Linda Jeanne Gibson Preston
Born Linda Jeanne Gibson in New Brunswick, she attended Marian High School in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. She graduated from Wellesley College, then became the first female banking officer at Fanon Bank in Houston, Texas.
As a lifelong advocate of education and athletics, particularly in support of special needs children, she was the co-founder of Princeton’s Special Education PTO and testified before county and state committees on behalf of the Princeton Regional Schools. A Princeton resident, from 1986 to 1996, she a supporter and volunteer for Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Society of Mercer County, and the Princeton Medical Center’s June Fete. In 1996, the Board of Education passed an official decree in recognition of her efforts and impact. Over the last nine years she worked in the real estate industry in Indian River County, Florida.
Her faith and Catholic communities were instrumental in her life and of great comfort in her graceful death.
Daughter of the late John Gledhill Gibson and Catherine Valentino Gibson, she was predeceased also by her sister, Barbara Gibson Lancton. She is survived by her children, John Marshall Preston, Catherine Gibson Preston, Thomas Frederick Preston, and Joseph Fulkerson Preston; a brother, John Gledhill Gibson Jr.; and her former husband, John Frederick Preston III.
A Funeral Mass was held April 5 at St. Helen’s Catholic Church, 2050 Vero Beach Avenue, Vero Beach, Fla. 32960. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 26 at St. Norbert’s Catholic Church, 50 Leopard Road, Paoli, Pa. 19301.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Special Olympics, Indian River County, 235 Main Street, Sebastian, Fla. 32958; or “on behalf of the Gibsons” to the American Cancer Association, P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73123-1718.
Caesar Vescera, 74, of Princeton, died April 5.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was a resident of Princeton for many years. He had been an employee of Princeton University for more than 31 years in the Housing Department.
An avid gardener, he loved nature and animals. In his youth he won several Golden Glove championships in New York City.
He was dedicated to his family and gave selflessly to many.
Husband of the late Lydia Vescera, he is survived by his daughter, Susan Vescera of New Hope, Pa.; a sister, Frances Roberts of Galloway; a brother, Natale Vescera of Naugatuck, Conn.; and a dear friend, Florence Fisher of Flemington.
A celebration of his life will be held tomorrow, April 10 at 1 p.m. at the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue. Burial will follow in Franklin Memorial Park, Route 27, North Brunswick. Friends are invited to call at the funeral home from noon until the 1 p.m. service.
Memorial contributions may be made to Loli’s Place Inc. or any animal or environmental organization.
Frances Olrich Lange, 86, a resident of Princeton for more than 50 years, died March 28, quietly at home. She was married to the late Victor Lange for 52 years.
Born in Syracuse, N.Y., the daughter of Ernest Louis and Mary Rose Olrich, she grew up in Kansas City, Chicago, and Minneapolis, attending Miss Harris’s School, New Trier High School, and Northrop Collegiate. She graduated from Wells College in 1942 with a degree in German.
During World War II she was a designer at Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank, California, where she worked on the design and construction of P-38 Lightning aircraft wings. After her marriage in 1945 to Mr. Lange, she moved to Ithaca, New York, where he was a professor at Cornell University. She there began a lifelong collaboration with her husband’s academic career, editing and translating. Her homes in Ithaca and Princeton were a memorable focal point for colleagues, students, and friends worldwide. She and her husband traveled the world from Chichen Itza to Cambodia, with extended stays in Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Italy.
The Langes moved to Princeton in 1957, where, a few years later, she became involved with the Princeton University Art Museum. She was proud to be a founding member of the Museum’s docent program, to which she devoted much of her later life and enthusiasm. She was a diligent and respected student of art history, lecturing, researching, writing, gathering information for others, and working many hours at the Information Desk.
She had spent summers with her family on Sutton’s Island, Maine since 1962.
She is survived by a daughter, Dora Gilstrap of Indio, Calif.; a son, Thomas of Bar Harbor, Maine; four grandchildren; and a great-grandson.
Burial will be private. A memorial service will take place in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Trenton Children’s Program, Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton 08544-1018.
Arrangements are under the directions of the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue, Princeton.
Marian Hastings Littleford, 94, of Princeton and Vieques, Puerto Rico, died March 28 peacefully at home.
A graduate of Wellesley College, she had been a stylist for the Marshall Fields catalogs.
She was also a lifelong volunteer who spent many years involved in service to the Institute of Rehabilitation in New York City. With her husband, she was a devoted supporter of the Vieques Conservation and Historic Trust, where she established a scholarship program for Wellesley students interested in conducting marine biology/ecology research.
She is survived by her husband, William D. Littleford; four children, Anne, Joseph, Michael, and Terry; and three grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held later this spring.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made either to The Princeton University Medical Center or the Association for Macular Diseases.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home.