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Vol. LXII, No. 1
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Wednesday, January 2, 2008
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Vol. LXII, No. 1
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Wednesday, January 2, 2008
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Martin L. Zapf, 82, of Lower Makefield Township, Pa., formerly of Princeton, died December 21. The cause was colon cancer.
Born in Princeton, he graduated from Princeton High School in 1943 and entered the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was trained as a B-29 crew member and flew 16 missions over Japan. His crew was forced to bail out over the Sea of Japan on August 8, 1945 and spent seven days in life rafts before being picked up by Japanese fishermen. As World War II hostilities ceased the next day, the crew was considered to be the last POWs captured during the war. Mr. Zapf was the last survivor of the crew.
After the war, Mr. Zapf graduated from Rider University and began his career with Burroughs Corporation (now Unisys) in Trenton. His career took him to the international division of the company where he spent 20 years in various international positions, including General Manager of subsidiaries in Jamaica, Philippines, Norway, Germany, Mexico, and Japan. He moved to Yardley after retiring in 1985.
In retirement he was active as a volunteer with the International Executive Service Corps, serving in Zimbabwe, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan. He was also a volunteer with the Service Corps of Retired Executives in Fairless Hills, Pa. He was a member of the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce and the Nassau Club of Princeton.
He is survived by his wife, Jutta C. Zapf, and four children, Martha, Susan, Peter, and Mariko.
Interment was December 29 at the Highland Cemetery in Hopewell. A memorial service and reception followed at the Nassau Club.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-0301, Attn: Gift Processing.
Arrangements were by the FitzGerald-Sommer Funeral Home, Yardley.
David K. Sengstack, 85, of Princeton, died December 18. He was a leader in educational music publishing for more than 40 years.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he graduated from Rutgers University in 1948 with a BSME degree. He served with the Army Corps of Engineers from 1942 to 1947 and again from 1950 to 1953, mostly in Korea.
He began his career in Chicago in 1948 as sales manager for his father’s music publishing house, Clayton F. Summy Co. He succeeded his father as president and sole stockholder in 1958 and acquired C.C. Birchard and Co., changing the name of the company to Summy-Birchard Publishing Co. As the company’s holdings expanded, its name was changed to Birch Tree Group, Ltd. and then to The Sengstack Group, Ltd. In addition, it was Mr. Sengstack’s recognition of the importance of music in the lives of young children that led to the development of Music Together, a family music program created by his nephew, the composer and music educator Kenneth K. Guilmartin.
When TSG was sold in 1989 to Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., a subsidiary of Time-Warner, Inc., the sale included world rights to the Suzuki Method, The Frances Clark Library, the sole distributorship of Smithsonian/Folkways Records, and the song, “Happy Birthday to You,” along with approximately 50,000 other copyrights. After the sale, Mr. Sengstack formed a private foundation for making grants to various charities with emphasis on positive, nurturing experiences for children during the first three years of life.
He served as a trustee of Bucknell University and McCarter Theater; on the boards of the Carrier Clinic Development Fund, the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, and the Child Health Institute of New Jersey; and on the visiting committee of the Eastman School of Music. He had also been a member of the New York Athletic Club, the Nassau Club, and the Old Guard of Princeton.
Predeceased on December 9 by his daughter, Lynn, he is survived by his wife, Alice; four children, Jeff, Gregg, Michele, and Elizabeth; and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service was held December 28 at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home.
Lois Ann Madsen, 67, of Princeton, died December 23 in New Brunswick.
Born in Waukegan, Ill., she moved to Princeton in 1983 and became an ardent student of local history, first as a docent at Drumthwacket and then as a member of the board of directors and secretary of the Historical Society of Princeton. Concurrently, after her two children were in college, she became a licensed real estate appraiser, joining her husband’s firm in the valuation of many Borough and Township homes.
An avid stitcher, her needlepoint pillow of the Princeton Oak was donated to the Historical Society for its annual benefit auction and later patterned into a cross-stitch kit for sale in the gift shop.
A faithful member and deacon of Nassau Presbyterian Church, she worked with other members to knit shawls and blankets for persons in need of comfort. To celebrate 250 years of Presbyterian presence in Princeton, she helped create liturgical banners hanging today in the Witherspoon Street and Nassau churches.
She is survived by Edgar B. Madsen, her husband of 44 years; a son, Neil Madsen of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; a daughter, Amy Fast of Austin, Tex.; and three grandchildren.
A memorial service was held December 29 at Nassau Presbyterian Church.
In honor of Mrs. Madsen’s memory, her family has contributed to one of her favorite charities, The Trenton Children’s Chorus, which provides musical training and educational encouragement to young people who might otherwise miss the opportunity.
Filip Forsbeck, 72, of Princeton, died December 24 at Merwick Rehab Hospital & Nursing Care.
Born in Chicago, Ill., he had lived in Princeton since 1946.
A graduate of Wesley College of Dover, Del., he retired after 42 years with the purchasing department as a mail carrier with Princeton University.
Son of the late Filip C. and Frances Anderson Forsbeck, he is survived by his wife, Carol Frothingham Forsbeck.
The funeral and burial were private.
Arrangements were under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home.