeton Free Wheelers for many years. He was an advocate for bicycle and pedestrian safety in the Princeton community, and a member of the Princeton Ski and Sail Club as well as a cosmology discussion group. He loved sailing and enjoyed spending summers in Rhode Island on Narraganset Bay. Michael also loved classical music, enjoyed travel, and stayed current on financial news.

Predeceased by his parents, William and Alice, he is survived by his wife of 69 years, Phyllis; his children and their spouses, Ellen and Karl Fury, Jeffrey and Diane Suber, Kenneth and Margot Suber, and Eric and Lynne Suber; his grandchildren, Ray, William, Georgia, Erin, and Emily; his two great-grandchildren; and his sister, Judith Hannold.

Private cremation services were held under the direction of the Saul Colonial Home, 3795 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ.
Family and friends are invited to remember and celebrate the life of Michael J. Suber on Sunday, January 5 at 2 p.m. at Stonebridge at Montgomery, 100 Hollinshead Spring Road, Skillman, NJ, 08558. Please come and share your memories as we say goodbye and cherish the time we had together.