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Vol. LXII, No. 12
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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Vol. LXII, No. 12
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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Paul Wesley Hofreiter, 55, of Pennington, died March 5. He was a composer, conductor, organist, and pianist whose musical connections with Princeton were extensive. The organist and choir director at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah in Princeton, he had been a faculty member at Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, the community music school of Westminster Choir College, since 2004.
Mr. Hofreiter and his son, Paul C. Hofreiter, were to have performed the first ever collaboration of a concert of works by father and son in Westminster Conservatory’s Faculty Recital in Bristol Chapel on March 9. The concert was to have featured ten world premiere performances of works for reeds, brass, stringed instruments, piano, and solo guitar composed by the Hofreiters.
The first performance of Paul W. Hofreiter’s cantata, Epiphanies, for narrator, choir, string quintet, and organ was performed December 23 at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah. The guest narrator was Princeton Theological Seminary professor Dr. Paul E. Rorem; the musicians included Sergei Panov and Elizabeth Guerriero, violins, Marjorie Selden, viola, Carol Vizzini, cello, and Paul C. Hofreiter, double bass, all members of the faculty at Westminster Conservatory, and Janice Hofreiter, organist.
Mr. Hofreiter composed nearly 450 works including eight symphonies, 20 piano sonatas, 10 organ sonatas, two chamber operas, eight cantatas, chamber and choral music, and more than 120 organ chorale preludes and 75 choral anthems for the church.
He studied at the Juilliard School from 1970 to 1976, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in composition and studying privately with Vincent Persichetti and Roger Sessions. At Juilliard, he was awarded several prizes and fellowships and taught as a fellow in the Literature and Materials Department. In addition to his work in composition at Juilliard, he studied piano with Seta Karakashian, and upon completion of his master studies, studied privately with Dorothea Persichetti. With his wife, Janice, whom he met at high school in 1968, he presented more than 75 two-piano concerts.
He was a recording artist for CRI, featured on the world premiere recording of Walter Winslow’s Six Pari Pari for soprano and piano.
In addition to his musical studies, he earned a second master’s degree in religion from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind. He was the author of J.S. Bach and Scripture and Bach and the Divine Service: The B Minor Mass, published in Concordia Theological Quarterly. He was formerly Artist and Composer in Residence at the Pennington School, Master of Music and chair of the music department at the Lawrenceville School, and principal of Hope Lutheran School in Levittown, Pa. At Westminster Conservatory, he offered several premieres of his music, performed as pianist in chamber music ensembles, and conducted the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra. During its 2002-03 season, the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra performed the Hofreiter work they commissioned, Patriot Dream: 9/11, at each of its concerts.
Son of the late Harold Hofreiter and Doris Grace Ramsden Hofreiter, and brother of the late David Hofreiter, he is survived by his wife, Janice Tippett Hofreiter; his son Paul Christoph Hofreiter of Pennington; his stepmother, Jody Kerssenbrock of Nebraska; and four brothers and sisters, Mark of Jamison, Pa., Keith of Colorado, Karen Sparling of Colorado, and Dr. Mary H. Ormont of New Hampshire.
A memorial service was held March 10 at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, with the Rev. John Goerss officiating.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 1 Union Street, Suite 301, Robbinsville, N.J. 08691-4183; or to the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, 407 Nassau Street, Princeton 08540; or to the Hope Lutheran Church, 2600 Haines Road, Levittown, Pa. 19055.
Flora Z. Boggs, 102, of Princeton, died March 12 at Merwick Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
Born in Chester, Pa., she had been a resident of Princeton for more than 66 years.
After attending Chester public schools, she earned a diploma from the Philadelphia School of Nursing. She worked as a surgical nurse for 22 years at Princeton Medical Center.
She was a member of the Mt. Pisgah AME Church and the Order of the Eastern Star of Princeton No. 8.
Predeceased by her husband, Edwin Boggs, in 1955, she is survived by two sons, Costomia Boggs and Edwin Boggs Jr., and one granddaughter.
The funeral will be today, March 19 at 11 a.m. at the Mt. Pisgah AME Church, 170 Witherspoon Street, with the Rev. Vernard R. Leak, pastor, officiating. Calling hours will be 9 a.m. until the service, at the church.
Interment will be at Princeton Cemetery.
Arrangements are by the Hughes Funeral Home, Trenton.
Martin T. Mobach, 86, of Princeton, died March 12 at home after a long illness.
Born in Pajeti, Indonesia, as a Dutch citizen, he had been a resident of Princeton since 1970.
He had degrees in business and law from the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. He had been the owner and president of Medcor, a medical testing firm. Prior to that he was president and chairman of Applied Logic Corporation, a computer time-sharing company. He had also worked for IBM and Ford Motor Company.
During World War II, he was a member of the Dutch underground, working for British Intelligence. He was captured by the Germans and survived Neuengamme concentration camp.
He is survived by his wife, Linda M. Mobach; his daughters Henriette Hoogeveen, Yvonne Konnen, and Virginia Taylor; and their children and grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity Counseling Service, 22 Stockton Street, Princeton.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Kimble Funeral Home.
Melissa Van Tine Hart, 51, of Princeton, died March 5 at home.
The daughter of Allison B. Hart and Joy Van Tine Hart, she was born in New York City. She attended Bard College and later graduated from New York University with a degree in economics. She went on to obtain her designation as a Certified Financial Analyst, then spent her working life holding various positions in the securities industry.
A prolific artist who loved the interplay of color, she worked in many media including oils, watercolors, fabric, and horticulture. She loved her home, which was always a work in progress. She was devoted to her dog Astor, a feisty West Highland white terrier. A day never went by that the two of them weren’t found patrolling their neighborhood.
She is survived by her three siblings, Thomas Van Tine Hart, Catherine Hart Charley, and Andrew Robert Van Tine Hart.
A memorial service for the family will be planned.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the West Highland White Terrier Rescue Fund, c/o Judith White, 9468 Shady Oaks Street NW, Clinton, Ohio 44216.
Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home.
Michael A. Leiggi Jr., 83, of Ewing, formerly of Princeton, died March 16 at the University Medical Center at Princeton.
Born in Princeton, he lived most of his life in Princeton before moving to Ewing in 1993.
He was a master automobile mechanic, operating a service station in Princeton for many years.
He was a veteran of World War II, serving with the U.S. Navy. He was a member of the VFW post No. 5700 in Hightstown.
Son of the late Lena and Michele Leiggi Sr., he was predeceased also by his first wife, Barbara, and two brothers, Louis and Peter Leiggi. He is survived by his wife, Theresa Andreoli-Leiggi; a daughter, Christine Leiggi-Brennan of Ewing; a son, Michael Patrick Leiggi of Bozeman, Mont.; two brothers, Albert and Alphonse Leiggi; two grandsons; and three stepchildren, Ernest Andreoli, Nicholas Andreoli, and Kathleen Aruther.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 1 p.m. today at St. Paul’s Church, 214 Nassau Street. Calling hours will be today, Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue.
Burial services will be Thursday, March 20 at 11 a.m. in Princeton Cemetery.