Roger O’Neill, 50, of San Carlos, Calif., formerly of Princeton, died May 8 of complications from adenomal carcinoma in the Intensive Care Unit of Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, Calif.
He was born in Princeton to Gerard K. O’Neill, a professor emeritus of physics at Princeton University, and Sylvia T. O’Neill, a professor of psychology at Trenton State College.
His family’s frequent camping trips encouraged his fascination with nature and his love of the outdoors. He enjoyed the pleasures of hiking, fishing, gardening, and tidepooling, and grew into a skilled biologist.
He graduated from Princeton High School in 1975, then received his A.B. in biology with distinction from Kenyon College in 1979 and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1983. Following graduate school he received a four-year National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellowship, the first of many awards recognizing his creativity as a scientist.
He practiced his profession in six Life Sciences companies, beginning with Genencor International and ending with BioTechNiks. He co-founded GlycoGen, and at Applied Biosystems developed the reagent chemistry used by both NIH and Celera in their race to sequence the human genome. He co-edited and prefaced two books, and published 28 scientific papers and more than 200 abstracts. At the time of his death he held 12 issued patents, with nine more pending.
Along with a gift for biological science, he was an accomplished angler, marksman, glider pilot, and luthier, known for his cases in rare woods and guitars praised by professional musicians for their sound and craftsmanship.
Predeceased by his father in 1992, he is survived by his wife, Dr. Olga Petrauskene, and stepdaughter Rasa Petrauskaite, both of San Carlos; his mother, Sylvia T. O’Neill of DeKalb, Ill.; two sisters, Janet O’Neill of Madison, Wis. and Eleanor O’Neill of Standish, Maine; a half-brother, Edward O’Neill of Grand Junction, Colo.; and his stepmother, Tasha O’Neill of Princeton.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Southern Poverty Law Center of Atlanta, Georgia, or the Johns Hopkins Colon Cancer Center of Baltimore, Maryland.
Wilbur M. Young, 95, of Sun City West, Arizona, formerly of Princeton, died May 18 at Grandview Health Center, Sun City West.
Born in Rossville, Illinois, he was captain of the basketball team and quarterback of the football team at Rossville High School. He graduated from the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana in 1935 with a B.A. in accounting and a CPA degree.
His first and only employer was Princeton University, where he worked for 40 years, beginning in the Bursar’s Office and ending as Controller, managing a disbursement budget of $107 million and endowment of $400 million. He was president of the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers and was a member of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants and Princeton Rotary Club. He also served as treasurer of the Princeton Methodist Church for 10 years.
During World War II he left his post at Princeton in order to serve his country teaching tactics to field artillery units at Fort Sill, Okla., later landing in Japan as part of the Army of Occupation.
He moved to Sun City West in 1980, where he loved to play golf and where he and his wife were active for many years at Shepherd of the Hills Methodist Church. He served the church both as treasurer and as a member of the building committee.
He was predeceased by his wife of 73 years, Thelma, in 2007; a son, William, in 1969; and a daughter, Jane, in 2007. He is survived by his son Steven Young, daughter Mary Bragado, 11 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.
Amy G. Zagoria, 61, of Princeton, died May 20 at home. The cause of death was esophageal cancer.
She was a marriage and family therapist at Trinity Counseling Service in Princeton.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Zagoria had been a resident of Princeton for the past 30 years. She was a graduate of New York University and Fordham University (MSW). She advanced her studies in marriage and family therapy, completing a certificate program at The Ackerman Institute in New York City. Prior to her position at Trinity she was a social worker at The Merwick unit of Princeton Medical Center. She also maintained a private practice specializing in children and adolescents, and was a member of the National Association of Social Workers.
A devoted mother and wife, she loved spending time at home with her family. She is survived by her husband, Robert B. Zagoria; and a daughter, Julia Little of New York City.
The funeral service was May 23 at The Presbyterian Church, Lawrenceville. Burial was private at Princeton Cemetery.
A period of mourning will be observed at the Zagoria residence. Memorial contributions may be offered to the ASPCA.
Funeral arrangements were by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, Ewing Township.