September 21, 2022

Obituaries 9/21/2022

Samuel Cohen

1921-2022

Sam Cohen passed away peacefully on August 31 at the age of 101 at his home of 65 years on Littlebrook Road North in Princeton, NJ.

As a young boy in the Bronx, NY, Sam roamed over Bronx Park and its ponds, where he caught fish, frogs, and turtles and had dreams of becoming a marine biologist. Since he had been born under the sign of Pisces, it was inevitable that fish would play a major part of his life. However, since there was no college nearby that offered those credentials to him, he went to City College as a chemistry major. Sam was born and brought up in the Bronx, to his parents, immigrants from Poland (Warsaw), who owned a small Appetizing and Nut Shop that was a family business. When he was old enough, Sam joined his parents many weekends at the store, learning the fine art of slicing smoked salmon.

In 1942, after WWII started and Sam was still in college, he volunteered to become an aviation cadet. He gained his Second Lieutenant bars at Yale and went on to study electronics and communications at Harvard, MIT, and the Coast Guard Academy, where he had further training on Long Range Navigation Systems (LORAN). He reported to Air Force Base at Boca Raton, FL, for further basic training and submarine detection. During WWII, he served in India and later in China. He commanded the Master LORAN Station, which guided planes flying over the Himalayas, until the end of the war.

After several years of civilian life, during which he went to NYU Law School, earning a JD degree, and married Anita, he was recalled for the Korean War, and once again, as a LORAN specialist, while stationed in Biloxi, Miss., at Keesler AFB, he set up a series of LORAN Stations along the Gulf of Mexico. Scheduled to be a Major and transferred to Germany, Sam and Anita decided to return to civilian life after the war was over.

With their two older children, they moved from NY to NJ in 1954, when he joined the staff of RCA Labs as a Patent Attorney. A second son, born in Princeton Hospital, joined the family. They settled down in a home that Sam designed and had built in Princeton Township on Littlebrook Road North in 1957, where Anita still resides. Much of his time at RCA was writing patents for basic research. His area included electronic systems such as computers, radar, communications systems and other inventions related to these systems. He was involved with the big changes due to Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs) and Solid-State Systems incorporating CCDs, which were much lighter than the heavy battery systems with tubes, which required high power. He handled arrays of devices such as when CCDs were incorporated into a computer or radar system rather than individual devices. RCA was interested in lightening everything with a low-power device, developing small handheld cameras and lightweight systems for news gathering. Sam retired in 1982 as a director.

One of the reasons that Sam was able to enjoy his hobbies was because work was only 10 minutes away. At the Zoom party for his 100th birthday, he was asked, “Grandpa, what was the most important and happiest day in your life?” and he replied, “the day I retired from RCA so that I could go fishing whenever I wanted to.” He built much of the furniture in the house in his basement workshop, including a solid walnut dining room table, freeform in a Nakashima style. He was also a landscaper and planned all the plantings for the house on Littlebrook Road. He had a vegetable garden and grew azaleas and rhododendrons in cold frames.

He fished all over. Almost every family vacation included a fishing expedition, including Canada, Long Island, the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Florida, Texas, and the Caribbean. Until his early 90s, he drove to the Jersey Shore and fished on Party Boats, often winning the pool. He took art lessons at the Princeton Adult School, and also did mosaics and woodcuts. He also played Duplicate Bridge every Tuesday night at the YMCA.

Sam is survived by his wife Anita, daughter Carolyn (Chris Mahoney) of Tallahassee, FL, son Michael of San Jose, CA, son Alan (Manok) of Healdsburg, CA, grandchildren Bran Mahoney (Qiyang) of Annadale, VA, Penny Mahoney Abbaszadeh (Evan) of Belmont, CA, and great-grandchildren Corbin Xu Mahoney and Jack Mahoney Abbaszadeh.

No service will be held, and Sam’s ashes will be scattered at the Jersey Shore where he fished. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ocean Conservancy or the American Civil Liberties Union.

———

Michael S. Guth

Michael S. Guth, 65, of Princeton, NJ, passed away on Wednesday, September 7, 2022, at Complete Care at Monmouth. He was born in Perth Amboy, NJ, and lived in Fair Haven, NJ, where he graduated from Rumson Fair-Haven Regional High School in 1977. In 1984, Michael moved to New Haven, CT, where he worked at Harold’s in Middleton, CT, for many years before moving to Princeton in 2004 where he resided until his death.

We always cherished and will greatly miss Michael’s wisdom, sense of humor, and sweet smile. He lived a full life and never let his developmental and physical difficulties discourage him. He was a 60s and 70s TV trivia expert, an avid Star Trek and Marvel superheroes fan, and an enthusiastic and strategic boardgame and card player. 

He was predeceased by his grandparents Dr. H.P. and Dora Fine and Max and Pauline Guth. He is survived by his parents Murray and Annellen Guth, siblings Paul Guth (Dr. Sherry Magnuson) and Bonnie Guth (Adam Dubow), many loving nieces and nephews, and his extraordinary caregiver for the past nine years, Ricki Gannon.

The funeral service was held at Congregation B’nai Israel, Rumson, NJ, on Sunday, September 11 at noon. Donations may be made in Michael’s memory to Congregation B’nai Israel or the American Cancer Society.

———

Margaret Lydia Faith Hill

“Maggie”

February 28, 1939 – September 13, 2022

Margaret Hill, 83, known by friends and family as Maggie, died peacefully at home in Pennington, New Jersey, surrounded by family and music. Maggie is survived by her husband Colin; her children and their families, Sebastian and his wife, Margo, and their two children Alessandra and Phoebe; Brendan and his wife, Sophie, and their three children Annabelle, Josephine, and Charlie; Cordelia and her husband John and their son, Augustus; Orlando; her four sisters Nicola, Caroline, Rosamund, and Mary; and myriad nieces and nephews.

A memorial will be held in the coming months to honor and celebrate Maggie’s life. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Cure PSP (psp.org) or National Alliance on Mental Illness Mercer County (namimercer.org).

———

William J. Ryan Sr.

1934 – 2022

William J Ryan Sr, 88, died at home in the company of his family in Princeton in September following an illness.

Bill was born in Niagara Falls, NY. He met his wife, Mary, and together they started a family in Brooklyn, NY. The Ryans moved to the Princeton area in 1969 and remained there. Bill graduated from Hobart College and Fordham Law School, he served in the U.S. Army National Guard, and built his career working for firms and organizations that included Royall, Koegel, Rogers & Wells, Johnson & Johnson, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. Bill was a devout Roman Catholic and a distinguished member of St. Paul Parish in Princeton.

Bill is survived by his children Peter, Patricia, and John; he was predeceased by his wife of 55 years, Mary, and his children William Jr., James, and Joseph. Bill is also survived by his grandson, Michael, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

A visiting hour and Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, September 26, beginning at 9:30 a.m., at St. Paul Church in Princeton.

———

Diane Tamasi

Diane Tamasi, 80, passed away on September 17, 2022, at home surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Princeton, graduated from Princeton High School, and moved to Lawrenceville after high school. Diane was a homemaker for her three sons. She was very active, loved being outside and gardening, enjoyed traveling, sewing, crocheting, and arts and crafts.

Predeceased by her parents William and Elizabeth (Stierle) Toto; husband Michael Tamasi Jr.; and brother and sister-in-law William Toto Jr. and Mildred; she is survived by her three sons Michael Tamasi III, Edward Tamasi and wife Monica Davis, and Jeffrey Tamasi and wife Carol; and three grandchildren Allison Tamasi, Jeffrey Tamasi Jr., and Daniela Tamasi.

Visitation will be held on Monday, September 26, 2022 from 5-8 p.m. and on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 from 9-10 a.m. at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08542. Funeral service will be held on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home followed by burial in Princeton Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to a charity supporting Multiple Myeloma.

September 14, 2022

Obituaries 9/14/2022

Sam Glucksberg

1933-2022

Sam Glucksberg died on August 29 in a New York City hospital, at the age of 89, only 24 hours after experiencing a major stroke shortly after he and his wife, Kay Deaux, returned home from a weekend visit in Connecticut.

From 1963 to 1987, Sam was a full-time resident of Princeton, where he was a professor of psychology at Princeton University. From 1987 to 2017, he split his time between Princeton and New York City, where Kay was a professor at the Graduate Center of City University of New York. In 2017, with Sam and Kay now both retired, he became a full-time resident of New York.

For Sam, the move to New York brought him full circle to the city in which he and his family settled in 1946 when they migrated from Montreal, where Sam was born in 1933. With the exception of one year at McGill University, Sam’s education was based in New York City: high school at Bronx Science, a bachelor’s degree from City College, and a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from New York University. After a three-year stint at the U.S. Army Human Engineering Lab in 1960-1963 (allowing him to become a captain in a research lab rather than a private on the front lines in Vietnam), Sam accepted a position at Princeton University in 1963. That would be his first and only academic position, other than occasional sabbaticals at universities in the U.S. and abroad and a year at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University (1986-87).

Sam quickly became a key member of the Princeton psychology department. Just a few years after he arrived, at the request of the University president, Sam became acting chair of the department; he later served another six years as chair from 1974-1980. During his 44 years in the department, Sam was seen by his colleagues and students as “a dream colleague” who fostered intellectual cohesion, mutual respect, and generosity. To his graduate students as well as to younger faculty, he was both mentor and mensch.

Sam’s reputation in the scientific psychology community was equally strong. He was a central figure in the field of experimental psycholinguistics, exemplified by the volume Experimental Psycholinguistics, co-written with Joseph Danks. The book was originally published in 1975 and then re-published in 2014, attesting to its continued influence on the field. Sam’s particular research focus became people’s use of figurative language. His 2001 book, Understanding Figurative Language: From Metaphors to Idioms, summarized a body of research that significantly shifted the ways in which scholars think about these topics.

In addition to producing an influential body of research, Sam was also known as an outstanding editor. He edited one of the oldest journals in psychology, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, from 1984 to 1989 and of one of the newest when he became the third editor of Psychological Science in 1999. He also did extensive reviewing work for scientific agencies of the government, serving on a National Science Foundation review committee (1985-1988) and chairing a review committee at NIMH (1979-1982).

Family, friends, and colleagues remember Sam equally well for the full life he led outside the purely academic domain. His cooking abilities were outstanding and widely appreciated as was his sense of humor. Sam had a “priceless sharp wit” and “his mastery of jokes was legendary.” He was as skilled at the poker table as he was in the research laboratory and his love of travel was a source of enjoyment throughout his life.

Sam is survived by his wife, Kay Deaux; his brother Harold Glucksberg; his three children and their spouses, Matthew Glucksberg and Harriet Stratis, Ken Glucksberg and Sue Rosengard, and Nadia Glucksberg and Steve Hamill; and his two grandchildren, Max Glucksberg and Alexander Stratis.

An event to remember and celebrate Sam’s life will be held later this year. Donations in Sam’s name can made be made to Energy Vision (energy-vision.org) or Kids in Danger (kidsindanger.org).

———

Richard Benjamin Stewart

It is with great sadness that the Stewart family announces the death of Richie Stewart. He passed on Saturday, September 3, surrounded by his loving family. At the young age of 33, he fought a courageous battle with cancer until the very end.

Born Richard Benjamin Stewart in Princeton, New Jersey, he resided most of his life in Kingston before moving to Lawrenceville, NJ. Richie graduated from South Brunswick High School in 2007 as an accomplished athlete winning the GMAC Golf Championship and later earning Athlete of the Year. He pursued his bachelor’s degree at West Virginia University where he was the founder of the university’s golf club. Continuing his education at Rider University, Richie earned his master’s degree in 2012.

His priority, even at a young age, was planning for his future. Starting with detailing cars at his family’s business, the Kingston Garage, to passing his CPA exam soon after graduation, and most recently pursuing a certification to become a financial advisor. Richie married his loving wife, Lauren, on New Year’s Eve 2016 in New Hope, PA. In December of 2019, Richie became a father to their daughter, Sutton, his proudest moment of all. He easily adjusted to fatherhood loving his early morning one-on-one time with his baby girl. He hoped to pass onto Sutton his love for sports, especially golf and maybe even ice hockey, and watch her catch her first fish.

His family, wife Lauren (Hawkins) Stewart, his daughter Sutton Rae Stewart, his parents Richard W. and Dianne (Fjeldal) Stewart, and brother Ryan Stewart, wish for everyone to remember Richie as a devoted son, brother, husband, and father who had a quiet demeanor with a funny sense of humor. He was happiest being on the water, whether it was with his lifelong friends or his dad, both avid fishermen. Richie’s presence will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

A Celebration of Richie’s Life will be held for close family and friends.

In lieu of flowers and charitable donations, a Go Fund Me has been set-up for Sutton’s future.

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

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James Custis “Denny” Crimmins

1935 – 2022

Denny was a loving and proud father and grandfather, a joyful presence to his extended family, and a lively friend and storyteller to those that knew him. He was born and raised in California by a strong grandmother, a gregarious father, and a well-traveled mother during a very different age. His family and career made him bi-coastal, calling New York City, Princeton, NJ, Montecito, CA, and Atherton, CA, home before retiring back in Princeton, NJ, where he passed on September 5 at 87 years old. He is predeceased by his son, Ethan Custis Crimmins, and survived by his four daughters, Samantha Smith, Page Seyfried, Tory Brangham, Courtney Mauer, and 13 grandchildren.

He spoke fondly of his school years and made learning a lifelong pursuit. At The Thatcher School, CA (’52) he was a prefect and soccer team captain. At Princeton University (’56)
he majored in History, American Studies, and Creative Writing, joining the Freshman Soccer and Lacrosse teams, and becoming a member of the Ivy Club. He went on to receive a Masters in Playwriting from the University of London, RADA in 2000. 

He began his career in publishing working at Curtis Publishing, Newsweek, then Harpers, and eventually becoming CEO, Founder, and Editor-in-Chief of Business Times. Business Times, in partnership with The Financial Times and The Economist, was the first morning business TV news show and was a winner of the Cable Ace Award for Best News and Public Affairs Program. 

He was an enthusiastic storyteller personally and professionally and went on to be Founder/CEO of Playback Associates, a venture backed startup focusing on documentaries for Fortune 500 companies. His first PBS series on economics called American Enterprise was reviewed highly by Fortune: “calling it successful is a little like saying Gone with the Wind was well received.” A later science film series called The Search for Solutions set a record with 400 million viewers worldwide, was a top 10 Variety grossing film, and won 26 awards including the Grand Prize at the New York Film & TV Festival. He went on to produce a documentary series under his eponymous company J.C. Crimmins & Co. called The American Promise about grassroots democracy that became part of the curriculum in 55,000 schools. He was a five-time published author, including Enterprise in the Non-Profit Sector written for The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and wrote and directed five plays performed in Edinburgh, Oxford, London, and San Francisco, specifically “Je Suis Lafette” performed at the Bohemian Grove. 

He supported the arts as Chairman of the Associates Council MOMA NY, and was a Trustee for the Contemporary Art Museum, Ensemble Theater, and The George Bernard Shaw Foundation. He remained involved in social and community endeavors as a member of the University Club in NYC and the Bohemian Club in San Francisco.

The family would like to thank all of his amazing caregivers during his later years, particularly Seray Bangura, the Princeton Windrows’ Staff, and the Maplewood Staff. His celebration of life will be held on October 16 at 11 a.m. at the Princeton Windrows.

———

James Babbitt Hastings, MD

September 20, 1927 – September 4, 2022

Dr. James Babbitt Hastings died peacefully at home on September 4, 2022, surrounded by loving family.

Born on September 20, 1927, Jim spent his formative years in Montclair, NJ, getting in and out of the usual scrapes. Much of this energy was luckily directed at the Boy Scouts, where he earned his Eagle award, and as a leader at Camp Dudley in the Adirondacks. Both of these organizations fostered his lifelong love of the outdoors and remained near and dear to his heart. Graduating from high school in 1945, he attended Haverford College for a year before joining the Navy, serving two years as a radar technician on destroyers where he learned to love the sea, loud noises and vacuum tubes. Returning to Haverford, he graduated early in 1950 with a degree in Electrical Engineering, which he immediately squandered by enrolling in the surgery
program at Columbia Presbyterian College of Physicians and Surgeons. There he met nursing student Margaret (Peg) Ross. They married in 1954 after graduation, and moved to Cooperstown, NY, where he did his internship and residency at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, training in general surgery and producing three children. At the prompting of Dr. Benjamin Wright, his good friend from Columbia, Jim joined Princeton Medical Group and moved his young family to Princeton, NJ, in 1959 and added a fourth child, much to the glee of his older sister.

He grew up sailing small boats on a lake in the Poconos but loved sailboats of every kind. He twice served as navigator in races from Newport to Bermuda, and skippered chartered sailboats with friends and family all over the Caribbean. After graduating from Haverford, he spent three summers volunteering for the Grenfell Mission, first sailing on a hospital ship along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, installing radio transmitters at remote nursing stations, and then assisting in surgery at the hospital at Saint Anthony, Newfoundland. This early experience of mission work informed the rest of his days. He was always generous with his time and resources to charitable organizations, most memorably volunteering as surgeon for the Indian Health Services in Fort Defiance, AZ, working with Navajo healers.

His tenor voice was heard in school, college, Navy, and medical school choirs, and for 50 years in the choir at Nassau Presbyterian Church, where he also served several times as elder. His love of Gilbert and Sullivan was apt to overtake him at inopportune times, but generally this was tolerated. His voice also narrates many medical texts available through Recording For the Blind and Dyslexic, where he and Peg volunteered for many years.

He designed and ran the first mass screening program for colo-rectal cancer, earning him honors as AMA Doctor of the Year in 1973 (New Jersey), and served for many years on various local, state, and national cancer task forces and committees. He served on the American Cancer Society National Task Force on Colo-rectal Cancer for 10 years, on the county medical society for 15 years, and as delegate to the Medical Society of NJ. He chaired the section of general surgery at the Medical Center at Princeton for eight years and taught as Clinical Assistant Professor at Rutgers Medical School until 1998. Princeton Medical Group had eight MDs when he started, and 23 when he retired. The Medical Center at Princeton grew from 64 MDs to more than 500 before he retired in 1994. He continued his contributions to his profession, participating in the hospital Tumor Board well after retirement.

Family and community were central to Jim and Peg’s life together. They raised their four children in Princeton, enjoying summers camping across the country, spending time (and playing a lot of ruthless bridge) at Jim’s family vacation home at Lake Paupac in the Poconos, and gathering and hiking with Peg’s extended family at Rivermede, their farm in the Adirondacks. He was very proud of his children’s accomplishments, but even more so of their love for each other. Jim and Peg consider that their lives’ greatest achievement.

He is predeceased by his parents, Evelyn (Babbitt) and Alan Hastings, and his sister Elizabeth (Betty). He is survived by his wife, Peg, and children, Nancy (and Jerry) Zatzman, Alan (and Teresa Davis), Robert (and Fritz Sabbow), and Nick (and Kim Mrazek); and grandchildren, Josh Zatzman, Sam Hastings, Julianne Hastings, Noah Hastings, Caleb Hastings, and Nina Hastings. A memorial service is planned for Saturday, November 5 at 1:30 p.m. at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Jim’s memory to Princeton Medical Center Foundation (princetonhcs.org/princeton-medical-center-foundation), Learning Ally (learningally.org) formerly known as Recording For the Blind and Dyslexic, or Arm In Arm (arminarm.org). 

———

Jacques P. Honoré, Jr.

Jacques P. Honoré, Jr., known to all as Jack, died on September 10, 2022 with family by his side.

Born on June 2, 1918 in Princeton, NJ, he attended Princeton Country Day School and graduated from Princeton High School. He was one of the earliest employees hired at the RCA David Sarnoff Research Center in West Windsor, NJ, and he worked there for his entire professional career, retiring in 1981 as manager of the drafting department. After retiring he lived in Sea Isle City, NJ, and later relocated to Bradenton, Florida.

He was the devoted husband of Ann Clayton Honoré and provided care for her over many years until her death in 1995. He continued to live independently in Florida until after his 100th birthday, and enjoyed spending time with friends from Spoonbill Landings Circle in the Perico Bay Club and breakfasts at Denise’s Beachway Cafe.

Always curious and informed, he followed national and world news closely, and enjoyed discussing current events while offering his century of perspective to the news of the day. He took pleasure in gardening, and there were few electronic or home repairs that he could not diagnose and repair on his own. 

Jack is survived by his daughter Susan Appelget (Charles) and son Jack Honoré, III (Regina), both of West Windsor, NJ; grandchildren Kristin Appelget of Princeton, NJ, Kevin Appelget (Lori) of West Windsor, NJ, Katie Ksenich (Mike) of New Milford, PA, Elizabeth Hughes (Justin) of Robbinsville, NJ, and Brian Honoré (Nina) of Silver Spring, MD; and great-grandchildren Gillian, Hayden, and Isabelle Appelget, Max and Ava Ksenich, Abigail and William Hughes, and Callen and Rylan Honoré. He is also survived by nephews Robert Ciasca (Cynthia) and Anthony Ciasca (Rosalie) and several great-nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held on Friday, September 16, 2022 at Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church, 154 South Mill Road, West Windsor, NJ, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. followed by a service at 11:30 a.m. Burial will follow at Princeton Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Sarnoff Collection at The College of New Jersey, Green Hall, Room 215, Ewing, NJ 08628 or online at give.tcnj.edu.

Extend condolences and share remembrances at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

September 7, 2022

Obituaries 9/7/2022

Barbara Gazey Turner

After living with ovarian cancer and its challenges for three years, Barbara Gazey Turner died on August 27 at the age of 71. 

Born and raised in Princeton, NJ, Gazey spent much of her life in the local area. She graduated from Princeton public schools and went on to earn a BA from Carnegie Mellon University and 10 years later returned to school to earn an MBA from Rutgers. 

After pursuing career paths in mental health, law, and corporate management, Gazey happily settled on her true love of nature and the outdoors. She returned to school in horticulture, joined Ambleside Gardens, and became an integral member of the management team. She was a firm believer in finding what you love and figuring out a way to pursue it.

Gazey found many ways to participate in nature’s beauty, including gardening, hiking, or horseback riding in our national parks, strolling through the local woods, and photographing flowers. She loved swimming, boating, and most of all relaxing by the lake or ocean with a good book. 

Gazey was grateful to many for their help with her ongoing personal growth and spiritual development. She found this work paid back many fold throughout the years, particularly in learning to deal with her diagnosis, the unpredictable progression of her disease, and the end of life. 

Dogs have been Gazey’s family and best friends throughout life, providing her with much joy, affection, and companionship. She loved and was deeply loved by her friends and family. In testimony to her quiet nature, honesty, loyalty, wisdom, and humor, her dear friends from across the country were with her to the end. Her family gathered around her during her illness and treatment, holding the difficult times with her and enjoying the intimacy and connection that this very unique time in life brought with it. They celebrate her life with great happiness and gratitude, and will miss her beyond measure.

She is survived by her sister, Michael Ann Walstad of Lawrenceville, NJ; her nieces, Kimberly Zablud of New Hope, PA, and Avery Connolly of West Chester, PA, and their families, including her grandnephews Lee, Silas, and Quinn. She is also survived by her adored canine companion Tate. 

Service will be private. 

August 31, 2022

Obituaries 8/31/2022

Rev. David H. McAlpin, Jr.

David Hunter McAlpin, Jr., born January 19, 1928, in New York City, died peacefully, surrounded by his four children on August 5, 2022, in Skillman, New Jersey after a long, full life.

Widely known as Mac, he was of the generation in which frugality was a virtue and sharing your blessings was a moral imperative. After earning a BA in History from Princeton University in 1950 and a MDiv degree from The Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York in 1953, he was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1957 at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, a predominantly African American church in Princeton, NJ. As Assistant Pastor he was in charge of youth ministry. While at Witherspoon, he earned his MTh from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1961. Moving to Michigan in 1963, he led a nascent parish in East Detroit until 1970, when he and his family returned to the Princeton, where he led churches in transition and counseled fellow pastors.

With Witherspoon’s Senior Pastor, Benjamin J. Anderson, Mac attended Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 and took King’s lessons to heart. His lifelong efforts to forge a better world and a more just and desegregated society focused on providing housing to those in need and on prison reform work. In the 1950s he led efforts to establish integrated housing developments in Princeton. In 1986 he was a founder of Habitat for Humanity in the Trenton area, leading it for nearly 30 years. He also founded and was President of Capstone Corp., a nonprofit, low-income housing developer serving Mercer County communities.

He initiated and oversaw in-prison programs and counseling with the New Jersey Association on Correction, a nonprofit agency serving those impacted by crime and the criminal justice system throughout New Jersey, and with the Community Network, a prison ministry serving NJ.

Mac was deeply involved in the community in and around Princeton, where he lived for most of his life. Highlights are his service on the boards of the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association, a seminal environmental education and advocacy organization; the Princeton Blairstown Center, an outdoor education program serving at-risk youth from Princeton, Trenton, and other communities; the Historical Society of Princeton; the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society; and the Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. In his 80s and 90s, he was a founding board member of the Paul Robeson House in Princeton. His service to and attendance at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church spanned more than 65 years.

Modest in both size and ego, he was surprisingly strong and capable. He led a physically active life and loved ice skating, tennis, sailing, boating, and swimming in Chatham, MA, and in the Adirondacks, as well as working on his farm outside Princeton. He also loved wearing his McAlpin plaid kilt for special occasions, including his 90th birthday celebration, and was proud that he never outgrew it. 

The son of David H. McAlpin and Nina Underwood McAlpin, Mac was predeceased by both his wives, Joan R. McAlpin and Sally D. McAlpin. He was a much-loved moral beacon to his family — including his four children and their spouses, his four grandchildren, and two great-grandsons — and his friends and community.   

There will be a memorial service and celebration of his life at the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, 124 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ, on Saturday, October 8 at 11 a.m., to be livestreamed to Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street. Reception at Nassau Church to follow service. Please attend at Nassau Church if you are ambulatorily challenged.

In lieu of flowers donations may be directed to Habitat for Humanity of Central New Jersey, 530 Route 38 East, Maple Shade, NJ 08052 or to the office address of Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church, 112 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08542.

———

John Paul D’Antonio

John Paul D’Antonio, 68, died on August 27, 2022 peacfully surrounded by his family in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, from cancer.

A native to the Princeton area he attended Chapin School, The Hun School of Princeton Class of 1970, and Lehigh Unversity Class of 1976. He also attend the Art Students League of New York and Rhode Island School of Design.

After graduating Lehigh University, where he majored in Art History, D’Antonio attended the Art Students League of New York, studying under Xavier Gonzales, who was a leading instructor known as much for his large murals as for mentoring students like Jackson Pollock and LeRoy Neiman.

John D’Antonio was an accomplished artist whose work represented a realistic interpretation of seascapes and landscapes. His art and philosophy have been shaped by influences as diverse as Academicism and the Photorealist painters of the 1970s. His work has been represented by a number of galleries worldwide.

John Paul D’Antonio is considered by some in the art world to be a leading representational artist in America today. His paintings reveal a remarkable eye for the telling detail united with a facility for composition, color, and light. The precision and clarity of his diverse scapes lend immediacy and impact to his paintings while capturing the energy and mystery of his subjects.

John also held a very accomplished career as global head consultant in the Life Science industry building multimillion-dollar pipelines from the ground up. He worked for numerous Fortune 500 companies in the metropolitan area throughout his life. John had many passions such as squash, hunting, and fishing in the great outdoors he has passed down onto his children that will carry on his legacy for many years to come. 

John is survived by his sister Ann D’Antonio and his four children, John D’Antonio, his wife Pam, and their two children Penelope and George of Sparta, New Jersey; Natalie Bryenton, her husband Alex Bryenton, their two children Mackenzie and Ryder of Asheville, North Carolina; Peter D’Antonio, his wife Amanda, and their two children Michael and Peter of Missoula, Montana; Blake D’Antonio, his mother Rebecca and Scott Smith of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. John is also survived by his three stepchildren Tabitha Rutkowski, Nina Rutkowski, and Phoebe Rutkowski of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. John is preceded in death by his mother Yolanda and father Mario D’Antonio.

John’s family would like to give their utmost appreciation to the Vitas Hospice team along with Rebecca and Scott Smith who opened their home to care for John through this difficult process.

Family will receive relatives and friends on Friday, September 2, 2022, from 12 to 1 p.m. at Our Lady of Czestochowa Cemetery, 654 Ferry Road, Doylestown, PA (travel through the cemetery gates to the end of the road, the Red Chapel is on the left). Followed by John’s Mass of Christian Burial at 1 p.m. 

In lieu of flowers donations can be made in memory of John P. D’Antonio to the American Cancer Society. Arrangements by Donahue Funeral Home, (215) 348-9421.

———

Mary Kathryn Moses

Mary Kathryn Moses, 66, passed away peacefully on August 28, 2022 at her home in Princeton, New Jersey.

She is survived by her loving husband of 26 years John, daughter Courtney Coyne, sister Lori Chaudhry, brother Christopher Knowles, mother Jeri Tomlin, and niece Sophie Chaudhry. She is predeceased by her father Richard Knowles.

Kathryn was born in Rantoul, Illinois. She graduated from Rantoul High School where she was senior class president.

She moved to Chicago in her early twenties where she worked in the jewelry business and also in the State’s Attorney’s office. She was married to her husband John Moses in 1996, and moved to Fox River Grove, Illinois, and later to Cary, Illinois. Kathryn and John moved to Princeton with Courtney in 2004.

Kathryn was known for her wonderful sense of humor, her quick wit, and engaging personality. She was passionate about family. The traditions she created for family birthdays and holidays will be a lasting legacy. She loved to garden and created the most glorious landscapes at her home. She rejoiced in observing and caring for the multiple animals and birds that were attracted to her floral beds.

Kathryn was active in a number of charitable organizations including Big Brothers, Big Sisters in Illinois and the Princeton Hospital Auxiliary where in 2010 she chaired the annual Art First funding campaign.

She will be greatly missed.

A visitation will be held at Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton 08542 on Saturday, September 3, at 2 p.m. followed by a service at 3 p.m.

August 24, 2022

Obituaries 8/24/2022

John “Jack” Goida

John “Jack” Goida, 80, of Princeton passed away Saturday, August 20, 2022 at Princeton Care Center of Princeton, NJ.

Jack was born in Coaldale, PA. He was an entrepreneur. Jack’s passions included golf, tennis, walks along the beach, and rooting for the NY Yankees and Philadelphia Eagles. Most importantly, he loved spending time with his family and friends. Anyone who met him adored him.

Predeceased by his parents Harry and Mary (Ketz) Goida, and a sister Ellen Garrett.

He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law John “Matt” and Christina Goida, a daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Robert Paterson, a brother and sister-in-law Greg and Betty Goida, a grandson Christopher Paterson, and a grand dog Boomer.

A Visitation will be held from 7-9 p.m. on Thursday, August 25, 2022 at Mather-Hodge Funeral Home 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ  08542. A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 26, 2022 at All Saints’ Church of Princeton 16 All Saints’ Road, Princeton, NJ 08540. Burial will follow in Trinity – All Saints’ Cemetery, Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Jack’s name to the American Diabetes Association.

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David Harding Thomas, Sr.

David Harding Thomas, Sr., 79, passed away on August 7, 2022, in Nashville, TN. Dave was born on January 27, 1943 in Long Branch, NJ, to Lloyd Banks Thomas, Sr. and Valerie Tirrell Thomas. The youngest of three, he spent his childhood in Locust, NJ, until age 9, when the family moved to Manhattan. David attended The Hill School in Pottstown, PA, and Vanderbilt University, where he was president of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity and graduated with honors.

After a backpacking tour of Europe, Dave briefly served in the New Jersey Army National Guard. He began his career at McGraw Hill, then worked for Life Magazine as an advertising salesman, his true calling. Ad sales positions followed at New York, Time, Field & Stream, Financial World, and Mutual Funds magazines.

David married Jane Margaret Mawicke in 1969, had two children, and raised the family in Briarcliff Manor, NY. He subsequently resided in Rowayton, CT; Hilton Head, Mount Pleasant, and Charleston, SC; and finally, Nashville, TN. Known to his family members as “Fred,” Dave was an avid golfer, a lover of Labrador retrievers, and an entertaining correspondent. When not playing golf at Sleepy Hollow CC, Sea Pines CC, or CC of Charleston, he preferred to be on a boat or at the beach, always with one of his four-legged best friends, Sally, Molly, or Nelly, at his side. Family was supremely important; he generously sponsored beach vacations with kids and grandkids fondly known as “Fredweek.” He spent 10 years assiduously researching his genealogy, proving true the family lore that his ancestors arrived in America during its infancy. In his own words, though, “the most important role in my life’s work was that of a father.”

David is survived by his sister, Valerie Thomas Hartshorne (Blawenburg, NJ); his wife of 22 years, Jane Thomas Cogswell (divorced) of Stone Mountain, GA; his children, Pamela Thomas Alexander “Pam” (Peter) of Atlanta, GA, and David Harding Thomas, Jr. “Joe” (Betsy) of Franklin, TN; and five grandchildren: Samuel Deane Alexander “Sam,” Laura Jane Alexander “Janie,” David Harding Thomas, III “Trey,” Tyler Banks Thomas, and Tucker Alston Thomas. He is preceded in death by his brother, Lloyd Banks Thomas, Jr.

A memorial at All Saints’ Memorial Church (Navesink, NJ) is planned for early 2023. Memorial contributions may be made to the Charleston County Public Library at charlestonlibraryfriends.charityproud.org/Donate or the Nashville Public Library Foundation at nplf.org/general-donation.

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Louise Ann Taback

Louise Ann Taback of Blawenburg, N.J., passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home on August 9. She was 82 years old.

Louise was born in Union City, N.J. Her parents, Anna and William Blohm, were German immigrants who came to America to carve out a new life. They owned and operated a corner grocery store in their neighborhood. They were humble, kind, and generous people.

After graduating from high school Louise attended Upsala College where she met her husband, Alan. This was the beginning of a 62-year love affair.

After college Louise went to work for American Airlines. Her next job was working for a doctor friend as an administrative assistant. In 1967 when her daughter Jennifer was born, she became a stay-at-home mom. She was an amazing mom.

When her husband Alan told her he was leaving education to pursue a career as an artist, her comment was, “I guess I’d better get a job.”

And with that, she began her career as an administrative assistant at three food businesses: Soupe Du Jour, The Catering Company, and Lucy’s Kitchen and Market. Her attention to detail was impeccable. She loved the many lifelong friendships that developed as a result of her work.

Louise had a wonderful eye for design. Her home felt like the interior of a beautiful showroom and the gallery she owned and managed in Jerome, Arizona, was, like her home, a tasteful showplace.

Louise was known for her small, elegant dinner parties. She loved the warmth of the gatherings. She was humble, shy, elegant, and at 6’1, stately. She was a beautiful person, both inside and out. Her smile said it all.

She was predeceased by her father, mother, and older brother Ray whom she adored. She is survived by her husband Alan Taback, daughter Jennifer Anderson, and son-in-law Anthony Anderson.

The Celebration of Louise’s life will take place on September 10 at 3:30 p.m. at 395 Route 518 in Blawenburg, NJ 08558. Please park at the Blawenburg Church, on Route 518.

———

George Neville

George Neville, 78, passed away on Saturday, August 20, 2022 in Princeton. He was born in Hartford, CT, grew up in Winchester, MA, and settled in Ridgewood, NJ. He graduated from Harvard University in 1966, attended Boston College Law School, and Tuft’s Graduate School in Massachusetts, where he met his wife of 49 years, Frances Jani.

He enjoyed history, especially the American Civil War. He loved sports and was a three-sport athlete in college, participating in baseball, football, and basketball. He earned All-American honors in baseball: a wonderful culmination to a youth spent on the baseball diamond where he and his friends honed their skills and eventually played in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, in 1955 and ’56. He spent the bulk of his career in education as Principal of the George Washington Middle School in Ridgewood, NJ. There will always be a special place in his heart for his GW Family. George loved people most of all and had a unique ability to assemble an exceptional learning environment.

Predeceased by his parents George Malcolm and Florence (Shannon) Neville; he is survived by his wife Frances Jani Neville; children Ben Neville, Jennifer Ann Findlay and husband Trey Findlay, Tyler Neville and wife Lauren Haugh Neville; grandchildren Brennan Neville, Declan Findlay, Bowen Neville, McCoy Neville, and an additional grandson to be born in November; sister Ann Howell; and sister-in-law Mary Englert, along with many nephews and friends that he loved dearly.

An Ice Cream Social Memorial will be held at a later date in Ridgewood.

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

———

Olive (“Shortie”) Brown

Olive (“Shortie”) Brown, 96, died at her home in Princeton on August 16, surrounded by her three children.

Olive was born in Trenton on May 2, 1926, to William Schulte and Olive Fine Schulte, the second of their two daughters. She attended the Miss Fines School in Princeton, graduating in 1943; she received her B.S. as a math major from Douglass College (Rutgers) in 1947. She married Leslie (“Brud”) Brown Jr., in 1951.

A state-ranked tennis player, Shortie switched sports to golf when she got married, and went on to win the Trenton Country Club Women’s Golf Championship 10 times. She won the Trenton District Women’s Golf Championship in 1970.

A member of the executive committee of the Women’s Philadelphia Golf Association for many years, Shortie served as president of the Association in 1982-1983. She also sat on the boards of the Garden State Golf Association and the New Jersey State Women’s Golf Association. From 1991 to 2008 she served on the United States Golf Association’s Senior Women’s Amateur Committee; she also served on the Handicap Procedure Committee and worked as a rules official for the U.S. Women’s Open. In 2008 she was inducted into the Princeton Day School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Shortie is survived by her daughter, Candie Brown, who lives in Princeton; her twin sons, Ted Brown, a professor in the School of Architecture at Syracuse University, and Bill Brown, professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago; and two grandchildren, Peter and Fraser.

Memorial donations may be made to The Elephant Sanctuary, P.O. Box 393, Hohenwald, TN 38462; https://shop.elephants.com/give.

August 17, 2022

Obituraries 8/17/2022

Peter J. Carril

Coach Peter J. Carril passed away peacefully at The University of Pennsylvania Hospital, on August 15, 2022, where he was recuperating from a stroke. He was 92 years old.

Carril grew up on the southside of Bethlehem, Pa., where his father worked in the steel mills. The Bethlehem Boys Club helped the young Carril stay on track as he became a promising basketball player at Liberty High School, graduating in 1948. After high school, Carril went to nearby Lafayette College. He graduated in 1952 with a BA in Spanish and it is at Lafayette where he began his lifelong basketball friendship with the late Butch vanBredaKolff.

Carril went on to coach at Easton Area High School for three years while earning his M.A. degree from Lehigh University. From 1958 to 1966 he coached at Reading High School where he had many winning seasons and trips to the state finals. After Reading, he made the move into college coaching, going back to Lehigh for one year (1966 to1967) where he compiled the first winning record in basketball in 50 years, at a school where wrestling was the premiere sport.

In 1967 vanBredaKolff was leaving Princeton and recommended his protégé Carril for the job of Head Basketball Coach. Carril accepted the job and stayed at Princeton, building a basketball dynasty with numerous accomplishments that would also earn him many honors. Carril spent 29 years at Princeton, racking up 514 wins. His teams won 13 Ivy League titles, one NIT Championship (1975), and made 11 NCAA tournament appearances. Along with coaching the Olympic teams of Spain and Argentina, Carril made a name for himself by perfecting the Princeton offense and relying on his famous “backdoor play.” After Princeton, Carril spent time as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings, from 1994 to 2004. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1998.

In the words of Jerry Price, Senior Communications Advisor/Historian for Princeton Athletics, Carril was “a very simple man, and the more the world around him grew complex, the simpler he became. Make shots. Guard your guy. Be honest with people. And above all, work hard. No shortcuts.”

Carril is predeceased by his father, José Carril of Léon, Spain, his mother, Angelina Rodriguez Carril of Argentina, his sister, Anita Carril Amigo of Bethlehem, Pa., and his former wife, Dolores L. “Dilly” Carril, of Bethlehem, Pa., and Princeton, NJ. He leaves behind a daughter, Lisa D. Carril, of Hopewell, NJ, and a son, Peter J. Carril of Princeton, NJ; grandchildren, Peter B. Carril and Zoe Carril, of New York City; and two grand dogs, Rock and Dolores of Hopewell.

There will be a private viewing for family and close friends only at Kimble Funeral Home in Princeton. A memorial service honoring the Coach will be held at Jadwin Gymnasium on Princeton University’s campus, at a date to be determined.

———

John Madison Cooper

John Madison Cooper, 82, of Princeton, New Jersey, died on August 8, 2022, after a short illness.

John was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on November 29, 1939, the second of seven children of Bernardine (Sheehan) and Armon Cooper. He left Memphis in 1953 when he was awarded a scholarship to attend Phillips Exeter Academy. It was at Exeter that he began his study of ancient Greek, earning the Haig-Ramage Classical Scholarship and graduating first in his class in 1957. He continued his studies at Harvard University (B.A., 1961, Ph.D., 1967) and was a Marshall Scholar at Corpus Christi College, Oxford (B.Phil., 1963). He taught at Harvard, the University of Pittsburgh, and Princeton, from which he retired in 2016. He was President of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association in 1999-2000 and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Stephanie Cooper, and two brothers, Farrell Cooper and Jerome Cooper.

He is survived by his beloved wife Marcia (Coleman), his daughters, Stephanie and Katherine, Katherine’s husband Bryan Foster, and his grandchildren Amos and Louisa. He is also survived by his brothers and sisters-in-law Armon Cooper and Karen Schoenberg, Gail Cooper, Richard and Charlotte Cooper, Robert and Sue Cooper, sister-in-law Dora (Coleman) DeGeorge, cousins Brainard Cooper and Sarah Forrest Schwartz, many nieces and nephews, and valued friends.

John was Princeton’s Henry Putnam University Professor of Philosophy emeritus and one of the world’s leading scholars of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy. On the basis of the John Locke Lectures, which he gave at Oxford in 2011, he wrote his final book, Pursuits of Wisdom, a historical and philosophical account of the Greeks’ views on the good life. His first book, Reason and Human Good in Aristotle, won the American Philosophical Association’s Matchette Prize in 1977. His essays have appeared in two volumes, and he edited a selection of Seneca’s essays on moral philosophy. He edited the Complete Works of Plato (1997), now used as the standard throughout the English-speaking world. Although he dedicated a significant effort to his writings, he felt strongly that his most important responsibility was to his students, and in response was deeply appreciated by generations of them.

As erudite as he was sharp, John set a standard of intellectual rigor and honesty for colleagues and especially his students. He was widely admired for his scholarship, his humanity, his generosity, and his wit. John was a fiercely loyal friend, relentless competitor, crossword aficionado, opera lover, and devoted father and grandfather. He was determined that his life would not be limited by the type I diabetes diagnosis he received as a young man nearly 60 years ago, and it was not.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org) or Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org).

Arrangements are under the direction of the Mather Hodge Funeral Home.

August 10, 2022

Obituaries 8/10/2022

James Kerney Kuser II

1960 – 2022

James Kerney Kuser II, an estate lawyer in Princeton for over three and a half decades, passed away at home July 31, 2022, following a brief illness. Sixty-two years old, Kerney was born in Troy, Ohio, on February 15, 1960, the son of R. George Kuser Jr., a newspaper publisher, and Clare McHugh Kuser, a homemaker. He is survived by his partner, Jeremiah Edwin Obert; by three of his six siblings; by two uncles and one aunt; and by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

After four years at the Lawrenceville School, Kerney attended Kenyon College, graduating with a bachelor of arts degree in 1982 before studying law at Seton Hall University. He was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1985. He was active in many civic and professional organizations. Kerney used his lawyering skills with a light touch and a sure hand, and was always available to help friends and family.

In 1984 he donated a kidney to his older sister, Cricket, and the organ continued to function and support life until her death in 2014. He traveled around the world to support her when she competed in the World Transplant Games, including visits to Budapest in 1991 and Sydney, Australia, in 1997. When Cricket passed away in Vancouver, he was able to sell her home for the highest price possible and distribute the estate proceeds to her survivors.

More recently, he helped the widow of an eminent scientist at the Institute for Advanced Study remain in her home for several years and later sell it for more than the family thought possible.

An avid gardener, Kerney planted his one-acre property with thousands of flowers and dozens of ornamental trees,
always with an eye to providing birdbaths and feeders as well as color throughout the long growing season.

Kerney also had a knack for speaking to children as thoughtful people capable of making rational decisions. When his 7-year-old niece, Eylül Isabella Kuser, moved to the United States from Istanbul she planned on adopting her middle name as being easier for Americans to handle. Uncle Kerney told her that her new country was a land of immigrants, that she was a special person in her own right, and that she should make people deal with her on her own terms, including being known by her actual name. Eylül was persuaded … and has lived to regret it as a teacher, fellow student, or coach is sure to mangle her name every day.

His unique way with young people made a difference in the life of Errol McDowell, son of Kerney’s close friends, Rider and Victoria McDowell. Kerney and Errol hit it off right away when the boy was 8 years old, and maintained their special bond through a years-long ordeal for all when Errol was stricken with a type of brain cancer called medulloblastoma. Errol passed away at the age of 18 in 2018, but conceived of a charity called Canceragogo, which is seeking $1 from every American to cure cancer through immunotherapy.

According to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, only 4% of cancer research funding in the U.S. goes towards treating childhood cancer, a disparity which leads to few drugs having been developed for children with cancer while hundreds have been created for adults.

The family encourages donations to Canceragogo. A celebration of life is being planned for late summer or early fall.

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Eileen A. Dow

Eileen Anne (Maxim) Dow died peacefully of natural causes at home in Princeton, NJ, on August 7, 2022 surrounded by her loving family. Born in the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn, NY, Eileen graduated with honors from Fort Hamilton High School and was working in Manhattan when she met her husband of 63 years, Kenneth Dow, then attending Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute on the GI bill. After their marriage in 1950, Mr. Dow was employed as an engineer by the JM Huber Company and the couple was stationed in Borger, Texas, and later in Macon, Georgia, where they welcomed the arrival of the first of their five children.

Upon returning to New York in 1955, the young family soon moved into a new house in suburban Greenlawn, NY, on Long Island. For the next 25 years Eileen was a full-time homemaker. She was active in the PTA, the Girl Scouts, and other civic groups during this time, and she especially enjoyed the family’s annual camping trips throughout the Northeast.

In the 1980s Mrs. Dow returned part-time to the workforce, holding an administrative job in an orthopedic surgery group. Later, after her husband’s retirement and the arrival of grandchildren, the couple moved to Hampton Bays, NY, where they enjoyed an active social life. During retirement they also traveled throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. In final years the couple moved to the Princeton Windrows community to be closer to family members. Mr. Dow passed away in 2018.    

Eileen was an avid reader, enjoyed swimming, and was an accomplished bowler, regularly scoring over 200 points and once nearing a perfect game. Her grandchildren fondly recall her penchant for chocolates. She always will be remembered as a devoted wife, mother, and friend.

Her survivors include a daughter Susan (Dow) Connolly; sons Michael, Kenneth, Thomas, and David; son-in-law Peter Connolly; daughters-in-law Gianina, Catherine, Mae, and Colette; and eight grandchildren: Jacqueline Connolly, Thomas Connolly, Emily Dow, Melissa (Dow) Ortega, Charlotte Dow, Abigail Dow, Grace Dow and Harrison Dow. After a funeral mass at Queenship of Mary Catholic Church, Plainsboro NJ, interment was at Calverton National Cemetery, NY. Memorial contributions to Greenwood House Hospice at greenwoodhouse.org/giving/tributes are appreciated.

Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

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Rabbi Daniel Grossman

We mourn the loss of Rabbi Daniel Grossman, beloved teacher, father and husband, who passed on August 2, 2022 at the age of 71. 

Rabbi Grossman is survived by his wife Dr. Elayne Robinson Grossman, his son Sam Grossman, daughter Rabbi Miriam Grossman, and son-in-law Jeremy Siegman and granddaughter Shayna. He is also survived by his brother Dr. Larry Grossman, sister-in-law Joanne Grossman, and a cherished extended family.

Born July 24, 1951 to Jackie and Murray Grossman in Philadelphia, PA, he was an infant survivor of the RH factor. Rabbi Grossman was a lifelong lover of music, storytelling, and Jewish community. 

He graduated Temple University with a B.A. in religion in 1973 and was later ordained at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1978. He was a cherished leader in disability and deaf inclusion efforts within the Jewish community. Rabbi Grossman was a pulpit rabbi for over 40 years, the majority of them at Adath Israel in Lawrenceville, NJ, where he led the congregation for 25 years.  As a rabbi his passions were adult education, disability inclusion, and serving families in times of loss.

Rabbi Grossman will be missed by many. May his memory be for a blessing.

Funeral services were held on August 3 at Adath Israel Congregation, with burial at Roosevelt Memorial Park in Trevose, PA.

Memorial contributions may be made to: the American Kidney Fund, Sharim v’Sharot, Adath Israel Congregation, and Congregation Kol Emet.

Funeral arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel.

To send condolences to the family please visit Rabbi Grossman’s obituary page at OrlandsMemorialChapel.com.

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Augustine F. Mosso

June 7, 1931 – July 30, 2022

Gus Mosso, of Cape May, NJ, and formerly of Princeton, NJ, passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home on July 30, 2022. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to Joseph and Mary Mosso, Gus was the youngest of six children, sisters Sadie Frances, Janet, Isabel, and brothers Pat and Frank. He excelled in school and was the first college graduate in his Italian immigrant family. He studied Pharmacy at St. John’s University in New York City and he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1952 and he maintained lifelong school friendships.

Gus enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a Lieutenant during the Korean Conflict (1953-1956) and received an honorable discharge. He met the love of his life Mary Ann (nee Turano) and they married in 1960 and had four children by 1965! Gus earned his MBA in Marketing and Management from New York University in 1959 after he attended evening classes especially designed for the 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  business management employees located in the downtown Wall Street area.

From 1960 to 2005 Gus’s very interesting work in a diverse and exceptional pharmaceutical career included positions of increased executive responsibility in sales, advertising, international marketing, and creative services. He was awarded the Squibb President’s Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in 1973. Gus later became Director of Worldwide Marketing and Creative Services and in 1985 his role included managing the Squibb Gallery in Lawrenceville, NJ. Gus was presented with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Gold Medallion in 1989 for this work and for his role in promoting corporate support for arts education. Gus retired early and started his own medical conference planning firm, The Mosso Group Inc., from 1990-2005.

As well as being an avid theater fan Gus turned his talents to producing plays for the Princeton Community Players. Gus and Mary Ann traveled the world and visited six continents. After 37 years in Princeton, he and Mary Ann relocated permanently to Cape May, NJ, where Gus served as President and later Vice President of the Village Greene Civic Association. He advocated for reduced speed limits on local roads and other measures to protect walkers and bicycle riders. Gus and Mary Ann served as volunteers for the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts and supported local theater and many cultural events in Cape May. Gus was gifted in painting with acrylics and writing, especially poetry with rhyming couplets. His organizational and meeting planning skills for national and international medical educational symposia, and for several family reunions and celebrations, were extraordinary.

Gus is survived by his loving wife Mary Ann of 62 years, his grateful children Rev. Lauren Mosso (Mark Duckworth with their children Arthur, Genevieve, and Mireille Duckworth), Lisa Woodford (Jonathan), Joseph Mosso (Brenda), and Christopher Mosso, together with nieces and nephews of several generations, and many friends, who remember Gus with love.

There will be a funeral Mass in honor of Gus on Friday August 19, 2022, at 10 a.m. St. Paul Church, 216 Nassau Street, Princeton, N.J. Mass will be livestreamed and accessible by visiting this link, stpaulsofprinceton.org/mass-streaming, that will be active at 9:50 a.m.

In lieu of flowers please consider donations in Gus’s honor to benefit Cape May Lutheran Church, 509 Pittsburgh Avenue, Cape May, NJ 08204; Family Promise of Cape May County, 505 Town Bank Road, North Cape May, NJ 08204; or Cape May City Fire Department, 712 Franklin Street, Cape May, NJ 08204. Our family is forever grateful to Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Elliott for his love and support.

For information and condolences, visit Spilker Funeral Home, Cape May at spilkerfuneralhome.com.

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Frances Rizk

Frances Rizk, a loving mother and grandmother, and a warm and generous person, died at home in Princeton on August 3, surrounded by her three children. She had recently celebrated her 90th birthday in style, her wit and sparkle intact until the very end.

Born in Brooklyn, NY, to John Bolin and Mary O’Neill, Fran grew up surrounded by extended family who took care of her when she lost her mother at age 10. After graduating from St. Albans High School in Queens, she completed two years of study at Queens College. She worked for American Can Company then sought a more adventurous life by joining Colonial Airlines as a stewardess. This allowed her to travel to many fun destinations around the globe and began her love of travel.

She met Edward Rizk, the Lebanese delegate to the United Nations, in New York and the two were married there in 1957 at the Greek Orthodox cathedral. Thus began a more than 40-year marriage that took them to many places around the world. After New York City, they moved to London, where Eddie was the Arab League Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Fran attended several teas at Buckingham Palace, watched tennis matches at Wimbledon, made many new friends and spent summers in the mountain village of Broummana, Lebanon surrounded by Eddie’s extended family.

In 1966, the family moved to Lebanon and settled down in Beirut. The next decade represented Lebanon’s “Golden Years” and they all lived full lives amidst friends and family, moving among the family’s several homes. Fran remained as active as ever: She was President of the American Women’s Club in Lebanon, Vice President of the country’s mental hospital, a board member of the local YMCA, and Vice Chair of an arts festival in the Bekaa Valley, all while raising her three children.

In 1976, Lebanon became racked by civil war. Eddie foresaw that this would go on for a long time and urged the family to relocate to the U.S. to build their lives there. They first moved to Ithaca, NY, where their oldest daughter Nayla was accepted to Cornell. Fran was a big fan of Cornell Hockey and they held season tickets for the four years they lived there. In 1980, they moved to Manhattan. For the next two decades, Fran and Eddie enjoyed life on the Upper East Side combined with summers at their home in the hills above Cannes in the South of France. Everywhere they were, family and friends were welcomed with open arms.

As Eddie, 19 years Fran’s senior, grew older, they moved to Princeton, NJ, to be closer to their son, Amin Rizk and his wife Kim. In 2000, Eddie passed away and Fran moved into a new addition built onto Amin and Kim’s house in Princeton. She spent the next 20 years living with them and helping them raise their family, while seeing her daughters and their families as often as she could.

Fran’s life in Princeton was full. She was a docent at Drumthwacket, a member of the Present Day Club, and enjoyed many evenings at the McCarter Theatre. She also enjoyed going with friends to the Philadelphia Ballet and museums in NYC. Fran continued to travel with friends and family on trips to Asia (Japan, China, Vietnam), Egypt, England, Ireland (where her mother’s family came from), Italy, the Caribbean, and Ecuador and the Galapagos. She also traveled back to Lebanon.

Fran is survived by her three children Nayla Rizk (Robert Tarjan), Aline Rizk, and Amin Rizk (Kim); her grandchildren Peter McCall (Lucy), Andrew McCall, Alexandra McCabe, Ens. Christiane McCabe, Natalie Rizk (John), and Katherine Rizk. She was also blessed with three great-grandchildren, Mary and Luke McCall and Wynona Rizk. Fran will be missed by her many relatives and good friends around the world. She will be laid to rest next to her husband, Edward, at the Princeton Cemetery. Services are private and under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.

August 3, 2022

Obituaries 8/3/2022

Gabrielle Aline Pittet-Borel
June 2, 1922 – July 8, 2022

Gaby Borel, 100 years old, left us peacefully early on the morning of July 8, 2022 at her home of 65 years in Princeton. 

Born in Bière, Switzerland, a farm village with a military base, in the French part of Switzerland, on June 2, 1922, her father, Auguste Pittet, was a Major in the Swiss army and an avid alpinist. Gaby’s mother, Odette Gillieron-Pittet, skilled in the artisanal arts, ran an efficient household. Her brother, Edouard, was born the following year.

Gaby’s father, after postings in various parts of Switzerland, settled with his family in Payerne, where Gaby spent the rest of her growing up years. She often referred with heady enthusiasm to her youth in Payerne as “ma belle jeunesse!” Those years covered pre and early WWII years which included the standard curfews, rationing, and schooling without heat (which she ascertained resulted in children never being sick rather than the opposite). There, she formed what were to be lifelong friendships, attended dances, town balls, and made mischief. Gaby’s spirit and unquenchable appetite for life was countered by a father who, though caring, was a strict disciplinarian.  He signed her on for a short stint in the Swiss army’s complementary female division because she had waved at some soldiers on a departing train, and sent her to perfect her German at the Iseltwald girls boarding school run by no-nonsense nuns on Lake Brienz. As was her nature, she managed to have fun there regardless and to master German while making more lifelong friends. Gaby was then able to follow her true calling, painting and drawing, at the Lausanne School of Beaux Arts. 

Upon completion, she was hired by the meteorological institute in Zurich to draw weather maps, and it was in Zurich that she met and fell in love with her future husband, Armand Borel, who was doing his graduate work at the Zurich Polytechnic Institute (ETH). In 1947, while Armand was securing his doctorate in Paris, Gaby went to London to learn English where she helped make ends meet by working and initially living in the Moral-Armament center. In her spare time, she drew sketches of a sadly bombed out cityscape and continued to meet more fascinating people. She and Armand then both reconnected in Geneva, where he taught at the University of Geneva, and in 1952, following an offer from the Institute for Advanced Study, Armand proposed, they married, and then sailed to America, where their daughter Dominique was born two years later. After Princeton, an exhilarating trip to Mexico, and a turn in Chicago, they returned to Switzerland, where Armand was then teaching at ETH in Zurich, and a second daughter Anne was born. Finally, with a tenure offer from the Institute for Advanced Study, in 1957 Gaby and Armand made their permanent residence Princeton, NJ.

Gaby and Armand were passionate travelers and nature lovers. Luckily Armand’s work brought them opportunities to not only travel but to spend extended periods of time abroad. Their trips were well researched and they always found the hidden treasures in the less accessible venues of the places they visited. Gaby was gifted with a keen aesthetic eye: museums, art, fossils, geology, and archeology were among her many interests and she always was on the lookout for an as yet undiscovered arrowhead, fossil, or archeological relic whether it was on site or hiding in the local flea markets and auctions.  And she found them.

Aside from annual visits to Switzerland, there were three-month stays in Hong Kong three years running and numerous trips to India, the first one having been in 1960, and well as many other countries. In the early years, there were also summer respites in Canada or Maine where Gaby, sometimes cooking over a wood stove, would fry up chanterelles found in the woods or try to serve less identifiable mushrooms to her amused but understandably reluctant husband. To her small daughters, begging for yet another tale to be read and with no book on hand, she would sometimes grab a piece of toast, fold it in two and “read” them a story. Gaby Borel was the indefatigable social conduit of her marriage. She loved meeting new people and the more of an international  and intercultural mix the better. The range of her friends was wide and without barriers. She could connect with someone who was 20 just as well as someone who was in their 90s. Not someone who functioned in a club or not for profit group network mode, Gaby helped many others and did good deeds for innumerable people. Whether it was bumping into a new Princeton arrival on Palmer Square, helping them locate a crib and leaving her homemade pie on their doorstep that same evening, or whether it was being there, when no one else was, for a family dealing with isolation and mental illness, she responded with compassion and alacrity to those in need. Her pies and immense generosity were renowned and enjoyed by many over the years.

After her husband died in 2003, Gaby continued to travel, mostly to Switzerland, where she would stay for lengthy periods of time, initially on her own, and then with her daughters. Together they also traveled to Panama, Cuba, Costa Rica, and more. Until nearly her last breath, Gaby was still wanting to plan more trips. She talked of Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, and wanting to go back to India.

Pre-deceased by her husband Armand and her brother Edouard, she is survived by her daughters Dominique and Anne as well as her cousins, niece, nephews, grand and great-grandnieces and nephews, her godchild Alexis, caregiver Floridalma, and friends all over the world.

Gaby Borel and her zestful generous spirit will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.

A celebration in honor of Gaby will be announced at a future time.

Donations may be made in her name to TASK in Trenton and The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: Haven for Elephants.

———

Kathryn M. Yoder

Kathryn Louise Mulhollen Yoder passed away at her home in the early morning hours of July 25. It was as she wanted it. Family and friends visited her bedside to serenade her, read to her, and wish her well on her journey. She was happy! Kathryn was all about giving to others and making sure she left a bit of herself on Earth — in paintings, needlepoint, poems, collages, and in many words of wisdom. She was always the teacher and philosopher!

Trained as a home economics teacher, Kay went on to become a substitute teacher at Princeton High School — on too many subjects to mention. She became a full-time English teacher there later in life. She passed on that love for education to her older daughter who became an English teacher.

When Kay retired, she devoted herself to painting, pottery, collages, and poetry. Even later in her life, she was a frequent guest at her younger daughter’s writing retreats where she thoroughly enjoyed offering opinions and tips to aspiring authors. She was an author herself, writing for children’s magazines and authoring a poetry book, Portraying My Life in Paint and Poetry.

Kay was born unexpectedly in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, in her grandmother’s bed when her mother was home for her mother’s funeral. She was raised in Portage, Pennsylvania, and moved at a young age to Johnstown. She had a Little Women type of childhood with four sisters, Belle, Mae, Gladys, and Marjorie, and a loving mother and father, Lillie and Victor. She played the French horn in orchestra and band, survived the 1936 Johnstown Flood, starred as Elizabeth Bennet in her school play, and danced with Gene Kelly (she loved to tell people that).

It was during the summer of 1942, while attending summer school at Penn State, that she met Wayne Yoder when she asked him to join her bridge party (she loved playing bridge!). A tennis date followed, which is ironic, since they never really played again. They were married two years later and remained married for 64 years — living in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Princeton, Savannah, and then back to Pennsylvania and Princeton. Their lives included three children —Charlotte, Thom, and Carolyn. They loved to travel and attend plays, musicals, and the symphony. And they continued to play lots of bridge.

Grams to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she was known to play badminton, whiffle ball, and golf and also enjoyed traveling to her son’s home for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

At the age of 88, Kay moved to Stonebridge where she lived independently and continued to paint. She took up collage, pottery, and poetry, and found peace sitting on her porch surrounded by her flowering begonias and listening to the birds.

She is survived by her children and their spouses, Louis Longo and Jean Schluter Yoder; grandchildren Tim Sherwood and his wife, Arleen; Scott Sherwood and his wife, Renee; and Margaret and Elizabeth Yoder; and great-grandchildren Sam and Ben Sherwood and Abigail and Owen Sherwood.

Donations can be made to the Kay Yoder Scholarship (she had such an impact that they created a scholarship in her honor!) at highlightsfoundation.org/kay-yoder-scholarship. A memorial service will be held at the Foundation’s Barn in Boyds Mills, PA, in late August.

———

Mary V. Laity

Mary Vicchi Laity passed away peacefully on July 24 at her home in Princeton Windrows with family members by her side. She was 92. Mary was born on July 9, 1930, in a charity hospital on Welfare (now Roosevelt) Island in New York City. Her parents were immigrants from Italy with very little formal education, but Mary benefited from the excellent educational opportunities offered by the New York public schools, first at P.S. 59 in Manhattan, where she gave the Farewell Address (valedictorian’s speech) at her eighth-grade graduation, then at Hunter High School, where she obtained a first-rate liberal arts education. She matriculated at Hunter College, then one of the top women’s colleges in the state, before moving with her family to Miami. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Miami.

While at Miami, Mary worked over the summers at the Monmouth Hotel in Spring Lake, New Jersey, where she met her future husband of 42 years, Richard Laity, a graduate of Haverford College who was going on to graduate school; Mary and Richard were married in 1951. They spent the first few years of their marriage in Ames, Iowa, where Richard earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from Iowa State University and Mary taught fourth grade. In 1955 Mary and Richard moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where Richard was a member of the Chemistry Department at Princeton University, later becoming professor of chemistry at Rutgers, and Mary reared their five children. When the children were older, Mary returned to school, earning an M.A. and M.Phil. in English from Rutgers University. A gifted educator, she taught literature at the University College adult school of Rutgers while a graduate student, tutored children through the volunteer organization College Bound, and taught a wide variety of literature classes, from Charles Dickens to Henry James to Virginia Woolf and others, in the Evergreen Forum, where she had a devoted following of students eager to take whatever course she was teaching.

A lifelong avid reader with an interest in the arts, Mary wrote reviews for the local papers on art, music, and history. She belonged to two reading groups and for 22 years was a member of the Travellers Club — an organization of women who would research and write a paper each year on an eclectic variety of topics; Mary’s numerous papers included studies on Magna Carta and English law, fiction of the Great Depression, and the lost world of Byzantium. She later expanded many of these for the Forum at Windrows, an independent living community to which she moved in 2016.

Mary was active in the Princeton community in other ways, as a member of the League of Women Voters and the Women’s College Club of Princeton (of which she was for many years the historian and publicity chair).

Mary’s professional life included jobs as a proofreader at Peterson’s Guides, fundraiser for Preservation New Jersey, and supervisor for many years of the proofing department at Caliper Corporation.

Mary loved New York City, not only for its cultural offerings, but because she believed that during the Depression and the 1940s, it was good to its poor people, offering them excellent educational and other opportunities.

A wonderful and beloved mother, throughout her long life Mary was always ready to listen to and support her five children, providing for each whatever help or encouragement he or she most needed. And she passed on to them her love of literature and art, her sense of fairness and support for the underprivileged, her patriotism and commitment to citizens’ rights and responsibilities (she never missed a vote), and her unwavering faith in her family. As both mother and grandmother, she treated each child as a unique, special individual. She was a delightful traveling companion, a wonderful cook, a staunch companion in joy and sorrow, and a friend.

Mary is survived by her children and their spouses, James Laity and Mary Anne Festa, Susan Laity, Katherine and Earl Walker, William Laity, and John Laity and Linda Feng, and her grandchildren Richard Laity-Festa, Rachel Laity, Gretchen Laity, Enzo Feng-Laity, and Metta Feng-Laity.

A memorial service will be held in the fall at Trinity Episcopal Church.

Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

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Frank Tufano

August 1, 1934 – July 27, 2022

Frank Tufano Sr. (August 1, 1934-July 27, 2022), a retired metallurgist, father, grandfather, uncle, friend, and mentor, passed away on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at home surrounded by his loving family.

Frank was predeceased by his son, Frank Tufano Jr., his father, Vincenzo Tufano, his mother, Anna Tufano (Cuomo), and siblings Cecelia Tufano, Joseph Tufano (Irene), Vincent Tufano (Julia), and John Tufano (Theresa). He is survived by his loving wife and companion of 66 years, Emma Tufano (Muentener), his daughter, Allison Clancy and husband Kevin, his granddaughter, Kaitlyn Clancy and fiancé Jarreau, his brother Richard Tufano and wife Kathleen, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Frank was born and raised in Princeton, NJ, and anything Princeton was in his heart, especially the Princeton Tigers. He often told stories of hopping over the fences at Palmer Stadium and Dillon and Jadwin Gyms to watch the games, as well as playing in the war tunnels under Princeton. Frank proudly served his county in the U.S. Army and was a Marksman, stationed on the missile base in Leonardo, NJ.

Frank was a Metallurgical Engineer and spent his 30-year career at Ingersoll Rand in Skillman, NJ, where he was the recipient of five (5) patents; one of which he developed was the process that reduced the corrosion on the silencer of the Navy submarine.

He was a bright and creative man with many interests, particularly golf. At the age of 14, he caddied at Springdale Golf Course for well-known individuals, such as Jimmy Stewart, Mae West, William Bendix, and Don Knotts, all of whom participated in the University’s Triangle Club.

Frank also loved spending time at their Pocono home on Lake Wallenpaupack, which he and Emma built themselves. He enjoyed waterskiing, boating on the lake, and snow skiing. Frank retired from Ingersoll Rand in 1994 and pursed his love of golf, and spent summers at their lake house in Pennsylvania.

A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 at 11 a.m. at Blawenburg Reformed Church, 424 Route 518, Skillman, NJ 08558 – (609) 466-1832. For those unable to attend the service, it will be streamed live on both the Blawenburg Reformed Church’s Facebook page or through Zoom at the following link: https:/zoom.us/j/97023890396 Passcode: church; or phone: 1-646-558-8656; Meeting ID: 970 2389 0396.

In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society, designated to multiple myeloma, or Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey in remembrance of Frank.

———

Alexander Edwards Morris

February 8, 1941 – July 25, 2022

Alexander E. Morris, a retired business executive, father, and grandfather, passed away on Monday, July 25, 2022. Alex (“Sandy” to family and childhood friends) was predeceased by Pegie Morris, his loving wife and companion of 57 years, in January. Alex is survived by his son Robert V. Morris, Robert’s wife Kendall L. Morris, their three grandchildren – Parker, Hayden, and Ellie (Richmond, VA), his son Garret E. Morris and his wife Joyce B. Morris (Towson, Maryland). Alex is also survived by his brother Dudley E. Morris (Santa Barbara, CA).

Alex was born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey. He attended The Lawrenceville School and later Princeton High School (Class of 1959). He went on to major in Business and graduated from Rider University (Lawrence, NJ). He enjoyed a successful career, working in multiple industries and roles, including Pharmaceuticals, Office Supplies, and Business Process Consulting.

He was a bright and creative man with many interests. Alex loved history, politics, the traditional catholic liturgy, and most of all spending time with family. He enjoyed good food, investing in real estate, reading, and tending to his recent collection of bonsai trees. Dogs were always special to Alex and his bulldog, Alistair, was by his side at the end.   

Alex strove to live his life in accordance with strong personal values. He taught his family the value of hard work, the importance of honesty and of personal responsibility. He also taught them to love and to appreciate the beauty of our physical world.

A funeral mass will be celebrated in Alex’s honor in the chapel at St. Agnes Catholic Church (7775 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Naples, FL 34120) on Friday, August 5, 2022 at 11 a.m. Burial and an in-home reception to follow (28396 Sombrero Drive, Bonita Springs, FL 34135).

In lieu of flowers, a donation to St. Mathew’s House Naples, FL, or to a charity of your choosing will be appreciated.

———

Elwood “Woody” Willis Phares II

Elwood “Woody” Willis Phares II passed away on Tuesday evening, July 19, 2022, at his home in Princeton, NJ, at the age of 92. With a radiant smile, bellowing laugh, and magnanimous charm, Woody was a generous husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend.

Woody was born on June 1, 1930, to Eugene and Ruth (Royer) Phares of Elizabeth, NJ. He attended The Pingry School, where he played on both the football and swimming teams, along with being a member of the 1947 Pingry Hall of Fame golf team. Summers growing up were spent at the beach in Bay Head and Sea Girt, NJ, along with many memorable years with his younger brother, Richard Royer Phares, as a camper and counselor at Camp Waganaki in East Waterford, ME.

After graduating from Pingry in 1947, Woody majored in Management Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) of Troy, NY, graduating with honors in 1951. At RPI, Woody was selected to both the Phalanx Honor and White Key societies, as well as the Theta Xi and Tau Beta Pi fraternities. Woody served as the Vice President of his Junior Class and as Chairman of the Ring Committee during his Senior Year.

A fierce athlete, Woody continued his athletic passion at RPI, playing on both the football and lacrosse teams. Woody was co-captain of the 1951 lacrosse team under coach Ned Harkness, who recalled Woody as “one of the best centers I ever had the pleasure of coaching.” During the 1951 North/South All-Star game, Woody led the team to a 12-11 win, taking all 12 out of 12 face-offs. Woody was selected as an All-American, and named to UVA’s All-Opponent team comprised of players the rival university considered the very best they’d shared the field with. In 1993, Woody was inducted to RPI’s athletic Hall of Fame.

Following his undergraduate ROTC training, Woody joined the 82nd Airborne Division, where he trained in strategic reserve during the Korean War as a 1st Lieutenant Paratrooper, stationed in the South of France.

After the Korean War, Woody attended Harvard Business School, graduating with honors in the class of 1955. While at Harvard, Woody met Jacqueline “Jacquie” Jean Overturf, and they married in February 1956. Together, Woody and Jacquie raised Melissa Jameson “Jamie” Phares and Craig Anthony Royer Phares in Princeton, N.J. The family spent years vacationing in Barbados, Bermuda, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, and Snowmass/Aspen, CO. Woody and Jacquie fostered a passion ​for travel throughout their 66-year marriage, with countless memories and anecdotes from travel experiences around the globe.

Woody worked in the chemical engineering business for his entire career. Cary Company and Dart Industries, Inc. In 1979 he joined West/Penetone, Inc. (formerly West Chemical Products, Inc) as CEO and President, a position he held until retiring in 2016. Woody proudly took West from a publicly traded company to a privately owned “family company.”

Woody served on the boards of the University Medical Center of Princeton, Crawford House, and The Pingry School. Woody also made consistent charitable contributions to the McCarter Theatre Center, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, the Arts Council of Princeton, RPI,
Harvard Business School, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Princeton Day School, and Save the Children, among others. Woody was a member of the Harvard Club of New York City, the Coral Beach & Tennis Club of Bermuda; the Pretty Brook Tennis Club, the Nassau Club, and The Old Guard of Princeton. He was additionally a previous member of The River Club of New York, The Bedens Brook Club of Princeton, and the Racquet Club of Chicago.

Woody was an avid skier, tennis, and squash player. He was an arts patron and regular theatergoer. Woody was fun, witty, and a sharp dresser. He loved to play Hearts on his many family trips and vacations. Woody will be remembered for his immense kindness, warmth, and charisma. Every January, he and Jacquie opened their doors on Rosedale Road to celebrate their multigenerational “12th Night” holiday party with the Princeton community. Woody was the life of the party; always smiling, laughing, and making sure all were well fed and hydrated.

Woody is survived by his wife Jacquie; their children, Jamie and Craig (wife Katharine Herring Phares); and his five beloved grandchildren, Hadley, Austin, Didier, Charles, and Keene Phares.

A family burial was held Tuesday, July 26 in the Princeton Cemetery. A memorial service and Celebration of Life will be held in the fall of 2022.

​Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

July 27, 2022

Obituaries 7/27/2022

Marie Vahlsing

Marie Christina Lambert Vahlsing, 95, of Robbinsville, New Jersey, died on March 22, 2022. Marie Vahlsing was born in Trenton, New Jersey on August 1, 1926. She married Fred Vahlsing Jr. in 1951 and divorced in 1974.

She attended Georgian Court College, a private Roman Catholic university in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, studying art and music. Her marvelous piano playing was always a joy at family gatherings — sight reading the music as requested. Through the 1960s she was involved with the Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra Association, working on the “4 Arts Ball” for the New Jersey Museum and Culture Center. Marie Christina Lambert Vahlsing also enjoyed playing tennis and going to the movies.

She is survived by four of her five children, Christina Vahlsing of New Mexico, Frederick Vahlsing lll and Josephine Vahlsing of New Jersey, and Elizabeth Ross Vahlsing of Albany, California. Her son, Conrad Vahlsing, predeceased her. She is also survived by grandchildren Candace Vahlsing, Christopher Vahlsing, Marissa Vahlsing, Conrad Vahlsing, Derick Vahlsing, Drew Southern and Lucy Southern, as well as great-grandchildren Christopher Vahlsing, Mateo Zambrano Vahlsing, and Lucas Zambrano Vahlsing.

Interment was at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Hamilton, NJ, on July 23.

———

Anne (Elizabeth) Rutman

Our dearest Anne (Elizabeth) Rutman passed away peacefully on Sunday evening, July 17, 2022, at her home in Belle Meade.

Anne grew up in Beloit, Wisconsin, where her grandfather Samuel Kapitanoff, and his three brothers, emigrated from Russia and founded and built a synagogue that recently celebrated its 110th anniversary. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in business.

Anne began her career at Dayton Hudson and ultimately joined the wholesale children’s-wear apparel industry, including manufacturers American Argo and Nazareth Century Mills. She progressed to the position of Vice President of Sales and Merchandising. She met her husband Phil while flourishing in New York City, and that was the beginning of a beautiful 27-year union. Those who know Anne and Phil remain witness to their genuine, authentic love affair, single-mindedly devoted to each other’s happiness and welfare. In the height of her career, she gave birth to twin daughters Lily and Julia, her love for whom was so incredible that she chose to retire and raise them in Pennington.

Her passion for service never waning, Anne switched tracks to get more involved in The Jewish Center community and support her daughters’ artistic pursuits in their high school performing arts department. At The Jewish Center, she served a few years as President of Jewish Center Women and as a member of the Membership and School Committees, among many other service roles to share her love for her congregation. With the support and encouragement of her loving husband, she achieved her dream of a more intimate connection with God and became a B’nai Mitzvah at about the same time as her daughters.

No words could do her magnificence justice. Anne was at war with cancer for seven years, and she fought with everything she had. She was and will remain an inspiration to all who know her and know of her. She is survived by her husband Phil, her daughters Lily, Julia, the dogs Lola and Stella, her sister Elaine, and her brothers Art and Steve.

Funeral services were held on July 21 at The Jewish Center of Princeton. Burial followed in Ewing Cemetery in Ewing Township.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (mskcc.org), PO Box 27106, New York, NY 10087.

To send condolences to the family please visit Anne’s obituary page at OrlandsMemorialChapel.com.

Funeral arrangements were by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel.

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Dr. Leon E. Rosenberg

Dr. Leon E. Rosenberg, a physician-scientist and medical geneticist whose pioneering research on inherited metabolic disorders in children led to the discovery of the biochemical basis of several disorders, and then to ways of diagnosing and treating them, died on July 22, 2022 at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife, Diane Drobnis; brother Irwin Rosenberg; four children, Robert Rosenberg, Diana Clark, David Korish, and Alexa Rosenberg; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Leon graduated from Madison West High School in 1950. He attended the University of Wisconsin and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1954 and Doctor of Medicine degree in 1957. He was a clinical associate at the National Cancer Institute from 1959 to 1962 and a senior investigator from 1963 to 1965.

He chose to become a medical geneticist in the early 1960s, when the field barely existed, and rose to become one of its most notable exemplars and mentors.

Starting as an assistant professor at the Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Rosenberg was the first to recognize inherited disorders of vitamin B12, and to show that supplements of the vitamin in affected children could save their lives or alter dramatically the natural history of the disorders in them. This work led to his selection as the founding chair of a new department of Human Genetics at Yale which joined fundamental genetics and clinical genetics into a single unit. In 1984 he was appointed Dean of the Yale School of Medicine, and served in that capacity until 1991.

After 26 years at Yale, Dr. Rosenberg was appointed Chief Scientific Officer of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Under his leadership the company discovered and developed pharmaceuticals in cancer, cardiovascular disease, AIDS, and infectious disorders. He left BMS in 1998 at the age of 65, at which point Dr. Rosenberg was appointed Lecturer at the rank of Professor at Princeton University in the department of Molecular Biology and in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. After 16 years at Princeton, he worked as an upper school science teacher and scientist at the Princeton Day School until his retirement in 2018.

Dr. Rosenberg was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1976. He was a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. He received honorary degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He received the Kober medal in 2003 from the Association of American Physicians. He received the McKusick Award in 2011 from the American Society of Human Genetics.

Dr. Rosenberg’s professional career was also marked by comments he made about two matters of public importance: the abortion debate; and the underrepresentation of African Americans as students and faculty members in academic institutions.

He involved himself with the abortion issue by testifying in 1981 before a U.S. Senate subcommittee considering a bill whose aim was to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision handed down by the United States Supreme Court in 1973. Dr. Rosenberg, ardently pro-choice, said the following:  “We all know that this bill is about abortion and nothing but abortion. If this matter is so compelling that our society cannot continue to accept a pluralistic view that makes women and couples responsible for their own reproductive decisions, then I say pass a constitutional amendment that bans abortion…and overturns Roe v. Wade. But don’t ask science or medicine to help justify that course, because they cannot. Ask your conscience, your minister, your priest, your rabbi, or even your god because it is in their domain that this matter resides.” Dr. Rosenberg’s testimony, and that of other influential scientists, was responsible for the bill ultimately dying before it reached the Senate floor.

In 1988, while Dean of the Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Rosenberg delivered the address before the annual Graduate and Professional Assembly. He spoke about African Americans as an underrepresented, disadvantaged minority at Yale and other academic institutions. First, he presented powerful statistical evidence for disparities in income, employment, education, and a variety of parameters of health. After urging the assembled students to open their hearts and minds to the issue, Dr. Rosenberg said: “My generation has proven that it is incapable of making Martin Luther King’s dream a reality…Age has a way of bowing the head rather than squaring the shoulders. We need to be reinforced by you — the less scarred, less scared younger generation. You are the hope of our society. Together, but only together, perhaps we can lead our nation to a height it has never been for a view it has never seen.”

Services are private and under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages contributions to your cause of choice in his honor.

———

Nicholas Robert Cevera

Nicholas Robert Cevera, 76, a lifelong resident of Princeton, passed away on Friday, July 22, 2022 with his daughter Tracy by his side. He was the first of his five siblings to pass away. He was born in Princeton and graduated from Princeton High School in 1964. He met Randi Carlsen in high school and they we married in 1965. He was an entrepreneur and started Princeton Messenger Service at 19 years old and later became a successful real estate appraiser.

Predeceased by his parents Anthony Nichola and Mae Louise (Grewe) Cevera and son Brian Nicholas Cevera; he is survived by his two daughters Tracy Cevera and Gretchen Underwood, brothers Michael and Raymond Cevera, sisters Jacqueline Layton and Carol Gilbert, great-nephew Henry Layton, great-niece Autumn Layton, and many extended family.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2022 at 1 p.m. with a memorial service at 2 p.m. at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08542.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

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John J. Kurtz

John J. Kurtz died on July 4, 2022 at his home in Princeton, NJ. He was born on January 14, 1933 in Nanticoke, PA, to the late Anna and John Kuruc.

John received a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree from Columbia University. He spent his career working in the oil industry. He was an avid traveler; a multi-lingual admirer of culture, art, people, and places.

John is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Francis Kurtz, sister Johanna Augustine, and nephew Lloyd Augustine.

He is survived by his sister Monica Locke, nephew Lowell Locke (Judy), great-nephews Thomas Locke (Erin) and Andrew Locke (Amy), and great-great-niece Aubrey Locke.

A memorial was held for John at Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton, NJ, on Saturday, July 23, 2022. A private burial was held at St. Joseph’s Slovak Cemetery in Nanticoke, PA.

———

Marianne M. Farrin

Marianne M. Farrin, 83, beloved wife, mother, sister, and grandmother, passed away in her home in Princeton, New Jersey, on Sunday, July 24, 2022.

Marianne was born in Berlin, Germany, on September 2, 1938. Her mother, Dagny Albertsen, came to Berlin from Denmark to pursue a singing career. Her father, Helmut Magers, was a journalist, and the two met following one of Dagny’s performances. They had two more children, Irene and Jürgen, who was born with Down syndrome. They were bombed out of their home numerous times, and eventually Helmut was drafted by the German army, and never returned from the war.  In 1944, fearing the Russian advance, Dagny fled to Denmark with her children, and they lived there with Dagny’s family until emigrating to the United States in 1954. 

Marianne went to Hollywood High School for two years, and despite being new to the language and to the United States, graduated as valedictorian of her class. She received a full scholarship to Stanford University, where she met her husband, James (Jim) Farrin, and they were married in 1960. They then lived in nine overseas countries for 17 years (Australia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico, England, Switzerland, France), raising five children, before returning to the United States.

After her children had left home, Marianne decided to pursue a joint degree in Psychoanalytic Training from the Blanton-Peale Institute and a Masters in Social Work from Fordham University. She then worked as a therapist in New York City for many years. In 2000, after not having been on a bicycle since her youth in Denmark, at the age of 61, she decided to bike across the United States, from Seattle to Washington, DC, with the American Lung Association’s Big Ride. It was one of the highlights of her life.

In 2004, Marianne and Jim moved to Princeton, New Jersey, so she could pursue a Masters of Divinity from Princeton University which she received in 2007, at the age of 69. She ultimately turned her energies to writing her memoir, From Berlin to Hollywood and Beyond, which was published in 2018.

An avid traveler, adventurer, and scholar, she was also deeply devoted to her family and friends, loved writing, history, art, music, birds, and flowers, and while living in Princeton loved to walk around the town and university and visit the art museum. Her Christian faith was a central part of her life, and she was actively involved in the church and volunteered for numerous organizations, including hospice. Her strength, yet gentle and calm manner and beautiful smile will not be forgotten by those who were blessed to know her.

Sadly for her and her family, she was stripped of her ability to speak as the result of Primary Progressive Aphasia, which ultimately led to her death.

She is survived by her husband, Jim, of 62 years, as well as her five children, James Scott (Robin), of Hillsborough, NC; Jennifer Emerson (Scott Swerdlin) of San Francisco, CA; Raymond of Kuwait City, Kuwait; Melody of Pittsburgh, PA; Jonathan of Atlantic Beach, FL), eight grandchildren (Ellie, Scottie, Parker, James, Morgan, Tyler, Dagny, Amelia), and her sister Irene (Julian) Gingold and nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her father, Helmut Magers, mother, Dagny Albertsen Magers, and brother, Jürgen Magers.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home in Princeton, NJ. Funeral service was held at the Princeton University Chapel on Monday, July 25, 2022. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to either Holy Redeemer Hospice (redeemerhealth.org), Global Down Syndrome Foundation (globaldownsyndrome.org), or Herrontown Woods in Princeton (herrontownwoods.org).

———

Eileen Walsh Bradley

October 25, 1930 – July 16, 2022

Mrs. Eileen Rose Walsh Bradley, 91, of Skillman, NJ, died Saturday, July 16, 2022, surrounded by loving family at Stonebridge nursing home in Skillman.

Her mother, Margaret Brady Walsh, and father, Edward Patrick Walsh, were immigrants from County Cavan and County Waterford, respectively, in Ireland. Eileen was born in Morristown, NJ, on October 25, 1930, and grew up in Morristown, attending Bayley-Ellard High School and graduating in 1952 from St. Elizabeth’s College in Convent Station, NJ, with a B.S. in Biology. After graduation, Eileen was a laboratory technician at Ciba-Geigy in NJ. A lifelong lover and performer of dance, music, and song, she founded her own dancing and piano school in Morristown, NJ, during college.

In 1955 she married Dr. Eugene Bradley (1923- 2015) in Morristown, NJ while he was completing his internship and residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Margaret Hague Maternity Hospital in Jersey City, NJ. After marriage Eileen and Eugene moved to Tacoma, WA, where Eugene served for two years in the U.S. Army as Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Madigan Army General Hospital.

The couple subsequently moved to Bellaire, OH, and Wyckoff and Pompton Lakes, NJ, where Eileen raised five children while Eugene began private practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Always deeply involved with St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church and Grammar School in Pompton Lakes, Eileen taught Irish step dancing, tap and ballet, and organized dance performances for the school. She sponsored concerts, piano master classes and guitar lessons for neighborhood families at home in Pompton Lakes. Her entrepreneurial spirit continued in the early 1970s when she became a Certified Childbirth Educator through ASPO, the teaching arm of the Lamaze Method of Education for Childbirth, and operated her own childbirth education classes for the community. She assisted hundreds of parents over the years with Lamaze childbirth techniques, remaining close with many of her pupils.

Eileen was introduced to Martha’s Vineyard during her childhood when her maternal aunt, Kathleen Brady, married Gordon Shurtleff, a native there, in the 1920s. Eileen spent many summers in Edgartown as a child and developed a great love of the island and its history, later instilling a love of the island in her own children and their families. After retirement, she was a docent for the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society and Museum. It brought her great joy to spend time with her grandchildren in Martha’s Vineyard and NJ.

She spent her later years involved with the parish and choir of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Community in Skillman. She is survived by five children and 11 grandchildren: son Brian and wife Jan Bradley and their children Kayla and Elena; daughter Eileen; son Patrick and wife Andrea Bradley and their children Nicholas, Connor, and Nora; son Dr. Sean Bradley and wife Dr. Karen DeSimone and their children Kyra, Ryan, Jason, and Evan; and son Brendan and wife Bridget Poole and their children Fiona and Anna.

A Mass of Christian Burial was held on July 19 at the Catholic Community of St. Charles Borromeo in Skillman, NJ. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, 151 Lagoon Pond Road, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568, Attn: Heather Seger, Executive Director.

———

Pauline Wood Egan

Pauline Wood Egan died peacefully at the age of 74 on July 11 which, perhaps emblematic of her unending dedication to husband William (Bill) C. Egan, was the date of their 52nd wedding anniversary. Pauline, known by her loving family as “Mu,” succumbed to cancer gracefully, surrounded by her children and grandchildren at their residence in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Born to Arthur MacDougall Wood and Pauline Palmer Wood of Chicago on June 9, 1948, Pauline spent her childhood in Lake Forest Illinois and Pasadena California before attending Smith College.  After her graduation, she was married in Lake Forest, Illinois, on July 11, 1970 and then moved to the north coast of Honduras where her husband was working in the Peace Corps. She lived most of her married life in Princeton, New Jersey.

Pauline will be remembered foremost for her love of family which included five children and 15 grandchildren. She was the heartbeat of this family. They were her greatest source of joy, and the focus of her life and travels. She was the quintessential matriarch, treasured by all of her descendants as a limitless source of kindness, generosity, gentility, and warmth. Pauline enjoyed most being surrounded by family but also by nature, be it pink sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico or the wondrous wildlife of Jackson Hole. 

Pauline was known for her empathy and compassion for others, her unparalleled handwritten correspondences, and indefatigable desire to make others feel her genuine love through gifts and words. Pauline was adored by friends and family alike for her honesty and integrity, her brilliance and wit, and her ability to connect effortlessly and authentically with the young and the old. She was a prolific reader of books, a great student of history and the arts, a dedicated needlepointer, a world class shopper, the proud overseer for many a beautiful garden, and the unwavering caregiver for dozens upon dozens of animal companions throughout her lifetime. Pauline was generous with her time toward causes close to her heart, having served as the Chairwoman of the Board at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, as a Trustee for Camp Kieve for Boys, as the Chairwoman of SAVE — A Friend to Homeless Animals and as a benefactor for various humanitarian and social service organizations.

Pauline’s enduring legacy will be one of togetherness and love. To her friends, she was a trusted and loyal source of advice and described as a master of compassion and love, whose footprints will remain on the souls she leaves behind. She was thoughtful, empathetic, creative, and articulate — for so very many, the perfect friend. She was magnanimous with her affection, support, and humor and she loved fiercely. To family, she was simply the center of everything. Annual calendar planning started and ended with “visits to Mu,” and Pauline managed to equitably spread her love and attention across so many adoring children and grandchildren which was her greatest gift to them. 

Pauline is survived by her husband William Egan; her children Katherine Egan Gilbane (husband Thomas), William M. Egan (wife Alisa), Janie Egan Bertelson, Timothy Wood Egan (wife Courtney), and Emily Egan Potts (husband Allen); as well as her grandchildren Chandler Pauline Gilbane, Thomas Freeman Gilbane IV, Hugh Calkins Gilbane, Brooks MacDougal Egan, William Pierson Egan, Henry MacDougal Bertelson, James Constantine Bertelson, William Egan Bertelson, Palmer Jane Egan, George Thorndike Egan, William Wood Egan, Benjamin Potter Egan, Allen Rives Potts IV, Taggart William Potts, and Lottie Jane Potts.

A Celebration of Life will be held in her honor this fall in Jackson Hole. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her honor can be made to the Teton Raptor Center or the Brain Chemistry Labs, both in Jackson Hole.

July 20, 2022

Obituaries 7/20/2022

Raymond Woodfield

Surrounded by a family full of love, Raymond Woodfield died at home in Princeton, NJ, on July 9, 2022. Born in Lakewood, NJ, in 1929, Ray spent most of his life in Rockland County, NY. After serving in the military as a youth, he attended college on the GI bill and pursued a degree in Engineering. He worked on the original Tappan Zee Bridge, and went on to oversee bridge and road construction in many high-profile projects, including the NY Thruway and Berkshire Spur, World’s Fair in Queens, Robert Moses State Park, Saw Mill River Parkway, and Queens Zoo. In Princeton, he worked on the original construction of the Jasna Polana estate.  

In 2001, while working on Route 9A near the World Trade Center, he witnessed and survived the fall of the twin towers, barely managing to crawl through the dust cloud to safety. He then worked on the reconstruction of 9A for many years after.

In retirement, Ray took up table tennis at the Princeton Senior Resource Center, making many new friends and winning medals at the NJ Senior Olympics. An avid bike rider, he biked 22 miles shortly before his cancer diagnosis at age 91. Ray was also well known for his beautiful whistle. He whistled in the morning when he woke up and many times during the day. He lived his life to the fullest, relishing every day, and with the help of his doctor and devoted family valiantly battled leukemia for 20 months.

Ray is pre-deceased by wife and square-dancing partner Margaret (Peggy) Haldeman and survived by daughters Karen Woodfield (Angus Eaton) and Kathleen Woodfield (Alfred Gibbs), stepsons Edward Dobkowski (Georgia Glovatsky) and Arul Karttikeya, grandchildren Dylan Gibbs and Tina, Juanita and Sara Eaton, and many beloved nephews, nieces, and cousins, along with many special friends who were like family to him. He touched many lives with his infectious smile and twinkling blue eyes, and will be remembered for his love of life, love of people and love of food. 

Services for family and friends to celebrate Ray’s life are being planned around his birthday in October. For donations, please consider the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLC).

———

Flora Ann Karhunen Varrin

Flora Ann Karhunen Varrin — a gracious, loving, and beautiful wife, mother, and grandmother — died on July 16, 2022 following a short illness. She was at the time a resident of Stonebridge at Montgomery in Skillman, having formerly lived in Princeton, New Jersey, and Newark, Delaware.

Early Years

Flora was born on November 21, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey, to Anna Kutvonen Karhunen and Armas Karhunen who were immigrants from the Savo region of Finland. She was raised by her mother in Kearny, New Jersey, following her father’s untimely death in 1938. As her mother worked full-time, Flora was truly a latch-key child, fueling her independence and resilience. A natural beauty, she won a Shirley Temple look-alike contest as a child.

In 1952, Flora graduated from Kearny High School where she was a cheerleader captain and a scholar. Upon graduation, she received three out of the seven medals that were awarded for distinguished academic performance in various disciplines.  She then worked in northern New Jersey as an executive assistant, initially at Fireman’s Insurance and then at Anheuser-Busch.

Wife, Mother, and Grandmother

Flora’s proudest accomplishment was as a devoted and loving mother, as well as a lifelong partner to her husband. Flora and Robert Douglas Varrin (Bob) eloped during his junior year at Princeton University to Elkton, Maryland, where they were married on February 26, 1955. They had first met in seventh grade, but did not reconnect until after their high school graduation. Together, they raised a family of three children — initially traveling across the U.S. before settling in Newark, Delaware, where Bob worked as a professor and associate provost at the University of Delaware and Flora managed the household.

Flora is survived by Robert Douglas Varrin, her spouse of 67 years, her children Diane Eshleman (Gregory) of Princeton, NJ, Mantoloking, NJ, and Stockbridge, MA, Robert D. Varrin Jr. of Reston, VA, and Middleburg, VA, Susan Deland (Alexander) of Pelham, NY, and New London, NH, and four grandchildren, Douglas Eshleman (Steven), Amanda D’Esterre (Alexander), Alexander Deland Jr., and Diane Deland.

Finnish Heritage

Flora spoke fluent Finnish, which she learned as a child before learning English. She was strongly connected to her Finnish heritage and dear family in Finland, where she was proud to hold citizenship. Indeed, she truly had international credentials, as she was also a citizen of Switzerland through her husband’s family. Flora and her husband enjoyed travelling both domestically and internationally — with a special affinity for Finland and Switzerland.

Her maiden name, Karhunen, derives from the Finnish word for bear: fitting, given the strength of her love and devotion to her family. Through Flora, the family came to appreciate the meaning of another Finnish word “sisu” — which roughly translates into determination, tenacity, and bravery.

Princeton Connection

Flora was a proud and active Princeton spouse, gathering often with her husband’s 1956 classmates and their spouses. All three of her children are graduates of Princeton, as well as two of her grandchildren.

She was a longtime member of The Present Day Club in Princeton and also a member of Nassau Presbyterian Church, where she served on the Board of Deacons.

Arrangements

Burial at Princeton Cemetery is private and held under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home. 

A memorial service for friends and family will be held at Nassau Presbyterian Church on Saturday, September 10 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Nassau Presbyterian Church, 62 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 (nassauchurch.org).

———

Timothy James Forrester

Timothy James Forrester, of Bloomfield Hills, MI, died on July 10, 2022, after a battle with cancer; he is survived by his wife, Brittany. First in his heart and thoughts were always his beloved children, Blake, Macklin, Riley, and Claudia. They loved Saturday morning breakfasts, camping, swimming at the club, paddle boarding, and having Dad with them at swimming meets, concerts, recitals, and dances. He also leaves behind their devoted mothers: Kelley O’Rourke and Brittany Forrester. Tim follows his parents, Frederic John Forrester and Margaret Ann Forrester (nee Pitonyak), and his oldest sister, Mary Ann Forrester, in passing. 

He was the youngest of nine children and leaves behind Eileen of Verona, PA; Rick (Linda) of Canonsburg. PA; Joe (Adriana) of Germantown, MD; Betty (Bill Bartos) of Rockford, IL; Dr. Patricia of Fenton, MI; Kathleen (Daniel Plott) of Tomball, TX; Tom (Paula) of Cohasset, MA; countless nieces, nephews, cousins; and many more extended family members. As the chief financial officer and executive vice president of United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), Tim’s colleagues were also family to him and have been a constant support in good times and bad. We are forever grateful for their thoughtfulness, presence, and friendship throughout the years.

Born in Marietta, Ohio, Tim moved with his family to the Pittsburgh area and graduated from Peters Township High School in 1985, where he was both a decorated scholar and athlete. He continued his studies and matriculated from Michigan State University in 1990 with a degree in accounting. Before becoming CFO at UWM, he was a partner at Deloitte and Touché. He continued his passion for golf, baseball, basketball, and volleyball throughout his life.

Wonderful remembrances and stories have been shared with the news of his death: they ranged from trenchant and touching to ribald and hilarious, a perfect reflection of Tim in all his complexity. He was simultaneously private and sociable — disciplined and hardworking, yet outrageously, ridiculously fun. A common theme from younger professionals is that Tim’s mentoring or guidance are responsible for their successful career. He would insist that they were responsible, and he only had the honor to pass on what he had learned. We were a bit
surprised and touched to hear from other countries too, sometimes from people who had only met him in person once or twice and regarded him as a dear friend. They wanted to know if they could not travel for his memorial service, did we mind if they gathered to remember and raise a glass to Tim.  He would have loved that.

We invite those who can join us in person to come to his memorial service on Thursday, July 21, 2022, from 2 to 7 p.m., with informal sharing and then a formal service starting at 5:30 p.m. The services will be at AJ Desmond & Sons, 32515 Woodward Avenue, in Royal Oak, MI 48073. We will host a social gathering after these services at a nearby establishment.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages you to contribute in his honor to a fitting cause or nonprofit organization, including St Jude Children Research Hospital, Gamers Outreach, and Technoblades Sarcoma Foundation of America. If you can find a golf tournament supporting your charity, that seems particularly apt for Tim.

A singular light has gone out of this world but never out of our hearts. Tim, we love you, we mourn your passing, we remember you always.

View obituary and share memories at AJDesmond.com.

July 13, 2022

Obituaries 7/13/2022

Lee V. Harrod, 79, beloved TCNJ English Professor, Dies

Dr. Lee V. Harrod, who provided joyful access to James Joyce’s Ulysses and Finnegans Wake for hundreds of students, died on the evening of June 15, 2022. Fittingly, it was already June 16 — Bloomsday — in Dublin and the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses, which Dr. Harrod always called “the greatest book in the English language” and the “blue book of life.” He believed Leopold Bloom’s journey around Dublin was a metaphor for the journey each of us takes through our individual days and lives.

Dr. Harrod was like Chaucer’s clerk in The Canterbury Tales: “And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche.” He learned and taught for 58 years: first as a graduate assistant at Pennsylvania State University, where he wrote his dissertation on Ford Madox Ford and met his wife Lois Marie Harrod, then as a beloved professor in the English Department at The College of New Jersey (during which time he also served as department head, as head the English Honors Program, and as founder and editor of The Trenton State Review). After his retirement in 2008, when students honored him with a non-stop reading of Ulysses, he volunteered as a reader for the visually impaired at Reading Allies and as a tutor at HomeFront, where he helped dozens earn their GEDs with his “macaroni and cheese” recipe for essay writing. In 2008, he joined the Princeton Senior Resource Center’s Evergreen Forum, where he taught college-level courses on Marcel Proust, D. H. Lawrence, and of course, James Joyce. He also served on Evergreen and PSRC boards.

Whether he was teaching literary theory, Finnegans Wake (riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to end of bay), or the five-paragraph essay, Dr. Harrod had a remarkable gift for explaining the difficult and making it accessible.

Born in Gillette, Wyoming, the son of LaVern and Lillian Harrod, Lee worked his way through college and graduate school. One of the things that drew him to The College of New Jersey (which was then Trenton State College) was the fact that many of the students there were, like him, the first in their families to attend college.

During his 40 years at TCNJ, Dr. Harrod acted with the campus-based theater company Shakespeare 70. Because he lost most of his hair early, he often played the patriarch: “I played every father in Shakespeare.” Among his roles were Duncan (Macbeth), Polonius (Hamlet), and Peter Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). On and offstage, he loved to read aloud with his resonant baritone, and his children, Jon and Kate, happily snuggled up and listened to his renderings of The Wind and the Willows, Little House on the Prairie, and twice — The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

During his years at TCNJ, Dr. Harrod served on the Hopewell Valley School District school board. He also donated many pints of blood, and his rare O negative, Cytomegalovirus negative blood was of special value to premature babies.

Dr. Harrod loved to travel. After retirement, he and his lifelong companion, best friend, and wife Lois (he liked to say he married her “to finish the conversation”), trekked to Ireland, Scotland, Scandinavia, France, Italy, and Latin America. They particularly enjoyed taking their grandson Will to Costa Rica, their grandson James to London, and their grandson Sam and granddaughter Sophia to Scotland, Ireland, and Paris. “PopPop” was up for any grandchild adventure — watching basketball games, swimming meets, ice-skating, school plays, and presentations; bird watching; hiking; eating bagels under collapsing umbrellas; exploring zoos, catacombs, and canyons; and in his last weeks, discussing existential themes in Japanese anime with his granddaughter.

Dr. Harrod also loved to walk daily, and every morning unless it was below 15 degrees, he and Lois would make their trek around Hopewell, often stopping to talk to friends and dog walkers.

As James Joyce would say of his death: And even if Humpty shell fall frumpty times as awkward again in the beardsboosoloom of all our grand remonstrancers there’ll be iggs for the brekkers come to mourn him, sunny side up with care. . . . (Finnegans Wake). As a husband, friend, professor, father, and grandfather, Dr. Harrod was sunny side up with care, a vir bonum, and a good, generous, and compassionate man who will be missed by many.

There will be a memorial gathering on September 30 in Education 212, on The College of New Jersey campus. His family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be given to the places he loved teaching: The College of New Jersey, where an endowed scholarship will be established in his name, HomeFront, or the Princeton Senior Resource Center.

For The College of New Jersey, gifts may be given online to the Dr. Lee V. Harrod Endowment Scholarship at the website plannedgiving.tcnj.edu/memorials-and-tribute-gifts or by check made out to TCNJ Foundation. PO Box 7718, Ewing NJ 08628-0718, and earmarked Dr. Lee V. Harrod. 

For HomeFront, gifts may be given to online at homefrontnj.org/donate or by check to HomeFront, 1880 Princeton Avenue, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648-4518.

For the Princeton Senior Resource Center, gifts may be given online at princetonsenior.org/support/donate or by check to PSRC, 101 Poor Farm Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.

———

Mary Elise Cook

Mary Elise Cook passed away on July 12, 2022. She was 96.

Born and raised in Princeton she was the daughter of Helen Margerum Roediger and Paul Otto Roediger. She graduated from Princeton High School in the class of 1943, and in the following year graduated from Katharine Gibbs in New York City. She is predeceased by her husband of 71 years, Dr. Alfred S. Cook Jr., also a lifelong Princeton resident whom she met at a high school Valentine’s Day party.

After her marriage in 1944 she worked as a medical secretary while her husband attended medical school in Philadelphia. The couple settled back in Princeton in 1954 where her husband set up his medical practice and Mary Elise became active in the newly formed Women’s Auxiliary at the hospital. She, along with two other doctors’ wives, chaired the first June Fete, which later became a major fundraising event for the hospital.

Mary Elise was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother to her family. Her love of cooking brought the family together for holiday and Sunday dinners. She never missed a single high school field hockey, basketball, or softball game. She provided the teams with homemade chocolate chip cookies to celebrate the victories and to soothe the losses. At the end of every season she would hold team banquets for all the players and coaches. She became an honorary member of every team.

After her children were grown she became a licensed realtor with Peyton Associates, where she worked for over 20 years. Her inherent knowledge of Princeton was a great asset and her specialty was real estate in the Jugtown Historic District of Princeton, where she grew up. In her retirement she enjoyed spending time on the beach at Barnegat Light, a favorite place where she spent many happy days.

Mary Elise is survived by her children, Mary Ann Cook of St. Petersburg, Florida, and Camden, Maine; Margaret Farley of Fort Myers, Florida; and Raymond Cook of West Windsor, New Jersey. She was predeceased by her oldest daughter Sandra Labaree of Wiscasset, Maine. She is also survived by four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and her brother Dr. Paul M. Roediger of Gwynedd, Pennsylvania.

The family will hold a private burial service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to a charity of your choice.

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

———

George G. Alexandridis

On Monday, June 27, 2022, George G. Alexandridis of Lawrenceville, NJ, loving husband, father, and grandfather passed away at age 87.

George was born on October 11, 1934 in Long Island City, NY, to Constantine and Anastasia Alexandridis. He received his S.B. degree in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956 and proudly served in the Army Corps of Engineers from 1956 through 1958.

On December 26, 1956, he married Geraldine Monahan. They raised one son, Mark.

George’s passion was engineering. He actively practiced for more than 50 years. His accomplishments resulted in many local engineering awards and honors as well as a government service award. His last role was Chief Engineer of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission wherein he supervised the seminal design work to rebuild the Scudder Falls Bridge, which has finally come to fruition.

He was devoted to both his immediate and extended family and was extremely proud of his Greek heritage.

George is survived by his wife Geraldine, his son Mark and his wife Nancy, his grandchildren Kathleen and Iain, and his sisters, Alexandra and Marina.

A funeral service was held on Friday July 1, 2022 at the Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Hamilton, NJ.

Burial was in Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, NJ.

Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

———

John Alan Strother

Longtime Princeton resident John Alan Strother, age 94, died in Princeton Hospital on Monday, June 27, of cardiac arrest brought on by a sudden acute pneumonia infection. John was a prodigiously-talented, strong, versatile, kind, and generous-spirited man who will be deeply missed by his family and friends.

John Alan Strother was born on December 27, 1927, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Alfred Carter Strother and Mary Stoughton Parsons Strother, of Windsor, Connecticut. John grew up in Windsor, where he attended Windsor Grammar School, Loomis School, and Windsor High School. John graduated from Windsor High School in June 1945, spent the summer in military training at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont, and was sent home in August after the Japanese surrender in World War II. He returned to Army service when he was drafted after he turned 18 in December. John served in the Army from January 1946 to July 1947. During his Army service, John completed Basic Combat Training at Camp Crowder, Missouri, and Advanced Individual Training in radio and electronics at the Army Signal Corps in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and then worked as a technician at the Army’s Fort Myer military base in Arlington, Virginia.

After his discharge from the Army, John resumed his studies at Trinity College in Hartford, where he had completed his first semester term in the fall of 1945. At Trinity, John was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Pi Sigma, a national physics honor society. In June 1950, John graduated from Trinity with a Bachelor of Science degree, with honors in mathematics.

In July 1950, John accepted a job offer from the U. S. Navy’s Underwater Sound Laboratory in New London, Connecticut. John worked for two years at the Underwater Sound Laboratory as a physicist in the Electromagnetics Division’s Infrared Branch.

In the spring of 1952, John was awarded a National Science Foundation Predoctoral Graduate Fellowship for graduate work in electrical engineering at Princeton University. John completed his Master of Science degree in Engineering at Princeton in October 1954.

In the summer of 1954, John accepted a job offer from the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). John was eventually assigned to RCA’s Astro-Electronics Division in East Windsor, New Jersey. At Astro, John was a key member of the team that designed, built, and tested TIROS 1, the first weather satellite to successfully orbit the earth and transmit photographs of the earth’s cloud cover back to ground stations (TIROS is the acronym for Television Infrared Observation Satellite). During the launch of TIROS on April 1, 1960, and the satellite’s initial orbits of the earth, John was part of the mission control team at NASA, manager of the TIROS project. TIROS, a 270-pound, 42-by-19 inch satellite, sheathed in 9,000 solar cells, successfully proved the concept of feasibility of weather stations in space. TIROS took nearly 23,000 photographs of the earth’s cloud cover during its useful life of almost exactly the three months that had been predicted. There is a replica of TIROS 1 in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

John continued to work as an engineer and project manager at Astro-Electronics until his retirement in 1984, except for an approximately five-year stint in the mid-1960s at Electro-Mechanical Research (EMR) Telemetry, first in Sarasota, Florida, and then back in Princeton. At EMR, John was on the team that successfully designed and built encoders for the U. S. Navy that were considered significant for national defense purposes.

At Astro-Electronics, John worked on successive generations of the TIROS weather satellite as well as on highly-classified aerospace projects for NASA. While at Astro-Electronics, John received two patents for original product design.

After his retirement, John continued to lead an active life, exploring and developing his many interests. John had a natural affinity for music. As an avocation, he played the cornet, trumpet, and piano. Louis Armstrong inspired him to take up the cornet and trumpet, and he remained a lifelong fan of jazz. John also enjoyed a range of classical music and considered Johann Sebastian Bach the greatest of all classical composers. During his retirement, John composed songs and created electronic versions of favorite Christmas carols.

John also had a lifelong fascination with cars. After his retirement, he completed a number of race car driving courses at the Skip Barber Racing School. He eventually began work on designing a more efficient, less-polluting internal combustion car engine. John described his engine as a reciprocating internal combustion engine operating on a two-stroke cycle comprised of power stroke, and abbreviated exhaust, intake, and compression phases. John explained the benefits of his engine as follows: “The combination of a full expansion stroke with an abbreviated compression phase can offer efficiency superior to that of existing engines. Due to flexibility in the amount of pressurized air that can be introduced during intake, and because of the recirculation of relatively large amounts of exhaust gas, cylinder temperatures can be reduced, as can the emission of undesirable exhaust products.” In 2015, John received a patent for the engine, and in 2019, the patent was revised according to his specifications.

John enjoyed sports. During his teenage years, he played baseball and football. As an adult, he bowled and golfed. He was an avid lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, originally inspired by his hero and role model Lou Gehrig. He also cheered for the Mets and the Phillies, the Giants and the Jets.

John was also a talented woodworker. He built a workshop in the basement of his Princeton home and for many years, he took pleasure in crafting furniture for the home, including several sets of built-in bookshelves and a mantelpiece.

John enjoyed a rewarding, fulfilling personal life. On June 16, 1951, he married Helene Therese McCurdie, whom he met at the Navy’s Underwater Sound Laboratory and whom he would call Terry or Ter. John and Terry moved to Princeton, New Jersey, in the summer of 1952. After John began work at RCA, they spent six years in Mercerville, New Jersey, and then in the summer of 1960, moved back to Princeton, where John and Terry spent the next 60-plus years.

John and Terry had three daughters, Kathleen (Kate) Louise (1953), Jean Marie (1954), and Nancy Ann (1959), whom they raised with a combination of deep, abiding love and measured discipline. They were devoted to their four grandchildren, Jean’s two daughters, Teresa Kim and Bonnie Lee Schmittberger, and Nancy’s son and daughter, Christopher Laurence and Jennifer Christina Kelly, with whom they could be more relaxed and indulgent.

John and Terry enjoyed traveling. Many family vacations were spent in New England, with excursions to Montreal and Toronto, and eventually in their own summer cottage, a log cabin in Greenville, Maine, on Moosehead Lake. During these years, John and Terry occasionally took vacations without the kids, including trips to Bermuda and Jamaica. After the daughters were grown, John and Terry expanded their horizons, exploring the Eastern seaboard, from the Maritime Provinces to Savannah, Bar Harbor to the Delmarva Peninsula and Outer Banks, and the West Coast, the length of California, the Pacific Northwest, the desert Southwest, and the U. S. and Canadian Rockies. After John’s retirement, they took three car trips across Europe, plotting their own itineraries, and exploring Belgium, France, and Germany, and Austria, Italy, and Switzerland.

On June 16, 2021, John and Terry celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. John’s devotion to his wife and genuinely compassionate nature were evident in his dedicated care of Terry after she developed Alzheimer’s dementia in her early eighties. John was a miracle of patience, resourcefulness, and resilience, especially during the difficult years of the Covid pandemic. Fortunately, despite the ravages of Alzheimer’s, Terry’s essential kindness and empathetic nature remained. John was deeply saddened by the loss of his beloved wife earlier this year, on January 23, 2022. He was still grieving for her at the time of his own death.

John is survived by his three devoted daughters and their spouses, Jean’s husband Richard (Dick) Tushingham and Nancy’s husband Laurence (Larry) Kelly; his four grandchildren, Teresa Kim Harrold and Bonnie Lee Marlow, Christopher Laurence and Jennifer Christina Kelly; and his four great-grandchildren, Nolan Eugene Harrold, Violet Paige and Ashton Paul Kelly, and Riley Elizabeth Marlow. John is also survived by his brother, Gordon Henry Strother, and his two sisters, Mary Alice Peachman and Margaret (Peg) Jane Gillies.

This fine, accomplished, multitalented, loving and beloved man was laid to rest in Princeton Cemetery on July 7 next to the grave of his cherished wife. Those who wish to honor his memory are encouraged to make gifts in his name to charities of their choice.

Services were private and under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.

———

Harriet Greenblatt

Harriet Greenblatt of East Windsor passed away on Sunday, July 3, 2022. She was 74.

Born in Philadelphia, Pa., to parents Nora and Manuel Greenblatt, she grew up in Princeton, NJ, where she attended the public schools, graduating from Princeton High School in 1965.

Harriet was a gifted musician, both a pianist and vocalist. At Princeton High School she was part of the renowned high school choir, directed by Thomas Hilbish. Following graduation from PHS, Harriet attended the Hart School of Music in Connecticut, and went on to earn a master’s degree in music performance from the Peabody Conservatory in Washington, D.C.

Upon returning to the Princeton area, she was active as a pianist in chamber music groups and as a vocalist with and accompanist to the choirs of the two synagogues to which she belonged. She would often lend her talents helping her fellow members learn their parts. Harriet was also a longstanding performer and board member of the Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs.

She was an active member of Congregation Beth Chaim in Princeton Junction and Beth El Synagogue in East Windsor Township. She regularly attended weekly Shabbat morning Torah studies. Always prepared, she loved reading the weekly section aloud to the group. She was also a skilled painter and one of her watercolors hangs on the synagogue wall.

Harriet is survived by her sister, Barbara Greenblatt Landau and her brother-in-law, Robert, both of Baltimore, MD, by two nephews, Matthew Landau of Miami Beach and Simon Landau of Washington, D.C., and by several cousins.

Funeral services and burial were held on July 5 at the Ahavath Israel Memorial Cemetery in Hamilton Township.

Memorial contributions can be made to Congregation Beth Chaim (BethChaim.org) or Beth El Synagogue (BethElSynagogue.ShulCloud.com).

For condolences please visit Harriet’s obituary page at OrlandsMemorialChapel.com.

Funeral arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel.

———

Alberto N. Trancon

Family, friends, and the many people whose lives he touched mourn the loss of Alberto Trancon, who passed away, peacefully surrounded by his family, at age 90 in his East Windsor home on Sunday, July 3, 2022.

Son of Alfonso Trancon and Gliceria Granda, he was born in Lima, Peru, on September 14, 1931. He had resided in the Princeton area for over 50 years. He retired from Princeton University and Institute for Advanced Study of Princeton.

You will always be remembered by the people who loved you.

Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

June 29, 2022

Obituaries 6/29/2022

Alexander (Sandy) Fraser

June 8, 1937 –June 13, 2022

Alexander (Sandy) Fraser passed away peacefully on June 13, 2022 with his wife, Elisabeth, at his side. Born in Surrey, England in 1937, Sandy spent the war years with his family in Lancashire where his father was a research chemist. The family subsequently moved to Weston Super Mare where his mother ran a small hotel overlooking the sea.

Sandy earned his bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Bristol University, U.K. He began his career at Ferranti and then at Cambridge University, U.K., where he was awarded a Ph.D. He was recruited to join AT&T Bell Labs in 1969. He became Director of its Computing Science Research Center in 1982, Executive Director in 1987, and Associate Vice President for Information Science Research in 1994. In 1996, when AT&T spun off Lucent and Bell Labs., Sandy, who was passionate about research, led the effort to establish Shannon Labs. (AT&T Labs Research) in Florham Park, NJ. As VP for Research he ran Shannon Labs. for two years, at which time he was appointed Chief Scientist so that he could focus his time and research energy on the development of a new architecture and protocols for a large-scale internet focused on networking to the home.

In 2002, Sandy retired from AT&T and formed Fraser Research in Princeton, NJ, where he continued his research and provided summer internships for a few select graduate students interested in networking. In 2009, he completed his vision for redesigning the internet.

While at Ferranti, Sandy developed Nebula, a language and compiler for the Sirius computer. At Cambridge University he developed the file system for the Atlas 2 (Titan) computer. Once at Bell Labs, in the early 1970s, Sandy’s attention turned to computer networking. He invented cell-based networks, the precursor to Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), one of the foundational protocols of modern data communications. He also developed Datakit, the first virtual circuit network switch, which became the backbone of the AT&T telecommunications network.

In the late 1980s, Sandy created the Experimental Universities Network (XUNET) project to promote graduate research on computer networks. Eight universities and labs across the country were linked by a network of Datakit Virtual Circuit Switches joined by high-speed links to provide a wide area systems research laboratory where student researchers could run network experiments.

Although Sandy’s research focused primarily on networking, he was also interested in the benefits that improved networks could provide. He recognized and nurtured technologies that connected people to the internet using cable TV channels, a variety of wireless approaches, and fiber optics believing education and audio and video to the home would require large amounts of bandwidth.

In the late 1990s he developed a plan for a network architecture to bring high-speed networking to the home — a capability which is now taken for granted but was almost unknown 25 years ago. Realizing that the new network infrastructure would need a business justification, Sandy promoted research projects that would “fill the pipes.”

Among these projects was high-fidelity audio coding. Sandy supported researcher participation in ISO MPEG, resulting in the MPEG Advanced Audio Coder (“AAC”) international standard. Sandy promoted AAC use to other companies, notably including Apple, which adopted AAC for its iTunes music application.

Sandy contracted for the development of innovative test platforms for AAC, including the Euphony processor, one of the first System-on-Chip microprocessors. Euphony was the “brains” of one of the first solid-state music players, FlashPAC, which was used to demonstrate AAC to potential adopters.

Today AAC is deployed on every smartphone worldwide and is one of the most widely used music compression applications — if someone has MP4 files, they’re using AAC.

Sandy has received numerous awards for his pioneering contributions to the architecture of communication networks through the development of virtual circuit switching technology. He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the British Computer Society and IEEE. He was a life member of ACM. He received the 1989 Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award “for contributions to computer communications and the invention of virtual-circuit switching,” the 1992 ACM SIGCOMM Award for “pioneering concepts, such as virtual circuit switching, space-division packet switching, and window flow control,” and the 2001 IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal “for pioneering contributions to the architecture of communication networks through the development of virtual circuit switching technology.” Sandy has over 20 patents and published numerous professional papers.

As a young man, Sandy was an avid cyclist going on weekly rides with the local club (a passion he passed on to his sons). He enjoyed club cycling with his first wife, Thirza, who sadly died at the young age of 31. Sandy and Elisabeth were married in 1971 and subsequently built their house in Bernardsville where they raised their two sons, Tim and Ben. Sandy enjoyed building things and creating things and always had a workshop. He also loved being outside in nature. He especially loved being close to the ocean and the family spent many memorable vacations on Kiawah Island, SC.

Sandy is survived by his loving wife, Elisabeth, his son Tim and family of Franklin Township, NJ, Ben and family of East Amwell, NJ, and grandsons Jake, Tyler, Grey, and Leo. Sandy also leaves siblings Carol of Manali, India, David of Pearland, Texas, and Tina of Princethorpe, U.K.

Burial of his cremains will be private; a celebration of his life will take place October 1, 2022 at the Hunterdon Art Museum in Clinton, NJ, and also on August 6, 2022 in Cambridge, U.K.

In lieu of flowers, a donation in his name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or to a charity of your choice. For more information please email fraserpublic62@gmail.com.

Arrangements have been under the direction of the Kimble Funeral Home, Princeton, NJ.

Share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

———

Rita A. Novitt

Rita A. Novitt born on July 12, 1921, passed away peacefully on April 27, 2022, at the incredible age of 100. She will be remembered for the amazing life she lived on her own terms. She was preceded in death by her parents Adam and Victoria Novitt, her siblings Ceifert “Duke” Novitt, Charles Novitt, Anna White, and Marie Minwegen. Surviving her are several nieces and nephews as well as many great-nieces and nephews and their children. In fact, because Rita never had children of her own, she became the beloved “Gigi” to the May, Stevens, and White families and the surrogate great-grandmother for Katie, Noah, Haley, Emily, and Joshua.

Rita was born in Spotswood, NJ, and lived the first 88 years of her life in New Jersey. Rita graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Douglass College in New Brunswick, NJ. Rita spent most of her adult life working for Johnson & Johnson and was a trailblazer for women in the workplace. She was one of the highest-ranking women at J&J when women were not able to become executives. In retirement she tended to be even more active and influential as she served on the boards of the Fielding Institute, Kellogg Foundation, Thomas Edison State College, and Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences. She was also a member of the Douglass Society and featured in the book, Who’s Who of American Women 1991-1992.

Rita will be buried at St. Gertrude Cemetery in Woodbridge, NJ, next to her father and mother. A memorial mass will be held in her honor on Wednesday, July 6 at 10 a.m. at the St. Paul Parish, 216 Nassau Street in Princeton, NJ. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Parish Library at St. Paul Parish.

———

Marian Carter King Green

Marian Carter King Green (age 84) died peacefully on June 15, 2022 in Santa Monica, CA.

Marian was born in New York, NY, on September 5, 1937. Her parents, Frank Lamar King and Gladys Merritt Carter King, were actors and later Lamar went into government service. Marian grew up in Chevy Chase, MD; London, England; and Berlin, Germany, where she graduated high school in 1955. Marian was the oldest of four sisters.

After high school, Marian
traveled to New York City to follow her dream of becoming a model and an actress. She moved into the renowned Rehearsal Club on 53rd street. Billed as a “theatrical girl’s boarding house,” the Rehearsal Club was home to famous artists like Barbra Streisand and Carol Burnett. Marian also was a cigarette girl at the Roxy Theatre in New York. It was there she met Grant Dickson “Dick” Green, the theater’s manager at the time, whom she later married in 1960.

Marian had a son, Christopher Nelson Green, in 1962, followed quickly by a daughter, Sallie Merritt Green, in 1963. The family settled in Princeton, NJ, when Dick took a job at Princeton University. Marian was a homemaker until her children were in junior high school when she decided to start her career again. Marian became an administrative assistant at Princeton University, a professional organizer, and she sat on the town’s fire commission. After leaving the University, Marian got her residential real estate license.

Marian’s husband Dick passed away in 1998 and, eventually, Marian began spending time with Joseph “Joe” Shelley. Marian and Joe were together for seven years and they enjoyed their time immensely, traveling to many places here and abroad, going to the theater and seeing concerts. Marian also loved spending time with Joe’s five children and eight grandchildren who she considered her own family. Joe passed away in 2009. Marian stayed in New Jersey until 2016, when she moved to California to be closer to her daughter.

Marian was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016 and she spent her remaining years being looked after by a capable and compassionate care team at Welbrook Memory Care in Santa Monica, CA. Marian is survived by her son Christopher Nelson Green, her daughter Sallie Merritt Green, and her sister Sallie Jones.

If you would like to honor Marian’s life, please consider making a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) to help end Alzheimer’s disease.

———

Memorial Service – Rhett

Celebrating the life of Haskell Emery Smith Rhett

(1936-2022)

Friday, July 8, at 4 p.m.

Trinity Church

Reception following

For more information, trinityprinceton.org

(609) 924-2277

June 22, 2022

Obituaries 6/22/2022

Leon H. Whitney Jr. (Lee)

Lee Whitney (age 86) of Rocky Hill, NJ, and Vero Beach, FL, passed away peacefully on June 15, 2022, at the VNA Hospice House in Vero Beach surrounded by his family. He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years Julie, his sons Ken (wife Liz) and Rich (wife Nancy), and his daughters Nancy Schmidt (husband Dave) and Laura Carmack (husband Kevin). Lee was the proud and devoted grandfather of 12: Ashley Murphy (Mike), Kathryn Whitney, Meghan Whitney, Rachel Whitney, Amanda Schmidt, Kirby Carmack, Ali Whitney, Whitney Carmack, Trevor Schmidt, Lucy Whitney, Cole Carmack, and Cameron Schmidt. He was also the loving great-grandfather of Teagan, Kenley, and Locklyn Murphy. Lee was also a beloved uncle for many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents Dr. Leon and Margaret Whitney, and his sister Nancy Pritchard Bear.

Lee was born in Brooklyn, NY, moved to Manhasset Long Island for middle school, and went to high school in Morristown, NJ. His athletic career got off to a good start in Manhasset, where he was the quarterback of the undefeated football team, and his running back was the NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown. He spent the summers of his youth at Camp Awosting in Morris, CT, where he was the perennial tennis champ. In high school, he played on the basketball, baseball, and tennis teams, and then went on to play tennis at St. Lawrence University.

In 1957, he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from St. Lawrence University. As he would tell everyone, the most important thing that happened in college was meeting his future wife Julie Beaver. At St. Lawrence he served in the ROTC, and upon graduation he married Julie and moved to Arizona where he served in the Army Signal Corp at Fort Huachuca. After two years in the Army where he served as an officer, he took a job with Mountain Bell where he worked for the next 11 years in Arizona, Colorado, and Utah. In 1970, he requested a transfer back to New Jersey where he worked at Bell Laboratories and AT&T. Towards the end of his Bell System career, he worked on the special task force which came up with the Operating Companies’ divestiture plan. Upon divestiture in 1987, he retired and took a job in commercial real estate with J.T. Boyer in Princeton, NJ, before retiring for good in 2000.

Lee was active in volunteer work for many years which included starting an Episcopal Missionary Church and serving as President of a large Little League Baseball League in Bountiful, Utah. In New Jersey, he served on the Montgomery Planning Board for eight years and as a Committeeman for the Somerset County Republican organization. He was a charter member of the Montgomery / Rocky Hill Rotary Club serving as its third President in 1992. In Florida, his favorite volunteer work was helping to build Habitat for Humanity homes. He was a member of the Community Church in Vero Beach.

Lee’s true passion in life was being a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He loved playing bridge and going to water aerobics with Julie. Throughout his life, he spent every moment he could coaching, watching, and playing numerous sports with his children and grandchildren. He particularly enjoyed playing golf with them at Orchid Island in Vero Beach and Springdale Golf Club in Princeton. He also had very fond memories of skiing in Utah and spending time at the New Jersey shore with the whole family. Lee was an avid reader of biographies and books about history, and loved passing on the details and/or life lessons from these books to the younger generations of the family.

Lee was known by everyone to be very outgoing and friendly. He had a wonderful gift of gab, and he loved meeting new people from all walks of life. At family meals, he always seemed to have a new story he wanted to share about a friend or someone he just met.

Lee will be deeply missed as a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, and friend. His passing is an immense loss to all who knew him and loved him so much.

A private memorial service for immediate family will be held in New Jersey in August. The family plans to hold a Celebration of Life in Orchid Island on Saturday, November 19, 2022. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Indian River Habitat for Humanity in memory of Lee Whitney via irchabitat.org/donate.

———

Frank J. Vogt

Frank J. Vogt, 91, passed away peacefully on June 9, 2022, at his home at the Windrows in Princeton, NJ.

Frank was born May 16, 1931, in Queens Village, NY, to Clara and John Vogt. He and his sister, Annemarie (Vogt) Saccani, grew up in Bloomfield, NJ. He attended Newark State Teacher’s College (now Kean University) where he played varsity basketball and earned his B.S. degree in Industrial Arts and Elementary Education. He then served two years in the U.S. Army as a radar specialist based in Formosa (Taiwan) during the Korean conflict. Frank continued his education earning two M.A.s in education and administration from Montclair State University. Frank was a passionate educator for over 40 years serving as a teacher, a guidance counselor, and an administrator in the West Orange School system. He was President of both the Teachers and the Administrators Association. Frank was beloved by faculty and students and was widely recognized for his dedicated nurturing care of both.

Frank’s best decision was marrying Eileen Mary Reilly. They had a loving relationship over 58 years of marriage, meeting every challenge and joy together until Eileen’s death in 2014. Frank and Eileen lived for more than 50 years in West Orange and then moved to Princeton. Throughout his life Frank’s greatest devotion was to his family. Frank was known for his moral and physical strength and for his indefatigable work ethic as a provider — early in his teaching career he concurrently worked three jobs: in the early morning he was a milkman for Becker’s Farm, he would then teach, and then work nights as a master carpenter. Frank was supported by his Catholic faith and by serving as lecturer, a Holy Eucharist Minister, and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He enjoyed playing basketball with students and tennis and golf with lifelong friends. A strong swimmer, he favored family vacations in Lake George, NY, and at the family beach house in Manasquan, NJ, where he rose early every morning to ride his bicycle built-for-two to the bakery and left the beach first to get fresh Jersey corn and prepare dinner — what wonderful times were had. In retirement, Frank thoroughly enjoyed being a helping grandparent at the University League Nursery School, cheering at his grandsons’ Little League and soccer games, enjoying his grandsons’ singing with the American Boychoir, and being the go-to repair person at the Windrows.

Frank is survived by his son, Thomas F. Vogt, and his wife, Gwen Guglielmi, who was a loving supporter and organizer of his care. He is also survived by their sons Ryan, Tyler and his wife Shannon, and Eric, and by his daughter Susan (Vogt) Guidone, whose music, especially in his later years, brought him joy, and her husband Glenn Guidone, and their sons Justin, Evin, and Austin, by his sister-in-law, Margaret Oates, and by many nieces, nephews, and family members and by legions of students he influenced and friends he cherished.

The family is very grateful to Frank’s lifelong friends, Eileen and Don Hoffler, to his physician, Dr. David Barile, and to his dedicated caregivers Robert Nkomo, Marcia Higginbotham, Cindy Odinacach, and Chris Godsent who lovingly supported him during the homestretch of his life.

Frank’s life may be remembered by donations to the Princeton BoyChoir/Westrick Music Academy and The Jackson Laboratory.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Queenship of Mary Roman Catholic Church, 16 Dey Road, Plainsboro Township, NJ 08536, on Saturday June 25 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a reception.

Funeral and cremation services provided by Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ.

June 15, 2022

Obituaries 6/15/2022

Patricia J. Lewis

Our whole family is sad to announce that on May 30, 2022, Dr. Patricia Judge Lewis passed away from a short illness at the age of 93. Patsy, as she was known to all, retired at the age of 79 from her 37-year teaching career and professorship at Misericordia University, where she taught Social Work, the field in which she received her Doctorate from Hunter College at CCNY. Patsy was born in Wilkes-Barre, PA, the oldest of six, and lived in the area her entire life. She graduated from Meyers High School and was accepted to the Rhode Island School of Design.  But as she waited for an available space there, she met and married her husband, Dr. Donald B. Lewis, and began a family. Neither college, career or traveling would happen until she was in her mid-thirties. 

Her children, and her surviving siblings, James, Marie, and Priscilla, all agree that Patsy was the quiet warrior. Despite many obstacles put before her due to the death of her husband at the age of 42, with love and determination she raised six children, owned and managed a Care Home, and completed her education up to the Doctoral level. She would tell her children that she always wanted to be a War Correspondent, traveling to hot-spots throughout the world, but she fast became enamored with teaching as she made lifelong friends there, and was admired by staff and students alike for her easy charm and subtle wit. 

Patsy enjoyed traveling with family, visiting New Zealand, Japan, several islands in the West Indies, Egypt, Mexico, and other destinations around the U.S. and abroad. Much of her travel was to visit her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was introduced to The Chautauqua Institution, NY, in 1974 by her daughter Pati Piper and son-in-law Steve Piper and continued visiting there every summer, enjoying the high level of cultural engagement and social life found there. Family would gather there to visit with Patsy to enjoy family discussions, peaceful serenity, engaging lectures, and superb entertainment. But by far Patsy’s favorite pastime was reading fiction, where she immersed herself in complex plots that kept her mind sharp. She was also an expert Bridge player, and enjoyed playing with friends and family throughout her life. 

Her most endearing quality was her ability to never lose her temper, especially with her children, and to love and support them in all things without reservation. A deep thinker, she always provided wise and thoughtful advice to family, friends, and students. Her love of every member of her extended family was exemplified by the following: when her grandson Christopher Larsen, a West Point graduate, was assigned to duty in Iraq, Patsy tried to get a visa to go and protect him from harm.  For this her brother renamed her the Avenging Granny. We will all miss the quiet warrior.

She leaves behind her children and their spouses, Pati Piper and Steve, Cynthia Larsen and Mark, Jessica Houlihan, Susan Berthel and Steve, and her son Donald and his wife Catherine along with three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Donald B. Lewis, her brother, Dr. Francis P. Judge, her sister Phyllis Judge Saldarriaga, and her daughter Marie M. Lewis.

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

———

Lorena Elizabeth Turner Davidson

Lorena Elizabeth Turner Davidson passed away on May 31, 2022, at the age of 96. Independent and strong-willed, creative and caring, Lorena lived her life to the full.

A child of the Depression, her family was “dusted out” for a few years, but then returned to Amarillo, Texas, where, by day, she worked hard on her father’s ranch and her nights included occasional drag races (she never lost a race) and the frequent rescue of downed glider pilots from her father’s fields.

She entered nurses’ training during the Second World War and became a R.N. During her training, she played piano in a Chicago nightclub — she played two musical instruments by ear, never having taken a lesson. She married the love of her life, Robert L. Davidson III, in 1950.

Raised in the Church of Christ, in her adulthood she declared herself a Deist and was inclined to believe, if there was a God, she was a woman. Our mother was a talented artist whose primary medium was the abstracts she painted on paper she made herself at our home in Princeton, New Jersey (1966 to 1990). She was also a voracious reader and, for several years, distributed a newsletter called Did You Know…? which allowed her to share the most fascinating true snippets she came across with a select group of readers. Although unable to attend a four-year college, she was self-educated to a remarkable degree and could probably have taught a comprehensive seminar in ancient world history.

In her final years, she nursed her husband with love and professionalism until his death, then turned her attentions to caring for the emotional well-being of almost everyone she encountered. She was a splendid mother-in-law to her son’s wife, Kate, adored her grandson, Marcus, and is survived by her two children, Roberta and Curtis, who were both shaped by her unbreakable strength of mind, her unsentimental engagement with life’s realities, and her unconditional love for them. She will always be a part of us, and we will always miss her.

———

Carol E. McKinley

Carol E. McKinley, 76, died peacefully at the Cates House hospice in Ocala, Florida, on May 28, 2022.  Born in Trenton, NJ, she was a longtime resident of the Princeton area before retiring to Florida in 1999.

Carol attended Trenton State College and graduated from the Franklin School of Science and Arts in Philadelphia, with a certificate of proficiency in medical technology. She worked as a medical technologist in the Princeton Hospital laboratory for 30 years. Carol was an active volunteer, first at Trinity Episcopal Church in Princeton and more recently at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Ocala. For the past 10 years, she was a dedicated volunteer at the Food Pantry hosted by her church in partnership with Interfaith Services of Ocala.

Predeceased by her parents, Charlotte and William McKinley, she is survived by her sister Christine McKinley of Monmouth Junction, NJ.  A memorial service will be held in Ocala at a later date. Memorial contributions are suggested to be made to Our Saviour Lutheran Church, 260 Marion Oaks Lane, Ocala, FL 34473.

———

Marthe Tribble McKinnon 

Marthe T. McKinnon, 81, passed away peacefully on June 9 from complications of a stroke attended by family members. 

A former longtime Princeton resident, she attended Vassar College, earned a BA degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from Hunter College, and a degree in interior design from Parsons School of Design. 

She was an interior designer, an avid gardener, and collector of antiques who loved historic houses. An animal lover, especially dogs, she supported many animal welfare organizations. 

She was a member of the Acorn Club in Philadelphia, the National Society of Colonial Dames of America, First Families of Virginia, and the Huguenot Society. 

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Jim McKinnon, her son Malcolm and his wife Blair of Princeton, a granddaughter Elizabeth (Tribbie), and a grandson James. 

Contributions in her name may be made to SAVE, a Friend to Homeless Animals in Montgomery. 

A reception to celebrate her life will be held a later date. 

June 8, 2022

Obituaries 6/8/2022

Diana Joy Crane

Diana Joy Crane, 80, of Princeton died peacefully on May 17, 2022. She was a caring daughter, wife, mother, granny, teacher, and friend. She was born September 29, 1941 during WWII in Devon, England, to Joyce and James Wharton. Diana grew up in London and attended Notting Hill and Ealing High School for girls on scholarship and received a B.A. in Modern Languages from the University of Leicester and a M.A. in Education from the University of London.

She met Giles Love Crane at a concert in Vienna and they were married on Christmas Eve, 1965. They lived in Princeton for over 50 years where they raised their two daughters.

Diana loved teaching German, French, and Acting. She was first female teacher at the Lawrenceville School and also taught German oration to professionals at the Siemens corporation. Diana’s pride, however, was in her work at Westminster Choir College, the music school of Rider University, where she taught for 26 years. At Westminster, she was the Director of Arts and Sciences and an Associate Professor of German and Fine Arts, and was affectionately known as Frau Crane. There she shared her passion for learning with thousands of students. Upon her retirement, a scholarship was created in her honor to provide students with an opportunity to study abroad.

As a talented actress Diana performed in regional theaters, numerous cabarets, and one-woman shows of her own creation. She became well-known to Princeton audiences for her popular work with The Inn Cabaret at the Nassau Inn. Her cheeky British humor and brilliant theatrical performances often brought the house down with laughter. She sang songs like “Nobody Loves a Fairy When She’s Forty,” “Send in the Clones,” “The Warthog,” and “Hard-Hearted Hannah” and often had her audience in stiches with her comedic timing. She relished performing in many PJ &B productions at McCarter Theatre, often with her children and Giles in the orchestra.

She worked as a dialect coach at McCarter Theatre and for several Rider University theater productions, and for many professionals in the entertainment industry. Her lovely English accent was heard by many taking the TOEFL exam as she provided voice-over work for the Educational Testing Service.

She directed and performed in plays for the Young Audiences of NJ and the Family Service Agency, and contributed to
Westminster’s annual Readings and Carols performances at the Princeton University Chapel. She also did readings for the English-Speaking Union Princeton Branch, and was a judge for the National Shakespeare Competition.

In her later years, she served as secretary for The Old Guard of Princeton, New Jersey.

She loved to play bridge, participated in a Friday Night Tennis group, and threw lively parties that were well remembered by her many friends.

Diana is survived by her husband Giles; her daughter Gillian and son-in-law Ed Roberson of the Woodlands, Texas; and her daughter, Rebecca, son-in-law Matthew Kim, and granddaughters Ellen and Sarah of Wellesley, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, please take the time to contact a former teacher who made a difference in your life and thank them for their efforts.

———

Nancy Moffat Lifland

Nancy Moffat Lifland, 93, of Skillman, NJ, passed away peacefully on February 28, 2022. The daughter of the late Marion Adams Moffat and Abbot Low Moffat, she was predeceased by her husband William Thomas Lifland in 2012. Born in New York, she spent her childhood on a farm in Fitzwilliam, NH, but lived with her grandmother in Manhattan during the academic year from the age of 9 so that she could attend the Brearley School. She attended Vassar College, majoring in Applied Economics, and following graduation in 1948, moved to London where she took classes at the London School of Economics and learned to fly glider planes.

Returning to Washington, DC in 1950, Nancy went to work as an economist in the State Department, where she wrote monographs on various matters of interest to policymakers. There she met her husband Bill Lifland, an attorney then working in the Air Force General Counsel’s office. After marrying in 1954, the couple moved briefly to New York and then back to Washington, where Bill clerked for Supreme Court Justice John Harlan and the couple had the first of their four children, daughter Carol. After the clerkship, Bill and Nancy moved to New York where Nancy taught at the Brearley School, and Bill joined the law firm of Cahill, Gordon & Reindel. Their second child, Charles, was born during their New York years. Nancy and Bill then moved abroad for a two-year stint at the law firm’s Paris office, where their third child, Kerin, was born. Returning to the States in 1960, they moved to Princeton where son David was born.

In Princeton, Nancy and Bill joined the congregation of Trinity Episcopal Church and Nancy became active in many local activities. She managed fundraiser sales of plants for Trinity and household goods for Princeton Hospital. She taught sixth grade at the Chapin School and served as its volunteer librarian. She ran many of the book fairs held at both Chapin School and Princeton Day School, which her children attended, and worked on all manner of school projects, from managing publicity for the PDS Festival of the Arts, to building scenery for the theater department and constructing a fun house for the PDS fair. A self-taught builder, Nancy supervised construction projects at home too, hiring her children and their friends to implement her design for a bluestone patio and teaching them stone-laying techniques at the same time.

In the community, Nancy had numerous leadership roles. She served on the board of the Religious Ministries PHCS for almost 30 years, many as its treasurer, providing chaplains at local hospitals. She was a member of the Trinity Vestry Committee and chaired its Christian Action Board’s Grants Committee, rewriting its mission statement and guidelines for evaluating grant requests. She also served as treasurer for the Princeton Festival and the Princeton Women’s College Club. She volunteered at the Trinity Altar Guild and worked part-time for Princeton’s Town Topics newspaper.

Nancy was a lifelong music lover. She learned piano as a child and sang for many years in the Trinity Church choir. In her spare time, she played soprano, alto, and tenor recorder in a quartet called Recorders Four. She encouraged all of her children to learn an instrument and sing and imbued in all of them a love for music of all kinds. She especially loved classical music and regularly attended performances of the New York Philharmonic, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Princeton Symphony, among many others.

An avid outdoorswoman, Nancy described herself as “horse-crazy” in her youth. As an adult, she enjoyed tennis, including Seniors Mixed Doubles, as well as hiking and skiing with her children and bike riding around New Jersey with her husband. She loved theater and was a regular at the Shaw Festival in Ontario, Canada, first with Bill and later with various children and grandchildren. She was also a committed bridge player, making a grand slam just two weeks before her passing! A lifelong learner, she took classes virtually every semester through the Evergreen Forum of the Princeton Senior Resource Center on a broad range of topics, including poetry, literature, opera, Chilean politics, and Islam. She was a generous philanthropist as well, supporting many local and national organizations.

Nancy was a beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend. She is survived by her four children, their spouses Daniel Giesberg, Alison Lifland and Cathy Radmer, eleven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and by her brother, Burnham Moffat. A lover of travel, nature, and culture, she hosted trips to the Galapagos, the Baltic countries, and Africa for many of her family over the years, deepening their bonds with her and each other, something she considered her greatest legacy.

A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at Trinity Church in Princeton on Sunday, June 12 at 2 p.m. A reception will follow at the Present Day Club.

Donations in Nancy’s honor may be made to the Princeton Women’s College Club, HomeFront, or to the charity of your choice. Condolences may be sent to Carol Lifland at 218 Bronwood Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90049, or to cmlifland@gmail.com.

———

Elizabeth Anne McClelland

Elizabeth Anne McClelland (Betty), 91, of Charlotte, NC, passed away at home on May 26, 2022. Betty was raised in Summit, NJ. Her first husband Carl Lindquist was killed in the Korean War shortly after their marriage. She attended Allegheny College and worked in New York City for NBC. In 1958, she married Richard Lee McClelland (Dick), Princeton Class of 1950, and moved to Princeton, NJ, where she lived for close to 50 years.

Betty was actively raising three sons and establishing and helping to manage Dick’s dental practice. She earned her BA degree in Music from Thomas Edison College. Music and specifically the piano were always a vital part of Betty’s life. During this time, she also became a licensed realtor, was an active community volunteer of Trinity Church, and was President of the Present Day Club.

Betty was predeceased by her husband Dick, her parents Alfred and Hazel Michon, and her brother Ted Michon. She is survived by her three boys and their spouses, Scott and Marilyn, Bill and Annie, Craig and Penny, as well as her nine grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. Betty is also survived by her sister Carole Little of Washington state.

Graveside service will be held on Saturday, June 11, 2022, at 2 p.m. at Princeton Cemetery, 29 Greenview Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08540.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to St John’s Episcopal Church, 1623 Carmel Road, Charlotte, NC 28226 or Westminster Choir College, Princeton, NJ.

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

———

Kit (Christopher White) Raymond

1950-2022

On May 9, 2022, Kit Raymond died after protracted battle with a rare blood cancer, at the medical center near his home in Fort Kent, ME at age 71. The son of Macpherson and Ramsay Raymond and the sixth of eight children, he grew up on Dalhousie Farm in Princeton, NJ, where he attended Princeton Day School, then South Kent School where he excelled in sports and served as Head Prefect. At Princeton University he majored in politics, studied sculpture, and rowed crew, graduating in 1974.

After college, Kit coached rowing for Rutgers, Princeton, and the Carnegie Lake Rowing Association. Meanwhile, he was making bronze sculptures that drew commissions and gallery shows. This marked the start of his life as an artist and craftsman. He became a painter, photographer, musician, lyricist, woodworker, luthier, inventor, and storyteller. He loved trees and supported his creative endeavors by working as a “Branch Manager” tree surgeon.

After time in Colorado, he returned to the family farm where his inventiveness and kinship with nature were well met. A unique, troubled soul, he was charismatic, funny, voluble, opinionated, generous, and forthright. His keen psychic sensibility was often overshadowed by his strong opinions. In late midlife, he strove with siblings to preserve ownership of the farm through a conservation easement. This succeeded, but the farm was eventually sold. Kit’s cancer surfaced soon after.

Before long he found a new home with his family of golden retrievers on a small farm in Fort Kent where he harvested oats. His connection with nature soothed his struggles with health. In his last years, while living off the land and coping with chronic illnesses, he continued to write, paint, work wood, follow world news, and communicate with his circle of friends/family. He held close to his heart a golden retriever named Tonto, his black sheep named Walnut, his brother, Whit, a few new friends, and the whole starry firmament.

Kit is survived by his siblings Moke, Cherry, Peter, Whit, and Josh.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, Hopewell Presbyterian Church, 80 West Broad Street, Hopewell NJ.  A private ceremony will occur at Kit’s home in Maine.

For more information or to send a message, email ramsay@tpc.earth. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Friends of the Earth or a charity of your choice.

———

David Lee DeGeorge

David Lee DeGeorge, 78, of Charlottesville, Virginia, passed away on May 30, 2022, at home surrounded by family after a brief battle with cancer.

David was born on May 7, 1944, in Buffalo, New York, to the late Nicholas and Corinne Shirey DeGeorge. David grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Fremont, California. He graduated from Washington High School and served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. David served for, as he would say, “three years, 10 months, and 15 days, but who’s counting.”

After the Navy, David attended San Francisco State University, earning a bachelor’s in mathematics and then went on to attend Wesleyan University and Yale University, earning a Ph.D. in mathematics. He taught at Rutgers University and then worked for the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) in Princeton, New Jersey, from 1983 until his retirement in 2017. Whenever asked about his job, David would always say that he loved it but he couldn’t tell you what he did.

David met Dora Coleman, his “first” wife of almost 53 years, in San Francisco, California. They were married on August 23, 1969, and later moved to Plainfield, New Jersey, while David was teaching at Rutgers. During that time, they welcomed daughters Susan, Pamela, and Jane.

The family moved to Princeton in 1985 where David was active in the community, serving on the housing commission in Princeton and volunteering at the Battleship of New Jersey in Camden. David and Dora moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, in the summer of 2020 to be closer to their grandchildren, who David lovingly referred to as “the babies.” 

David always had the latest technology, was a skilled chef, taught himself how to read music and to play numerous instruments and loved Small World Coffee, the New York Yankees, and traveling with his wife and close friends the Kershners. He was actively involved in amateur radio (known by his call sign WQ2Q, which he personalized on all of his belongings) and recently served as the national training officer for Air Force Military Auxiliary Radio System (AFMARS). David was a special person to all who knew and loved him. His charm, witty banter, and kindness will be greatly missed.

In addition to his parents, David was preceded in death by his younger brother, James DeGeorge.

David is survived by his wife Dora DeGeorge; daughters Susan DeGeorge (Philip Shortal) of St. Louis, Missouri, Pamela DeGeorge (Brendan McKeown) of Burke, Virginia, and Jane Centofante (Andrew) of Charlottesville; grandchildren Olivia and Theo Centofante and Imogen McKeown; sister Susan Faust and brother-in-law and best friend Dick Faust of Denver, Colorado; aunts Susan West of Erie, Pennsylvania, and Nelrose Mahoney, of Moraga, California; and many other family and friends who dearly loved him.

A celebration of David’s life will be held later this summer in Charlottesville.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Washington High School Alumni Foundation or to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

———

Dr. Austin Newton

Dr. Austin Newton died on May 13 in Princeton at 85. He was born in Richmond, Texas, the son of Dr. Edward P. and Catherine W. Newton. After graduating from the University of Texas–Austin in 1959 and with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California–Berkeley in 1964, Dr. Newton joined the group headed by the Nobel Laureate Jacques Monod at the Pasteur Institute in Paris.

Dr. Newton pursued his postdoctoral studies during the Golden Age of molecular biology, a time when much could be imagined, and clear thinking and experimental elegance were highly prized. Dr. Newton showed how an outstanding puzzle in gene regulation could be solved by the clever utilization of simple genetic tools. In Paris, he also discovered an abiding passion for sub-Saharan and West African sculpture and textiles. Princeton’s Lewis Thomas Laboratory being but one of the fortunate beneficiaries of his expertise and practiced eye.

At Princeton, where Dr. Newton began as an assistant professor in 1966, he published several classic papers of fundamental importance to understanding coordinated gene translation. His studies led him to hypothesize that genetic approaches could be used on fundamental problems in developmental biology.

Dr. Newton pioneered a new field, using genetic and molecular analyses to study the origins of asymmetric cell division — a characteristic of stem cells and cancer stem cells but also one that distinguishes Caulobacter, a tiny fresh water bacterium. Dr. Newton and his group made ground-breaking discoveries on the mechanisms governing asymmetric cell division, cell polarity, cell cycle organization, and the conversion of cells from one morphology to another. 

Dr. Newton’s research was marked by vision and scientific imagination, traits that characterized his interactions with students and colleagues, as well as his life in general. Many of his students have gone on to leading scientific roles in graduate and medical school departments. Many also lead distinguished career in biomedical industries. Dr. Newton’s students revere and credit him with teaching them how to identify and tackle scientific problems.

Dr. Newton was a connoisseur who successfully mixed his broad interests in science, music (piano and Bach were favorites), art (especially African art), travel, and good wine, not to mention, gin and tonic. Together with his longtime collaborator and wife, Dr. Noriko Ohta, Dr. Newton shared a full and exciting life, welcoming a generation of students, postdocs, faculty, and friends from around the world.

With Dr. Austin Newton’s death, as one of his former colleagues puts it, we have lost a true Princeton gentleman. He will be sorely missed by our community and warmest thoughts are with his wife Dr. Noriko Ohta. He is also survived by his sister, Margueritte Dell Newton of Texas.

Services were private. Dr. Newton will be interred in the family plot in Richmond, TX.

Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

———

John Edward Ricklefs

John Edward Ricklefs passed away on May 25 from issues related to Parkinson’s. He was born and raised in Salina, KS. After graduating from Kansas State University, John went into the air force as a pilot. He left the family’s nursery/landscape business for the big city. New York City was only a transition to years abroad; first as an architect, then as a project manager for a new United Nations program at a seaport in Yugoslavia.

Over the next years, John earned three master’s degrees in planning and economics from universities in Belgrade, Yugoslavia; Paris, France; and New York City’s Columbia University where he also obtained his Ph.D. in economics. He had nearly 50 years of experience in the fields of master planning, economic evaluation, management, and financing of infrastructure projects, as well as supervising economics, marketing, commercial, operational, and technical studies for national, regional, and local development projects. John guided the study, development, and funding of projects in 27 countries and authored articles and books on economics and technological change. In addition, he wrote numerous publications and papers concerning transportation and the economic development of ports and their regional impact. John spent the majority of his professional life with Frederic R. Harris, Inc and Moffatt and Nichol, Inc.

After five years in Taiwan, John and his wife, Nancy, settled in Princeton and he commuted to New York. John’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s in 2001 did not stop him from becoming active in the community.

His passions were in music and art. John served on the boards of the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and New Jersey Opera Festival. He also provided guidance to the composer and marketing for The Firmiana Rain, an opera that was premiered in Taiwan and other Asian countries. As John had mentored colleagues for years, he continued with mentoring Princeton University Ph.D. graduate students from China and maintained lasting relationships with them.

With retirement, his time was spent reading (the classics and favorite authors D. Graeber and P. Krugman), auditing music courses and attending concerts, and watching the Yankees and pro tennis games. Most of all he returned to sculpting wood and entered many exhibits. It was said his passion for creating his art extended his life.

John was known to tell an endless variety of stories, stories which painted colorful and poignant pictures in the mind; stories that contained kernels of truth about humanity, about human nature, and the consistency of that nature over time and across cultures. He will be remembered by his stories, as well as his jokes, his artwork, and the depth to which he cared about other people and the world.

John is survived by his wife Nancy Greenspan; stepdaughters Peggy Johansen of Livingston Manor, NY, Elizabeth Ahle of South Brunswick, and Randi Greenspan of Wilmington, VT; his five grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

Memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, Princeton University Concerts, or the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.

———

Catherine Ann Holmes Johnson

Catherine Ann Holmes Johnson, age 90, passed away peacefully on May 26, 2022. Kate (known as Cathy in her earlier years), was born on March 30, 1932, to Hannah and Carroll Holmes in Hertford, North Carolina.

Kate’s childhood friends and the Hertford community were dear to her. She had fond memories of playing basketball in high school and marching as chief majorette of her drill team. Kate was a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was captain of her debate team. Always an adventurous and independent young woman, she left the South to pursue a career and experience the culture of 1950s New York City. There she worked at a brokerage firm, made many lifelong friends and met her future husband. For the rest of her life, she enjoyed investing in the stock market. Kate married Robert Hains Johnson (deceased, ex-husband), and they raised their four children in Princeton, New Jersey.

Kate had a personality that was bigger than life. She could and would talk to anyone and everyone, often embarrassing her children, but just as often helping them get to know the humanity of those around us. To Kate, there were no strangers, only people that she had yet to meet and to delight with her wit and friendliness. Kate was famous for putting people at ease and making them so comfortable with her that they often shared their life story. She would always start with “When’s your birthday?” and then launch into an analysis of their personality based on their astrological sign. With her lovely Southern drawl, her warm personality, and desire to truly know people, she forged wonderful, lifelong relationships.

Kate was empathetic and generous and sought ways to make a positive difference in peoples’ lives. She was a feminist and a long-term supporter of and volunteer for Planned Parenthood. With an abundance of common sense and practical know-how, Kate worked at her children’s schools and many nonprofits over the course of her life. She was a self-described “tomboy” but also a Southern Belle – able to give advice on everything from how to avoid a water moccasin snake while fishing, to baking an award-winning lemon meringue pie. Kate spent many summers in Little Compton, Rhode Island, where she introduced her children to two of her favorite sports — tennis and sailing — and enjoyed epic family croquet matches and long walks on Brigg’s beach.

Kate’s curiosity was boundless – she was an avid reader, lifelong learner, and world traveler. Although she would often travel by herself, she would always return with new friends she had made along her journey. While raising her family she went back to school for her Masters in Counseling and provided free counseling to single mothers. She also became a substitute teacher and later became a successful real estate broker. Kate always had time for a long conversation with her family and friends, or a willing stranger.

In her later years she moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, to be closer to family. Kate immediately became a part of the community by volunteering as a teacher’s aide and working with other charitable organizations. She loved the outdoors and was able to share it with her dear friend, Fritz Holz, while traveling, camping, boating, and fishing. She adored her kids and being “Grandma Kate” – she was always there to cheer us on, or cheer us up, or just curl up on a sofa and talk.  Kate, with her optimistic outlook, supportive nature, and comforting aura, will be missed by all of us who loved her.

Our family extends our deepest thanks to Kate’s caregivers at Luther Park who took such good care of her in her final years. Kate is survived by her children: Carol Johnson (and husband David Schindler and grandchildren Nicki Schindler and Alex Schindler); Bruce Johnson; Neil Johnson (and wife Rosemary and granddaughter Julianna Johnson); and Paul Johnson (and wife Sera and grandchildren Hains Johnson, Grace Johnson, and Charlie Johnson).

Please share your memories on coffeltfuneral.com. In lieu of flowers, Kate would have loved a donation to plannedparenthood.org or heifer.org.

———

Rodolfo G. Aiello

Rodolfo Guillermo Aiello, died on October 28, 2021, at the University Hospital of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He was accompanied by his loving wife, Gisela Kam, and their good friend Krikor Chobanian. The cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 76 years old.

Rodolfo was born in Olivos, Buenos Aires Province. His father, Rodolfo Juan Aiello, was an obstetrician-gynecologist; his mother, Maria Edith Mira, was an elementary school teacher. Leaving Argentina in 1969 for travels throughout Europe, he met Kristin Skotheim; in 1970, he accompanied her to Washington. His introduction to the extended Skotheim family led to a relationship he cherished and sustained throughout his entire lifetime. His peripatetic life of work and study in the United States, culminated in 1989 when he received an M.Phil in Linguistics from Colombia University. Retired from teaching at NYU in 2010, he settled in Princeton, NJ. He is survived by a brother, Leo, and a sister, Diana. He was predeceased in death by his sister, Rosita (Rosa) in 2000.

Rodolfo’s imposing physical stature and direct gaze belied an innate modesty, a surprising innocence, and a startling, playful wit. He was a man devoid of pretense or guile; a polymath who could speak of a great many things in no small detail. In his resonant baritone, he spoke in the sincere belief that every person was his equal in intellect and interest: he never judged. As senior lecturer in the Spanish Department at Princeton University and later at New York University, his erudition and passion for language encouraged the many students he taught to pursue advanced degrees in Spanish who are now, teachers at academic institutions here and abroad.

In the small community, he shared with his wife, the little children, neighbors, and acquaintances mourn and remember the warmth and generosity of his regard and attention. A service of remembrance is planned for the fall.

“We make a dwelling in the evening air in which being there together is enough.”

June 1, 2022

Obituaries 6/1/2022

Jotham Johnson

1942-2022

Jotham Johnson, a longtime resident of Blawenburg, NJ, died peacefully at home on Friday, April 22.

Jotham was born on September 15, 1942 in Key West, Florida, to Jotham Johnson Sr. and Sarah Jane Coates. He grew up in NYC and Sodus Point, NY. He attended the Grace Church School, and graduated from The Choate School, Princeton University, and Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was proud to be one of four generations to attend Princeton: his grandfather, Jotham Clarke Johnson M.D., Class of 1879; his father Jotham Johnson, Class of 1926; Jotham, Class of 1964; and his son, Jotham Thomas Johnson, Class of 2000. He majored in Romance Languages and European Studies — an interest since living in Rome with his parents as a boy. He excelled at sports and was the starting catcher on the winning baseball team all four years at Princeton University.

After discharge from the Marine Corps after 1967, he spent his life involved with fundraising, university administration, and alumni work — at RPI, Cornell, Recording for the Blind, Rutgers, and Princeton. Jo had over 30 years of service to Princeton University, culminating as Director of Leadership Gifts and then the inaugural Director of Stewardship, before retiring in 2010.

Jo’s devotion to Princeton continued in his volunteer activities as Secretary of his Class of ’64 for 35 years; Trustee of the Cap and Gown eating club for over 50 years; and inaugural secretary of the P.U. Hockey Association. He enjoyed meeting prospective students, even traveling across Canada to help recruit hockey players, many of whom he maintained relationships with throughout their undergraduate careers and beyond.

A past volunteer of the Blawenburg Fire Co., he was also a member of The Old Guard of Princeton and Springdale Golf Club. He was an avid reader of history and enjoyed golf and travel outings with his friends and classmates.

Jotham is survived by his wife of 50 years, Grace Tucker Butler and their three children: Alex and his wife Andrea, Tom and his wife Leigh Morrison, and their daughter Sarah Johnson and her husband Josh Hendrick. He was especially proud of his three grandchildren: Gabriel, Victoria, and Harper.

Jotham faithfully attended St. Charles Borromeo as well as the Blawenburg Church where his children were raised. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at the Blawenburg Reformed Church, 424 Route 518, Skillman, NJ 08558 (BlawenburgChurch.org) at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 11, with further celebration at the Cap and Gown Club, 61 Prospect Avenue, Princeton. In Jotham’s memory, contributions may be made to: Class of 1964 Scholarship Fund, Princeton University, attn. Helen Hardy, PO Box 5357, Princeton, NJ 08543.

———

Robert Kingsley Abernethy

Robert “Bob” Kingsley Abernethy, previously a resident of Bethesda, MD, Princeton, NJ, and most recently Leesburg, VA, passed away in his 90th year peacefully on May 19, 2022 at INOVA Loudoun Hospital, Leesburg, VA. He is survived by his loving wife of 64 years, Jeanne Hauck Abernethy; children Lynn (J.) Prothero, John Abernethy, and Kathryn (Adam) Turner; grandchildren Mimi (Matt) Bersson, Samuel Prothero, Isabelle Prothero, Luc Prothero, Dylan Abernethy, Leela Abernethy, Lucie Turner, Andrew Turner, and Robert Turner; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was born on August 11, 1932 in Minnesota to Alfred Alexander Abernethy and Ruth Linda Gilbert who preceded him in death and is survived by his sister Janet Brown.

Robert attended the University of Maryland, proudly enlisted in the Army, and returned to UMD where he met his bride in a ballroom dancing class and graduated with honors while earning an Industrial Engineering business degree with Who’s Who recognition.

He earned his MBA from American University and started his career working for Procter & Gamble in Baltimore, MD, then worked for Continental Diamond as their industrial engineer before joining Mckinsey & Company as a consultant for seven years. He then started his own management consulting firm, RKA, INC. out of Princeton, NJ, where he also served as a member of the Rotary Club and president of the YMCA.

He was a devoted husband, father, son, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, and veteran and will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Family, faith, service, friends, travel, and trying to make things better than he found them were his top priorities in life.   

All who knew Bob will remember him for his love, dedication, creativity, problem solving, determination, optimism, resilience, and storytelling.

A funeral mass to celebrate his life will be held on June 11, at 11 a.m. at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, 21371 St. Theresa Lane, Ashburn, VA 20147. His final resting place will be Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers and in keeping in line with his priorities of service, lifelong work in consulting, and desire for equal treatment of all people, donations can be made to https://gaerg.org.rw in Bob’s memory to support genocide survivors in developing their small businesses.

———

Anna P. Drago

Anna (nee Pitigliani) Drago, 87, of Cranbury, NJ, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro.

Anna was born in Rome, Italy. She was educated in Rome and in New York City, notably at Sarah Lawrence College and Marymount College. In New York City, Anna was employed by Alitalia Airlines and upon moving to Cranbury, New Jersey, from New York City, began a long career at Princeton University in the Romance Languages Department. She was active in many local charities including the Watershed Institute, D&R Greenway Land Trust, and the Cranbury Historical Society. Anna was a great supporter of the arts including the Grounds for Sculpture, the Princeton University Art Museum, McCarter Theatre, and she served for many years as a Board member of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. This free-spirited, strong-minded, caring, and supportive wife, mother, grandmother, and friend will be deeply missed.

Predeceased by her parents, Fausto and Nelly (nee Van Straten) Pitigliani and her beloved husband, Francesco Drago; she is survived by her loving and devoted children, Suzanne and Matthew (Dawn) and her three grandchildren, Dylan and Cassie Randall and Nina Drago.

Arrangements are under the direction of the A.S. Cole Son & Co., 22 North Main Street, Cranbury, NJ. Saulfuneralhomes.com.

———

Robert W. Hopkins II

Robert William Hopkins II, “Bob” or “Hoppy,” passed away at home in West Palm Beach, FL, on May 21, 2022, from complications due to a stroke. He is predeceased by his beloved daughter, Blair Hopkins Dejoux, and his parents, Helen and Robert W. Hopkins, and survived by his loving wife, Sydney, daughters Chandler A. Hopkins and Whitney Hopkins Duncan, sons-in-law H. Park Duncan and Edouard H.G. Dejoux, and grandchildren Sydney, Robert, and William Duncan, and Christine, Charlotte, and Isabelle Dejoux.

Bob was born on June 6, 1940, in Alton, IL. He and his wife, Sydney, attended kindergarten through high school together, graduating from Hamilton High School in Hamilton, OH. He attended Vanderbilt University and graduated from George Washington University with a degree in History and Political Science. After college, Bob was a member of the first U.S. Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, West Africa. He then joined The Calumite Company (founded by his father), as an Executive and Sales Engineer, eventually becoming President of The Calumite Company and Calumite International, where he frequently traveled to Europe and the Far East.

Bob was a member of The Bedens Brook Club, Nassau Club, and The Old Guard of Princeton, The Union League Club of New York, Gulf Stream Bath and Tennis Club, The Society of the Four Arts, and a former commissioner of Gulf Stream, FL.

Bob will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He captivated many lives with his wit, wisdom, and lively sense of humor, and as a friend remembered him, “he was clearly one of a kind and left an impact on everyone he met along the way.” He was an avid history buff with a unique eye and a passion for fine art, interior design, and landscaping. Bob loved life and entertaining his family and friends. A poem he once shared by Robert H. Smith:

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.

Now is the only time you own
Live, love, toil with a will
Place no faith in time
For the clock may soon be still.

May 25, 2022

Obituaries 5/25/2022

William H. Nicholson 

July 16, 1929 – May 15, 2022

William H. Nicholson, a longtime resident of Princeton New Jersey, sadly passed away in South Surrey, BC, Canada after his recent pleasant stay at his retirement community Amica White Rock on May 15, 2022, with family at his side.

Bill (as he preferred) was born in Ottawa, Canada on July 16, 1929, to Harold and Luella Nicholson. William was married to Shirley Hunt on August 29, 1952, in Ottawa, Ontario. Once William completed his Ph.D. studies at Queen’s University they moved to Montreal where he worked as a Chemist for Merck Sharp & Dohme.

During this time Bill and Shirley had their two children, Pam and Mike. After a short stay in Montreal, the family moved to Lansdale, PA, where they lived for over 10 years. In that time, he continued to work for Merck and went to Temple Law School at night where he earned his Juris Doctorate degree in 1970. In 1971, Bill became a Patent Attorney for Merck and worked his way up to Senior Patent. As one of the first to have had a Chemical background, Bill set the standard for all the incoming Patents going forward. In 1973, the family moved to a house on Turner Court in Princeton, NJ, where the family enjoyed 47 years in the Princeton community. While there, Bill enjoyed spending time with a group accomplished friends called the ROMEOs — Retired Old Men Eating Out — at the Princeton Shopping Center, having his daily morning coffee.

In early 2020, Bill and Shirley moved back to Ottawa, Canada, to stay at Stirling Park Retirement Community where they spent some quality time with Shirley’s sister Beverly Swords. 

After Shirley passed away in December of 2020, Bill moved to Amica White Rock Retirement Community in South Surrey, BC, Canada to be near his son Michael and family who he said many times, were a great help to him. 

Bill and Shirley enjoyed the ocean and spent many summers at their home in Barnegat Light, NJ, on LBI. During the winter holidays, they would spend time in Puerto Rico enjoying the sun and relaxing with friends. 

William is survived by his two loving children, Pamela Lahoda, her husband Eric, Michael Nicholson, his wife Sarun; his grandchildren, Sarah and Jason Lahoda, Mya, Sofie, and William Nicholson Jr.; and his sister-in-law Beverly Swords.

———

Richard A. Hanson

Richard Arthur Hanson, “Dick,” passed away on May 19, 2022 from Parkinson’s disease. Dick lived most of his life in Fair Lawn, Wyckoff, Skillman, and Princeton, New Jersey, He is survived by his wife of 64 years, and two children, Craig and Alex and their spouses, Liz and Laura, as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held privately.

Dick was born on April 8, 1936 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After eight years there, and a stop in West Texas, his family moved to Bergen County, New Jersey, where he met his high school sweetheart, and later wife, Carol Jadick, while walking home from fourth grade. 

After graduating from Fair Lawn High School, Dick attended Cornell University, graduating in 1958 with a degree in economics. After four years in ROTC, he joined the Marine Corps where he served in the 1st Marines Division, 5th Regiment based at Camp Pendleton, CA, where Craig was born. Dick next joined the Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., where he spent 18 years rising to become the youngest executive appointed to Senior Vice President to that point. The family settled in Wyckoff, NJ, where Alex was born. He served in many roles, including as head of all the New York City retail branches, and later as head of all middle-market lending. Dick left Chase to work briefly for an industrial company, and then joined Merrill Lynch. Dick and Carol soon moved to Skillman, where he held a number of executive positions including head of industrial lease financing (which when sold accounted for 25 percent of Merrill’s earnings one quarter) and building and leading the Working Capital Management Account business, WCMA, which is still a major Merrill product group. Dick was widely respected as a strong, successful leader and mentor to many aspiring colleagues.

As members of the Nantucket Angler’s Club, Bedens Brook Club, and Nantucket Golf Club, he was an avid sportsman, particularly in golf, fishing, and shooting. Dick retired around the age of 60 and focused on these things. He loved introducing people to fishing for bass and bluefish on the beaches of Nantucket, and took great interest in a wide range of people. In his once Midwestern or Texas fashion, he always said hello to everyone he passed or met anywhere.

May 18, 2022

Obituaries 5/18/2022

Patricia Peck Tiebout

After shining her light for 98 years, Patricia Peck Tiebout died while sleeping at home in Princeton, in the early morning of May 9, 2022.

Family members, neighbors and longtime friends recall her warmth, kindness, and beautiful smile, all of which she had until the very end, all of which she brought into this world on March 25, 1924, when she was born in Dobbs Ferry, NY, to parents Edwin D. and Helen Radley Peck.

Being of a generation that grew up during the Depression and World War II, Patty learned the values of sharing, frugality, pitching in, and being grateful. Repeating the advice from her aunt Lillie Peck, “You have to take the cookies when they’re passed,” Patty counted her blessings and found strength in the love of family and the beauty of nature.

After graduating from Hastings High School, Patty studied for two years at Wheaton College, (Norton, MA), and transferred to Cornell University, where she was a member of the ski team. She graduated from Cornell in ’46, and worked with Dr. Arnold Gesell at the Yale Child Study Center. While living in New Haven, she met John Tiebout Jr., of Larchmont, NY, on a blind date at a Yale football game. They were married in November of 1949 and lived in Levittown, LI, and Dobbs Ferry, before they moved to Hastings.

Through her cherished years of child-raising, Patty was an active member of The Hastings Literature Club. She volunteered as a reading teacher at The Children’s Village, taught Sunday school, substitute taught at the elementary school, and worked as an office administrator for 10 years at the Church of St. Barnabas in Irvington, NY. In 1979, Patty and John moved to Seattle and, having loved being in a university town, chose to live in Princeton when they moved back east in ’82. Patty volunteered at Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, worked at McCarter Theatre, and was a member of the Present Day Club and Nassau Presbyterian Church.

Patty was predeceased by her parents and her sisters, Dorothea, Helen, and Marion Peck. Survivors include John, her devoted husband of 72 years; her children, John Tiebout, Janet Hanson, and Mary Tiebout; her grandchildren, Johanna and Eli Evans, Meredith and Christopher Hanson, and Jack and James Tiebout; and her great-grandsons, Finn Danaher and
Henry Tiebout. She also leaves her daughters-in-law Wendy Satin and Barbara Johnson, son-in-law Nathanael Evans, and nieces and nephews from the Dwyer, Kieffer, Vosburgh, and Reisman families. Patty and her best friend from childhood, Betsy Sargent Ford, exchanged birthday greetings in March.

Special thanks to Dr. John Sierocki for his excellent care and generous spirit, and to his staff, especially Allyn and Andrea, for theirs. Memorial gatherings will take place during the summer. If you knew Patty and wish to remember a loving, brave and vibrant woman who parasailed on her 80th birthday and waterskied on her 82nd, give yourself and others your brightest smile.

———

Lawrence “Larry” Bershad

Professor Lawrence “Larry” Bershad passed away peacefully on May 14, 2022 at the age of 82, surrounded by his loved ones. Born on June 25, 1939 in New Haven, CT, he grew up near Yale University, and had fond memories of playing baseball with friends in the Yale Bowl.

Larry was an avid sports fan, especially the NY Yankees, and felt most at peace camping and vacationing on Small Point in ME. He was happiest when surrounded by his friends and family, sharing stories, good food, and animated conversation. Larry’s keen intellect, sharp wit, compassion, and advocacy for his students and those in need will be deeply missed by those who loved him.

Larry graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in 1961 and from Georgetown Law School with a J.D. in 1964, followed by a fellowship at Harvard University Law School. He served as the Commissioner of Corrections for the State of Vermont early in his career and remained a fierce protector of civil rights throughout his life. His work as a criminal defense attorney led him to a storied career as a Professor of Criminal Law and Procedure at Seton Hall University School of Law where he mentored and taught many generations of future advocates from 1972-2000. He established the Seton Hall Legislative Bureau and the annual Sports Law Symposium, which positively impacted many students during his tenure.

Larry was the son of Matthew and Blanche Bershad of New Haven, CT, and Delray Beach, FL. Larry is survived by his son David, his daughter Bonnie and son-in-law George Zinn, their two sons George and Matthew, his former wife Shirley Bershad, and his partner, Ronnee Rothschild.

There will be a private graveside service held on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 in New Haven, CT.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Protect Democracy (protectdemocracy.org) or ACLU (aclu.org).

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Robert A. Altman

Robert A. Altman, age 79, of Princeton, N.J., passed away on May 15, 2022 after courageously fighting lung cancer for more than a year. He will be remembered and cherished by his family and friends forever.

Bob, as he was known by all, was born on March 30, 1943, the only child of Julian and Kay Altman. He grew up primarily in Chicago, Illinois. From age 13 until his graduation from high school, Bob attended Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, where he excelled academically and made many lifelong friends. He then attended Harvard College, majoring in Medieval History. While at Harvard, Bob met his future wife Jane on a “blind date” in 1963. The couple married in 1965 and lived in married student housing at Columbia University while Jane completed her senior year in college and Bob obtained first a Master’s Degree and then a Ph.D. in Education from Columbia. Daughter Jennifer was born in 1967, followed by son John in 1969.

He spent his professional life in a variety of administrative position in Higher Education, including The City University of New York, The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education in Boulder, Colorado, and as a Vice President of Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J., from 1980 to 1995. Bob supervised ongoing test development and the operation of a variety of programs at ETS, including the Graduate Record Exam and TOEFL. He was very involved in the expansion of ETS’s international programs which sent him to China, Japan, and Korea among other countries. After leaving ETS, Bob was able to indulge his love of travel, particularly to countries not on the standard tourist list, by consulting for both USAID and The World Bank in a variety of countries, including Albania, Egypt, Hungary, Jordan, Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. He also worked extensively in Vietnam, helping to design and implement new admission criteria for the Vietnam National University in Hanoi.

A valued member of several college boards of trustees, Bob served as a trustee for Mercer County Community College, Montclair State University (which awarded him an honorary degree), and most recently The College of New Jersey. He particularly enjoyed serving on the Board of Trustees at TCNJ and regularly attended Zoom meetings throughout Covid and debilitating lung cancer treatments. Always an enthusiastic trustee, Bob was known for attending sporting events and other student related activities at these institutions. From 1998 until his death, he also served on several  Princeton committees that addressed traffic safety issues.  In all of these commitments Bob forged lasting friendships.

In his spare time, Bob was an avid squash and tennis player. In his later years he became an accomplished cyclist, and spent many hours training each summer for the Five Boro Bike tour in New York City. There was  also no sports event that he didn’t enjoy watching, most especially Phillies and Cubs baseball games and every football game that was ever played.

Bob’s many friends, colleagues, and family valued his irreverent wit and dry sense of humor. His most consistently appreciative audience was his wife Jane throughout their 56 years of marriage.

A truly loving father and grandfather, Bob is survived by his daughter Jennifer Altman (son in law Maurice Edelson), his son John Altman (daughter in law Dr. Sima Paul), and his grandchildren Rachel, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Daniel, and Meera. He was so proud of all of them.  Bob counted himself very fortunate because his two youngest grandchildren live in Princeton and his two oldest attended, or are currently attending, Princeton University, affording him unusual access to all of them. Bob is also survived by many dear friends in N.J., in Colorado, and in other states who were part of his extended family. Each and every one of them will miss him forever.

Funeral services were held on May 17 at The Jewish Center of Princeton, with burial at the Princeton Cemetery.

Shiva will be observed on Wednesday, May 18 from 4-7 p.m. at the Altman residence in Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the charity of your choice.

Funeral arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel. To send condolences to the family please visit OrlandsMemorialChapel.com.

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Anne Young

Naomi Anne Young, always known as Anne, passed away at Stonebridge on Thursday, May 12.  Her family of Kenneth, Alasdair, Gwyneth, Paige, and Cameron were all with her and she expressed her love for them.

Anne was born in Bolton, England, in 1936 to James and Annie Partington. She experienced the difficulties of wartime England before her father’s new job took the family to Aberdeen in northeast Scotland at the war’s end. She attended the local High School and Aberdeen University where she graduated with an MA in English. She performed in many theatrical productions there and also met her husband to be.  A treasured memory was of sitting on top of a local mountain, Craigendarroch, at midnight with her then boyfriend, Kenneth, before the morning when their final exam results were to be announced.

She worked briefly at Harrods in London before taking up a seven-year teaching career in England and then in the Rhodesias, now Zambia and Zimbabwe. During this period she had become engaged to Kenneth but it was broken off.  But they continued to correspond and in 1965 she married him and came to the United States (she considered that she had her divorce before she got married). She worked at teaching speed reading for students in Princeton to support her husband to complete his Ph.D. at Princeton University. She broke off work to care for her two children, Alasdair and Gwyneth, but was active in volunteering for the Princeton University Art Museum and Recording for the Blind in Princeton.

Four years were spent in England while her husband worked at a branch of the University of Manchester. While her children were in school, she was able to indulge her interest in archaeology. She learned that there were complications to archaeology during her search for the route of Offa’s Dyke on the Welsh border when she was interrupted by curious young bullocks. She returned to Princeton with her family at the end of 1974. Almost immediately she became the chairperson for the docents of the Art Museum, her necessary qualification being the spouse of a University faculty member. During her tenure, she oversaw the change of the constitution to make being a docent available to everybody, including men, and introduced training for new members. She was an active docent for many more years.

She was appointed to head the Princeton Studio of Recording for the Blind (RFB). During her many years in charge she lead the most productive of the RFB studios within the organization, saw it through its addition of dyslexic students, started its use in schools and added a secondary studio in Plainsboro. She retired as Executive Director of the New Jersey Unit of what has become “Learning Ally” and continued to read for them for many years.

After she retired, she devoted a lot of time to her garden. She traveled extensively with her husband in Europe round the ancient classical world and to many sites in Central and South America. She enjoyed wonderful safaris in Kenya and Botswana with her family.  There were many trips to Scotland and England to see family and to enjoy the scenery, gardens, and museums. Anne found peace in crouching over tidal rock pools or sitting by a gurgling mountain stream.

She is survived by her immediate family; her brother Noel Partington, his wife Jean, and their three daughters, Lucy, Anna and Amy and their families; three nephews, Gordon, Robert, and Peter Young; and a number of cousins.

A service of remembrance will be held at Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton (of which she had been a long term member) on Thursday, May 26 at 11 a.m. Instead of flowers, please make any remembrance donations to Arm In Arm in Princeton, NJ. Arrangements are under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.

May 11, 2022

Obituaries 5/11/22

Hale Freeman Trotter

Hale Freeman Trotter (born May 30, 1931 in Kingston, Ontario) died at 91 on January 17, 2022 at his home in Princeton, New Jersey. Predeceased by his beloved wife Kay, his dear brother Bernard, and parents Reginald George Trotter and Prudence Hale (née Fisher). He will be remembered and greatly missed by his devoted stepson Stephen Pallrand (Rachel), stepdaughter Nannette, grandson Eli and granddaughter Cora, his sister-in-law Jean and his brother-in-law John (Helen). Hale was also the much-loved uncle of Rex (Eliza) and Tory (Tibor Vaghy), grand uncle of John, Thomas (Stephanie), Andrew (Annemarie), Marie, Philip, Claire, Martin, and great-grand uncle of James, Damien, Felix, and Lily.

Hale grew up in Kingston and became fascinated with mathematics, graduating with degrees in his chosen field from Queen’s (BA ‘52, MA ’53) and Princeton (PhD ’56) where he studied under William Feller. Feller was part of a wave of European intellectuals who had fled the Nazis and settled in the United States. Princeton attracted a number of these refugees, including Albert Einstein, who had an office in the mathematics building.  It was in this rich and exciting atmosphere that Hale matured as a mathematician.

Joe Kohn, a fellow graduate student with Hale at Princeton and colleague in the math department for almost 40 years, recalled the first day of their graduate program at Princeton in 1953. Head of the mathematics department, Solomon
Lefschetz, told the group of 13 mathematics PhD students that they should congratulate themselves for the hard work it took to gain acceptance but that it was likely that only one of them, maybe two, would become actual mathematicians. Hale not only became a world class mathematician but made vital original contributions to the field. 

Hale began his career as the Fine Instructor for Mathematics at Princeton from 1956-58. After teaching at Queen’s University as an assistant professor from 1958-60, he returned to Princeton as a visiting associate professor. Hale was appointed lecturer at Princeton in 1962, associate professor in 1963, and full professor in 1969. He was a highly respected administrator fulfilling duties as Chairman of the Mathematics Department from 1979-82 and associate director of Princeton University’s Data Center from 1962-86. He was a much-beloved teacher, instructing both graduate and undergraduate students in a wide range of mathematical concepts. Hale was always willing to take on a higher teaching load when a gap needed to be filled, such as teaching game theory for many years until a replacement could be hired. Additionally, Hale supervised graduate students and wrote several textbooks on calculus in higher dimensions.

As a mathematician Hale had a broad range of interests and impacts, starting with his thesis and work in probability and including significant contributions to group theory, knot theory, and number theory.  One of his outstanding accomplishments, the Trotter Product Formula, has had a major impact on mathematical physics and on functional analysis. The Johnson-Trotter Algorithm is another powerful and useful tool he developed, a technique for generating complete lists of permutations that had considerable significance. He developed an interest in knot theory and was the first to show that there are non-invertible pretzel knots, thereby solving a long-standing topological problem. Hale had a later interest in some of the calculational aspects of number theory, developing the Lang-Trotter conjecture through his joint work with Yale mathematician Serge Lang.

Hale’s bright, serene, humorous, and cheerful spirit will be remembered with great affection by his extended family, with whom he and Kay enjoyed many memorable visits during his summer holidays in Canada at their cottage on Lake Cecebe. Hale and Kay had a deep love of the arts and opera that they cheerfully shared with all.  We are so grateful to his caregivers Joyce and her husband Joe, Antoinette, as well as his neighbor Bob, and to all who enabled Hale to stay in his Princeton home since Kay’s passing in 2021. 

A memorial will be held at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home in Princeton on Tuesday, May 31 between 3 and 5 p.m. with an informal service at 4 p.m. Interment will take place prior to the memorial on Sunday, May 29 at the Evergreen Cemetery in Salem, New York.  In lieu of flowers please make donations to the “Kay & Hale Trotter Gynecologic Oncology Fund” at giving.temple.edu/trotterfund.

———

Tobe Barban Rothaus

Tobe Barban Rothaus died on April 25, 2022 at the age of 92 in La Jolla, California. She had lived in California for the past 18 years, since the death of her beloved husband Oscar (Princeton University Undergraduate Class of 1948 and Graduate Class of 1958). Tobe and Oscar lived in Princeton until 1965 when they moved to Ithaca, New York, where they raised their three children. 

While she suffered from dementia in her final years, her illness did not dim her vibrant personality. She continued, until the end, to make friends and impress all who knew her with her spirit and determination. Tobe’s first priority was always her family, to whom she was fiercely devoted, although she pursued a wide variety of interests throughout her life. She was a voracious reader, and had a particular passion for poetry, and books about gardens, landscape architecture, and the immigrant experience. Her lifelong love of art, particularly Asian art, meant she was often to be found in a museum, and she shared her considerable knowledge of art while working as a docent at the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art on the Cornell University campus. She was also a member of the Auraca Herbarists, who supported Cornell’s Robison Herb Garden, and on the board of directors of the Ithaca Community School of Music and Arts.

Her childhood in New York City trained her eye and influenced her taste; she had an incredible sense of fashion and décor, making any space she lived in beautiful and gracious, and she was a fantastic cook and host.

She is survived by her three daughters and their husbands, Carla (Eric Printz), Ruth (Victor Caston), Tamar (Tim Bartlett), and six grandchildren, Rebecca, Simon, Eva, Sarah, Rachel, and Sophie. She was predeceased by her sister Francine Di Palma, and leaves her cherished sister Beth Londner in Israel, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews. May her memory be a blessing.

———

Adam Apgar Pyle

Adam Apgar Pyle of Princeton passed away on May 5, 2022. Born in Hong Kong on August 24, 1985, he was the son of Molly and Thomas Pyle. Adam graduated from Princeton High School in 2003 and completed terms at Rutgers University, Mercer County Community College, and Pratt Institute.

Adam was an extensive traveler in his earlier life, visiting China, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and Australia, and frequently visiting relatives in Singapore. Later he journeyed with classmates and family to England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary, and went on a safari in Kenya with his father. 

Throughout his life, Adam was keenly intellectual, an assiduous autodidact of many subjects. From BMX biking in high school, to history, art, esoterica, religion, and post-punk industrial music, Adam was an engaging expert. He was admired by his family, teachers, and friends for his depth of knowledge and passionate discussions.

In 2007, at age 21, Adam was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Over the subsequent 15 years, many, many challenges ensued, including increasing isolation and depression. Nevertheless, he avidly and stoically continued his intellectual interests, despite increasingly intense intrusions of his illness. 

In 2013, Adam was baptized and received into the Plainsboro Presbyterian Church. In 2016, Adam developed an interest in Freemasonry. Together with his father, they were raised as a father-and-son pair to the sublime degree of Master Mason in November 2016 as members of Mercer Lodge No. 50 in Trenton. Received, welcomed, and fully accepted “on the level” by the world’s oldest fraternity, Adam found in Masonry such camaraderie, acceptance, and opportunities for esoteric knowledge that his illness had hitherto robbed of him. 

Over the years, Adam received care from many evidence-based agencies around the country, including Princeton House, Carrier Clinic, Hampton House, AAMH, and Trenton Psychiatric Hospital locally. He engaged various modalities of recovery including Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Therapy—Recovery, Electroconvulsive Therapy, and Hearing Voices Network support. 

Adam’s illness irrevocably worsened, despite all possible efforts to contain it. Increasingly overwhelmed by harrowing illusions beyond his control, Adam determined not to careen into the abyss, but instead to offer himself unto God. On May 5, 2022, Adam laid his burden down and in God’s arms was taken up to his final rest and much deserved peace. 

Adam is survived by his loving parents, Molly Tan Pyle and Thomas Hanson Pyle of Princeton, his sister and brother in-law, Tara Pyle and Daniel Biller of Brooklyn, NY, nieces Zoe and Sage Biller of Brooklyn, NY, and numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, and other relatives in the United States and Singapore. 

In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to Princeton House Behavioral Health (Inpatient), 905 Herrontown Road, Princeton, NJ 08540 or the National Association of Mental Illness (NAMI), Mercer chapter, namimercer.org.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 18 at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton, New Jersey, 08540. Arrangements under the direction of the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home. For more information, visit matherhodge.com.

May 4, 2022

Obituaries 5/4/2022

Dorothy Mills Highland

Family, friends, and the many people whose lives she touched mourn the loss of Dorothy Mills Highland. Dottie (as she was known to friends) passed away peacefully at her home in Skillman surrounded by family on July 9, 2020, following a 13-year-long battle with carcinoid cancer syndrome. She loved life, and she did so unapologetically, fully, and with unceasing
curiosity and awe that made life’s many challenges and joys worth sharing. 

Dottie was born on January 11, 1946 in Brooklyn, New York. The first child of James and Sally Mills, she attended school in Elmont, NY, where she met her future husband, Joseph, at the age of 15. Together they attended Hofstra University and married shortly after their senior year, in June 1966. Dottie went on to receive a Master’s in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota, and a JD degree from American University College of Law.

Over the years she taught elementary school, practiced law, raised three children, traveled the world, and in her later years worked as a docent at the Princeton University Art Museum, where she took a special interest in introducing children to the arts. Dottie met each season of life with kindness and generosity of spirit that made her welcome everywhere she went. She is dearly missed by the friends and family whose lives she brightened. She is survived by her husband Joseph, children Rebecca (Mark), Michael (Christine), and Vladimir, and her brother Donald, as well as three grandchildren. 

It was Dottie’s request that any donations in her memory be made to UNHCR (United Nations High Commission on Refugees) or Princeton University Art Museum — specifically for programs bringing the arts to children.

Funeral services were held at the Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, New Jersey.

Given the pandemic restrictions at the time of Dottie’s death, the family is now asking people who knew Dottie (especially those who did not have a chance to honor her at the time of her death) to offer words that might have been shared under different circumstances. The family plans to collect these remembrances in the form of a book as a way to memorialize and always
remember Dottie.

If you knew Dottie, please feel free to send remembrances of any length to rememberingdottie@gmail.com.

———

Michele Miller

Michele Miller, 74, of Skillman, NJ, passed away on Monday, April 25, 2022. She was born in Hoboken, NJ, lived in various places across the United States, and ultimately resided in Skillman, NJ, for the past 30 years. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and received her Masters in Teaching at the College of New Jersey. She worked at Princeton House as a special education teacher for several years. Michele was a loving wife and mother and raised her children Larry and Kristin.

Michele had many wonderful qualities. She was smart, funny, empathetic, compassionate, generous, and incredibly loving. She was a fantastic cook, and a great dancer. At her core, Michele cared the most about her family.  She enjoyed being home cooking meals for her family, going to soccer games, and having holiday gatherings.

Predeceased by her parents Michael and Lucille (Fazio) Bongiovanni; she is survived by her husband of 44 years Lawrence E. Miller; son and daughter-in-law Lawrence M. and Ann Marie Miller; daughter and son-in-law Kristin and Alexander Rakow; grandchildren Annabelle and Noah Rakow; and sister and brother-in-law Gail Bongiovanni and Everett Nissly.

Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Paul’s Church, Princeton. Burial was held in Princeton Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to either Hands Together  (handstogether.org) or Memorial Sloan Kettering (mskcc.org) in Michele’s memory.

———

Joan S. Crespi

Joan Claire Striefling Crespi, 91, of Blue Bell, PA, passed away peacefully on April 27 after several years of declining health.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Joan received her BA in English from the University of Michigan where she won multiple Hopwood awards for Drama and Poetry. After receiving her MA from Stanford University, she moved to New York City where she worked as a copy editor at Esquire magazine for several years. Joan was introduced to her future husband Irving by a mutual friend in the spring of 1968 and moved to Princeton when they married that August. Joan resided in Princeton until 2009 when she moved to a retirement community closer to her daughter in Pennsylvania.

Joan always said that getting married and having children was the best thing she’d ever done. She dedicated herself to raising her children and was very proud of their accomplishments. Joan loved learning and was always reading or writing. She wrote several plays and spent countless hours reading the New York Times and clipping articles that she could incorporate into writing ideas so that her work would remain relevant in an ever-changing world. She also traveled extensively both nationally and internationally. As her children grew older, she returned to her roots as a writer, writing for several local publications including the Princeton Packet and U.S.1, where, among other articles, she wrote numerous reviews of local theater productions.

In her later years she was a loving grandmother to her six grandchildren and enjoyed traveling and celebrating holidays with her family. 

Predeceased by her husband Irving, Joan is survived by her son Robert and his children Ian and Rebecca of Hoboken, NJ, and her daughter Judy, son-in-law Charles, and their children Joseph, Abigail, Jessica, and Zachary of Skippack, PA. 

Graveside services were held in Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, NJ.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests contributions to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL.org).

Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

———

Steven Michael Miller

Steven Michael Miller of Princeton, 77, passed away on Monday, April 25, 2022.  He was born in Philadelphia on February 8, 1945, and resided in Princeton for the last 28 years.

Steve was a graduate of Philadelphia’s Central High School, the University of Chicago (B.A.), the University of Washington (M.S.) and the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D.).  He retired from the N.J. Department of Health in 2010, where he worked as an environmental scientist for 27 years.  He was a member of the Communications Workers of America union.

After retiring, Steve rediscovered his adolescent hobby of amateur radio. He was relicensed as KD2DUL and made new contacts near and far. He also served terms on the Princeton Environmental Commission and the Princeton Board of Health. 

Steve was predeceased by his parents, Edward and Esther (Rosen) Miller, and his sister Phyllis Forman. He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Olga Boyko, and his children Pauline and Edward Miller. He also leaves behind his sister Ruth Miller, brothers-in-law Gary Forman and John Boyko, and nieces and nephews Amy Forman and Jeff and Harrison Fischer of Decatur, GA, and Ben, Lorine, Carter, and Max Forman of Doylestown, PA. 

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton NJ 08542.

In lieu of flowers, Steve would be glad to have donations made to Puppies Behind Bars (puppiesbehindbars.com), Trenton Rescue Mission (rescuemissionoftrenton.org), Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (trentonsoupkitchen.org), or Isles, Inc. (isles.org).

April 27, 2022

Obituaries 4/27/2022

Bruce Finnie

Bruce Finnie began his life in Memphis, and though he left just after his first decade, it was a place that left its stamp on him, expressed through his lifelong love of jazz and southern barbeque, and rich, vivid memories of fishing with his father on the wild Mississippi River delta between Tennessee and Arkansas.  His life there, poised to join his father in a roofing business (with “& son” already painted on the door) was disrupted suddenly and irrevocably by his father’s untimely death when Bruce was only 11. He was uprooted from the hot Memphis streets of his youth and taken to live with his grandparents in Cleveland. He would say of what followed that he had to “invent everything” about life from that point on, himself. 

His life pivoted yet again when, through his exemplary service as a paperboy for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, he was awarded a scholarship to Phillips Academy Andover in faraway Massachusetts. His mother refused the offer at first, but the donors persisted, and Bruce went off to join another world, a seminal, beloved place that would, as he said, become his family. At Andover, Bruce was exposed to teachers and fellow students that opened up a completely different path for his life, a path that took him to a full scholarship to Harvard and a life in higher education, including, for more than 30 years, at Princeton University.

Bruce wore his credentials lightly. He declined to be referred to as “Dr. Finnie,” though his work at Harvard in Sociology included a sports fan study, and developing some of the first use of computers in sociological research, analyzing data from the now-famous Harvard health study. He and his best friend Harry Scarr became sought-after experts, and it was this expertise that drew him to Princeton. Recruited to be the Registrar, he asked, “what’s a registrar?” But he leaped in, and did not look back, automating registration, class scheduling, and grades at Princeton for the first time. This was the first of several roles at Princeton where he championed “zero errors” – but always put people first. He was a beloved manager and a relied-upon leader, tapped for a series of roles bringing computation to university processes. He became an iconic figure on the campus, walking with his beloved Beagle, “Took,” sending zingers on the squash courts at Dillon gym and on the softball field, and teaching as a “preceptor” in sports sociology, dubbed “Coach” by his appreciative students. He was an utterly devoted fan of Princeton basketball and football, and for decades held season tickets, rarely missing a game; he was also a die-hard fan of the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Browns, supporting these teams in victory and defeat in a way that fully manifested the original word “fanatic.”

Perhaps because his own experience taught him that life can change on a dime, he created a life for his family that was grounded, stable, and balanced – a rock-solid foundation from which all could grow and thrive.  He married his seventh grade sweetheart, Virginia “Ginnie” Boylan (who survives him) in 1954, and together, through their enduring bond, they raised three children and generously supported their partners, Matthew Finnie and his wife Carol Guttman Finnie, Ellen Finnie and her partner Jaime Basswerner, and Janet Finnie and her husband Rob Whiteside. He was cherished and loved beyond measure as a husband, father, and grandfather, to Daniel and Hannah Finnie, to Nat Duranceau, and to Phoebe and Ellen Whiteside. He was a north star, a bright beacon for them all –  a man of unshakeable principle, markedly frugal for himself but generous with others, a colorful character who was never hesitant to share his views, but whose clear values – and openness to all people – created an indelible impression and were a guiding light and inspiration to his family and for all those whose lives he touched. A man who had to be his own guide from a very young age, he was sought out for advice, though he was very clear that “I don’t give advice, I help people find out what they already know.” 

Bruce never wavered in his understated but steadfast commitments: to family, to hard and “honest” work, to the institutions that shaped him, but also to the simple pleasures: his beloved sports, travel with Ginnie and special friends, birdwatching and berrypicking in the yard with his beloved grandchildren, a cigar, and time at the fireplace with the newspaper and crossword puzzle. Centered, balanced, clear, hard-working, unflappable – Bruce lived what he believed, without apology or uncertainty.  His was a life fully and well lived, on his own terms, but always, always, with others in mind.   

Those who wish to honor his life and legacy may want to consider a donation to Phillips Academy Andover’s Financial Aid Scholarships (andover.edu/givenow) to which Bruce was a faithful supporter for over 20 years.   

———

John V. Rawson Jr.

John VanRennselaer Rawson Jr., 87, of Skillman passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Monday, April 18, 2022. Fondly known as Skip, he was born in Plainfield, NJ, to parents John V. and Anna Mabel (Snoden) Rawson.

Over the course of his career, Skip had many varied interests. Formerly chairman of the Loan Committee of Montgomery National Bank, he then founded Rawson Food Services, a Wendy’s franchise company. A lover of airplanes, motorcycles, boats, and cars, Skip embraced life with great enthusiasm. A retired Major in the United States Air Force, Skip continued to be active in the aviation community, including flying in the Tora! Tora! Tora! airshow group. He was also involved in the Delaware Valley Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.

Skip’s adventures also led him to the Thousand Islands where he restored Calumet Island and made it a family retreat. He adored being surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and friends. He had boundless energy, extreme loyalty, and was truly one of a kind. 

He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Richard. 

He is survived by his loving wife Dr. Joyce H. Glazer as well as his children, Lisa and Steven Garb, Laura and Paul Butrico, John and Gail Rawson, Melony and Steve Baclini, and Hannah and Billy Theodat. He will be greatly missed by his grandchildren, Aimee, Dan, Tim, Anna, Erin, Holly, Jillian, John, Miles, and Logan. Skip is also survived by his sister, Carole Pratcher and brother, John Corey Rawson.

There will be a private family burial at the Blawenburg Reformed Cemetery, 1006 Route 601 Skillman, NJ 08558. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Commemorative Air Force (delawarevalleywing-caf.org), the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY (abm.org), and/or a charity of your choice.

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

———

Memorial Service — Kassof

Celebrating the life of Allen H. Kassof (1930-2021) Saturday, June 18 at 11:30 a.m.

Institute for Advanced Study* Reception following

RSVP/more info: kassofmemorial@gmail.com

*All visitors to IAS must attest they are vaccinated and boosted.

towntopics.com/wordpress/2021/12/01/obituaries-12-1-2021

April 20, 2022

Obituaries 4/20/2022

Hannah Westfield Kahn

Hannah Westfield Kahn, 97, born in Düsseldorf, Germany on Wednesday, April 23, 1924, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 8, 2022. The Kahn family mourns Hannah’s passing as we celebrate her long, eventful, and fulfilling life.

A longtime resident of Princeton, New Jersey, (she moved to Princeton in 1958 with her husband, C. Harry Kahn), Hannah was forced to leave her childhood home in Germany in 1936, alone, waiting for her family to join her. The events of Kristallnacht in 1938 hastened her family’s escape to Bournemouth, England, and in April 1940 the family arrived in the United States on a Cunard Line boat in a convoy, one of the last boats to make it from Europe. They settled in Nashville, Tennessee: her parents, Max, a portrait artist, and Rosel, a stockbroker, and her brother, Michael. She met Harry there, who was the brother of her best friend, Bertie, and they attended Vanderbilt University together, then graduate school at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. They formed many important relationships there, including an enduring friendship with Ruth Shor, their New York City “connection.” Harry went on to become a professor of economics at Rutgers University, while Hannah focused on raising their four children at their home on Linden Lane. After Harry died in 1972, Hannah worked at Mathematica, in the Public School System, and then as an Economist for the State of New Jersey until her retirement in 1986. Hannah was fortunate to unite with Lothar Sander, with whom she travelled and spent many wonderful years.

Hannah was an active member of the Princeton community. As recently as two weeks before her passing, she still hosted her book group! The book group and its members provided Hannah with a vital source of satisfaction and friendship in her later years. She was also a founding member of Community Without Walls and a member of such organizations as the League of Women Voters, the Princeton Adult School and the PTA.

Hannah lovingly endures in our memories, nestled in her rocking chair, reading, and sipping tea, or talking on the telephone to her relatives and friends, of which she had many all over the world. Her great joy was spending time at the family farm in Barnard, Vermont. There, she found peace and comfort working in the raspberry patch, hiking, cooking, eating, and laughing with friends and family; reminded of the carefree days of her early childhood and the summers spent in Bavaria, before the war altered the course of her life.

Hannah Kahn was loved and cherished greatly by all and will be much missed. Hannah is survived by her four children, Joan, Martin, Peter and Naomi, and her grandchildren, Colin, Micah, Caleb and Max. Among other organizations, Hannah was a longtime supporter of the ACLU and those wishing to may make a contribution in her name.

April 13, 2022

Obituaries 4/13/2022

Richard “Dick” Christian

Richard “Dick” Christian passed away peacefully on February 14, surrounded by his family. He was 95 years old.

Dick was a Princeton resident from 1981 to 2004, when he moved to Stonebridge at Montgomery.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he grew up in Berkeley, California, where he and Mary Lou Neidenbach were married in April 1950. In September 1950, he joined the Navy, serving until March 1952.

On his return, he graduated from San Francisco State College and began to work for station KQED, the first public broadcasting television station in California. He had his own live jazz program hosting some of the great musicians of that era and produced and directed educational and public affairs programs.

In 1961, he and his family moved to Montclair, New Jersey, when he was offered a position in New York City with television station WNET, helping to launch the first metropolitan public broadcasting station.

While directing live television productions at the RCA Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in 1964, he was recruited by Visual Information Systems, early video pioneers credited with filming the Liston/Clay champion fight and the original Woodstock concert.

In 1980, Dick joined the sales and marketing department of Excertpa Medica, a full service global medical communications agency headquartered in Amsterdam, with a Princeton office, from which he retired in 1994.

His travels with the company and with his family took him to Japan, Australia, and Singapore, London, Paris, and Amsterdam, as well as Alaska, Mexico, Italy, and Greece.  As a sailor and Bay Area native, his favorite city was always Venice.

Dick was active in the Unitarian Church in Montclair and Princeton. In Princeton, he was involved with the men’s group and played in the bell choir.  He was also an enthusiastic advocate for The Princeton Festival, twice playing non-singing roles in their operas. At Stonebridge, he belonged to several social groups and committees, and created and hosted many popular activities with such zest and attention to detail that they became lasting traditions. As Commodore of the Stonebridge Yacht Club (a position he once held with the Lake Carnegie Sailing Club), he was responsible for its annual Regatta (“anything that floats”) on the Great Pond, a fall favorite of residents, their families, and friends.

Sailing, following his beloved Yankees’ games, even going occasionally to their spring training in Florida, playing poker and gin rummy were a few of his many pleasures. But music, especially jazz, was his true love. After playing the violin as a boy, he turned to the piano, taking lessons and concentrating on jazz.   

Dick was predeceased by his wife, Mary Lou. He is survived by his son, Murray and daughter-in-law, Tricia, his sons, Andrew and Matthew, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.   

He leaves a huge hole in the hearts of his family and countless number of friends. His unfailing optimism, warmth, and incomparable sense of humor touched everyone around him and brought new life to any party or group. As one of his friends so aptly said, “Everybody loved that guy.”    

A celebration of Dick’s life will be held at Stonebridge on Saturday, April 23, at 4 p.m.

———

Elizabeth Cooper

Early on the morning of March 29, Betty Cooper died peacefully.

She was born Elizabeth Lyles Edwards on April 4, 1925 and welcomed into a big multigenerational house in Tarboro, North Carolina. It’s there she undoubtedly learned to always welcome everyone and anyone into her home and life.

She was always driven academically, graduating from Tarboro High School as the Valedictorian of her class, followed by two years at St Mary’s Junior College where she was active, in what seems like all the appropriate clubs, as well as being elected Student Body President. She then went on to earn her BA in Mathematics from Chapel Hill in 1945 in one of the first graduating classes that included women.

She married at a young age to a theologian and minister. It was during this time she was exposed to the bigger world, with trips to Europe as well as the experience of living at several top universities along the East Coast. They also had a son we called Mac.

She later landed in Philadelphia where, while she was working for Towers Perrin, she met her second husband and started another chapter. Together they had two children, Grant and Lucy. They became pioneers of the, then newly-built, planned community of Reston, VA, and then moved to Princeton, NJ, in 1972.

She was giving, more than most, hosting any friend as long as needed, always sharing her table and a good home cooked meal. She could often be found working in the garden but gave a good bit of her time to volunteering for, in particular, Meals on Wheels, accounting for a Trenton Co-Op, and, due to her love of books, at several libraries.

She would never have called herself social, but her giving nature and good southern charm made her sometimes irresistible. She was “sharp as a briar” as one of her relatives called her and was so until the day she died, just days before her 97th birthday. Her innate wisdom will be missed by all who knew her.

She is predeceased by her two husbands, Robert M. McNair and G. Ashley Cooper, and son Robert M. McNair Jr.

She leaves behind her two remaining children, her stepdaughter Carol and her husband, two amazing daughters-in-law, and seven grandchildren. She will be greatly missed.

Extend condolences and share remembrances at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

———

Gordon Oscar Danser

Gordon Oscar Danser, 77, of Lawrenceville, NJ passed away Friday, March 25 of injuries sustained in a tragic car accident. He passed away peacefully under the care of Trustbridge Hospice at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida with his loving daughters by his side.

Gordon was born on November 11, 1944, in Trenton, NJ to Oscar and Evelyn Danser. He grew up working on the family’s potato farm, attended Hightstown High School, and graduated in 1962. He was no stranger to hard work. He delivered milk for Conover’s Dairy, his grandmother’s farm, and served with the United States Coast Guard while he attended Rider College where he graduated in 1968 with a degree in accounting. Immediately upon graduating, he joined Parsons, Foy and Murphy as an accountant. In 1986 he founded Danser, Balaam and Frank in Princeton, which specialized in fiduciary tax and accounting. As a highly regarded CPA, Gordon also served as a fiduciary on many trusts and estates. He highly valued his clients and was honored with the trust they placed in him. He also served as Treasurer at different times for the Princeton Area Community Foundation and Drumthwacket.

Gordon was known as a kind and generous man. He offered sage advice, made friends easily, was quick to laugh, and was always well dressed. He loved to go deep sea-fishing and entered many tournaments coming away with some sizable catches and even bigger fish stories! He played many rounds of golf with family and friends and cherished playing mini golf with his grandchildren. Gordon spent many fun-filled summers in Long Beach Island, sailing the Catboat and especially loved taking friends and family out on his Boston Whaler. He found St. Maarten in the 1980s, fell in love with the island and vacationed there every year. Of course, he ended up with good friends down there, too.

He is predeceased by his father Oscar Young Danser, Mother Evelyn Conover Danser and sister Audrey Stahl. He is survived by his daughters Elise DeLucia (Phyllis DeLucia) and Andrea Danser (Brian Anger), grandsons, Trevor Pelcz, Tyler Pelcz, Jack Danser-Anger, Bennett Danser-Anger, step-grandsons, Zach Allen, Dante DeLucia, granddogs (Lucy, Max and Cooper), sister Connie Danser, brother Bill Danser (Linda Danser), several nieces and nephews, former wife and high school sweetheart Christine Theoharis Danser and friend and former Son-in-Law Doug Pelcz.

A memorial in Gordon’s honor will take place at the Nassau Club in Princeton on May 5 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. All those who loved Gordon are welcome. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests contributions to the Princeton Area Community Foundation.

———

Daniel Jonathan Milstein

Daniel Jonathan Milstein, 33, passed away February 23, 2022. Daniel, a resident of Somerville, Massachusetts, served as President of Intreeg, Inc., a brain interface endeavor developing devices operating on the brain waves of paralyzed people, until the time of his death. He previously worked at BrainGate which is affiliated with Brown and Stanford Universities. Daniel loved to sing, to learn, and to gather his friends and family, virtually or in person, and to make puns and write humorous songs. 

Daniel was born on June 20, 1988, in White Plains, NY, to Carol and Andrew Milstein who have resided in Princeton for more than 30 years. Daniel graduated Valedictorian from the Hun School of Princeton. After earning his A.B. in Computer Science with honors from Brown University, he went on to receive his Masters in Computer Science also from Brown University, where he treasured the friendships he made, including those made at Alpha Delta Phi. 

Daniel is survived by his parents, his sister Amanda Koppelman-Milstein (Charles), his nephews, William and Joshua, and many loving friends. Instead of flowers, please donate to a cause supporting renewable energy in his memory.

———

Frans Martin Djorup

Frans Martin Djorup, 91, a resident of The Commons in Lincoln, MA, and former longtime resident of Princeton, N.J., passed away peacefully at home on November 25, 2021.

Born in Philadelphia on November 8, 1930, he was the son of the late Frans and Anne (Baldwin) Djorup. Frans graduated from Abington Senior High School in 1948, and matriculated at Cornell University. He left Cornell for the Navy in 1951 where he served as a pilot. In 1955 he returned to Cornell to complete his undergraduate degree in engineering and physics, graduating with honors in 1958, and completing his PhD in 1963. While in school, he worked as a systems engineer for General Electric, and as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois.

After receiving his PhD, he and his family moved to Princeton, N.J., where he joined the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA) as a mathematician, focusing on cryptography. He retired from IDA in 1998.

Frans was an avid puzzle solver and game player. He enjoyed blasting through the New York Times crossword puzzle (always with either a No. 1 pencil and his Pink Pearl eraser, or later in life using only a ballpoint pen and only the “Down” clues), and solving mathematical and logic puzzles of all sorts. He also enjoyed watching old movies, of which he had an encyclopedic knowledge. And he loved sharing those passions with his children and grandchildren.

He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. He leaves behind his wife of 67 years, Marcia J. Djorup; their children, Mary Louise Krakauer (Wayland, MA), Christopher Djorup (Lansdale, PA), and Caroline Gerhardt (Baltimore, MD); his grandchildren, Caryn Krakauer (Wayland, MA), Kevin Krakauer (Sunnyvale, CA), and Domenic Sciancalepore (Lansdale, PA); and his sister Barbara Keen (Spokane, WA). His sister Marjorie Mack predeceased him. He also leaves behind his great-grandchildren, Sophie Lee Krakauer and Henry Lee Krakauer, who were born the day after he died.

Services will be private.

Contributions in his memory may be made to The McGovern Institute at MIT, which focuses on disorders of the brain, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

For his online guestbook, please visit www.DeeFuneralHome.com.

———

Martha Willis Bergey Wiser

Martha Willis Bergey Wiser, known as Patty to her family and Pat to everyone else, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2022.  She was 96, just shy 97.

Pat was born in Lewistown, Pa., and grew up there surrounded by an extended family and a town full of friends. Throughout her life, she spoke of her years there as idyllic. Due to wartime upheaval, she spent her senior year in Manhasset, N.Y., and graduated from high school there. She attended Pennsylvania State University for two years before withdrawing in 1946 to marry Forwood C. Wiser Jr., then a naval lieutenant in flight school at Corpus Christi, Texas.

During a number of naval postings on the Pacific coast and brief periods in Cambridge, Ma., and Chicago, Pat taught third grade at the Palo Alto Military Academy and was a bookseller at the Harvard Coop. After living briefly in Pittsburgh, the family settled in Bucks County, Pa., in 1955 where they lived for a dozen years before moving to Wellesley, Ma. In 1969, they moved to Princeton where Pat lived until her death.

Pat was a natural dancer, natural listener, and a natural flirt. She sketched like a breeze and drove like a bandit. She loved corn on the cob, Arpege, Persian Melon lipstick, pink roses, espadrilles and, above all else, milk chocolate. She had a lifelong aversion to exercise, healthy eating, flying, and sports. She was known never to break a sweat and never to miss a trick.  She was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and grandmother above all others.

Pat was a member of the Garden Club of Princeton, Greenfingers Garden Club, the Nassau Club, the Monday Ladies, the Reading Group, and Pretty Brook Tennis Club.

Predeceased by her husband, Forwood Cloud (Bud) Wiser Jr., and her brother, Karl H. Bergey Jr., Pat is survived by her daughter Ann Wiser Fries, her son-in-law Glen Fries and their children Willis and Elizabeth (Michael Landell), her son Forwood Cloud Wiser III, his wife, Katharine L. Adams and their children Forwood IV and Harriet. Her great-grandson Alexander McCord Landell was born in September 2021.

Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to HomeFront or TASK.

April 6, 2022

Obituaries 4/6/2022

Margaret Ashton

Margaret “Peggy” Hopkins Ashton, 94, formerly of Princeton and Ocean City, NJ, passed away peacefully on March 23, 2022 in Fairhope, AL. Born in Dayton, OH, on December 4, 1927, she was a graduate of Oak Park River Forest (IL) High School and Miami University. In addition to raising her family, Peggy was director of food service at The Hun School of Princeton and later spent many years as Field Director at The Gallup Organization.

A longtime member of the Princeton United Methodist Church, she was also a volunteer at Princeton Hospital and continued to serve at Thomas Hospital in Fairhope, AL.

At retirement, Peggy and her husband Paul moved to Ocean City, NJ, then traveled the country in their RV before settling in Summerdale, AL. Dating back to their years in Princeton they were avid RV rally masters and participants, particularly if the rally included square dancing.

Peggy was predeceased by her husband Paul in 2017 after 67 years of marriage, her parents Alva and Gladys Hopkins, and her sister Elizabeth Hopkins Schumm. She is survived by her sons Raymond (Jane) of Princeton, NJ, and Charles (Deadra) of Tunbridge, VT, as well as grandchildren Laura (Travis McCleary) of Sydney, Australia, Gregory (Kate) of Pennington, NJ, and Peter (Laura La Placa) of Sunnyvale, CA, and one great-granddaughter.

A private burial will be in Hopewell, NJ.

———

Debra Kahny Mercantini

Debra Kahny Mercantini, 56, of Robbinsville passed away suddenly on March 27, 2022.

Deb was born and raised in Princeton before moving to West Windsor, where she attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School. Deb was an advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault through Womanspace, the Secretary of the Princeton Environmental Commission, former Chairman of the Robbinsville Zoning Board, and was very much involved in the Youth Firesetter Prevention and Intervention Program. She worked for Princeton Township for 25 years.

Daughter of the late Harry and Linda Kahny, Deb is survived by her husband, Louis Mercantini, beloved daughter and son, Michelle Rogers and Tyler Mercantini, sister and brother-in-law, Lisa and Joseph Gorski, niece, Kathryn Gorski, mother-in-law, Joanne Mercantini, and precious granddaughter, Ja’Niyah Harrell. Deb will be remembered especially for her kindness, love of her family, and dear friends, dedication to charity work, and unwavering passion for the New York Yankees and Giants.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2022 from 5-8 p.m. with a service at 7:30 p.m. at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08542. 

In lieu of flowers the family respectfully requests memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society at cancer.org, or to a local charity of your choice.

———

Ruth Chambers Thornton

Ruth Chambers Thornton passed away peacefully in her home on March 1, 2022 at age 91, a Princeton resident for 65 years.

Ruth grew up in Bronxville N.Y. After Bronxville High, she spent her college years studying journalism and politics at Stephens College then on to the University of Wisconsin. Following a period of graduate study at Columbia University and assignments in New York for Radio Free Europe, Ruth went abroad to study at the University of Grenoble.

It was while she was a researcher and editor for the New York Times Paris Bureau that she met Jim Thornton on a blind date in a romantic French bistro. He proposed that night. They were married for 49 loving years of happiness.

Ruth and Jim moved to Princeton in 1957 where she became avidly active in dozens of community organizations, interests which continued over the next 65 years. Many flared into passions, including a true love of music. It was this passion which manifested in working with the NJSO, joining its Board of Directors in 1979 including a term as President of the Symphony Association’s Princeton/Mercer County Chapter. Ruth’s community involvement revolved around music including but definitely not limited to: Westminster Choir college fundraising, restructuring and endowments, decades with the Trinity Church Choir, and supporting the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, the Trenton Children’s Choir, and the Princeton Boychoir.

In addition, Ruth created two musical landmarks. First, the popular “Princeton Summer Sounds” music series which started as a YWCA youth fund project before being taken over by the Princeton Recreational Board. Second, the NJ Pops Concert, Princeton’s earliest 4th of July fireworks display with the NJSO accompanying.

Ruth’s musical philosophy could be summed up in her thought; “Musical performances in any guise allow people to enjoy their shared humanity.”

Trinity Church of Princeton held a special place in Ruth’s heart initiating her involvement in many aspects of the church; being part of the vestry, choir, search committee for a new rector and new choir director, Crisis Ministry, counseling service, prison outreach, Meals on Wheels, rummage sale, Women at the Well, and so much more. Trinity was a bastion of her spirituality and community.

Stuart School of the Sacred Heart also became a place of great joy for Ruth starting in 1981, when her daughter Kim entered ninth grade there. Ruth became involved in various SPA events, and became a “class mom.” She became more involved, next becoming a trustee in 1986 focusing on Stuart’s capital campaign. Ruth was part of a special vision for an enhanced chapel/performance art space at Stuart. Her true love of Stuart was expressed in her admiration for the people of Stuart, the leadership, educators, and staff that shape the future female leaders of our area.

The Princeton Public Library also fascinated Ruth. An avid reader and longtime supporter of the local library and it’s many programs, Ruth and Jim helped spearhead the fundraising and design when the time came for a major renovation into a new Library. Of particular pride was the assertion that the Library remain in downtown Princeton as a hub of culture, learning, and activity despite strong argument to relocate the Library on the edge of Princeton where it would have lost its focus and limited access for many Princetonians.

Some other noteworthy achievements: Ruth worked for the Princeton Packet, the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Foundation, and had been a freelance editor. She embraced the Save the Princeton Playhouse initiative, the local YWCA, Planned Parenthood, and the Historical Society.

Ruth was also known for being a sports enthusiast, enjoying sailing, skiing, and especially golf.

While a world golfer, she was also a longtime member of the Garden State Woman’s Golf Association. Ruth was an eight-time winner of the Woman’s Golf Championship at Springdale Golf Club spread over four decades. She was an exclusive member of the two-time “hole in one” club.

Travel was another of Ruth’s great loves. She, Jim, and best friends globe hopped at least once a year for decades reaching some of the most exotic corners of the world and bringing back the stories to match.

Ruth is mostly remembered for the vast variety of friends she amassed in the Princeton area and far beyond. Nearly each Easter day there was a new person to meet and include in the festivities.

She was truly a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, mentor, and friend to so many.

Ruth was preceded in death by her mother and father, Ruth and Jackson Chambers, and her sister Barbara Schreiner. She is survived by her sister Frances Joswick, her son Andrew S. Thornton, daughter Kim S. Taggart, and her grandchildren Elizabeth S. Taggart and Jeffrey S. Taggart.

Memorial Service: Saturday, April 23 at 11:30 a.m. at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ.

Memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Herrontown Woods, P.O. Box 1325, Princeton, NJ 08542 (online at https://www.fohw.org/p/donate_14.html) and/or a donation of choice in Ruth’s name.

Extend condolences and share remembrances at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

March 30, 2022

Obituaries 3/30/2022

Charles William Gear

Charles William Gear, widely known as Bill, a prominent computer scientist particularly known for his work in numerical analysis, died in Princeton, New Jersey, on March 15 at the age of 87.

Born February 1, 1935 to working-class parents in London, he studied at Cambridge University on a full scholarship. There, he “read” mathematics, but if you believe his own stories, he apparently spent most of his time in a scull, rowing on the Cam. Upon graduation in 1956, with Fulbright and Johnson Foundation support, he headed to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to learn about computers, still in the early stages of development. Initially intending to stay only for a year, he remained to earn a mathematics Ph.D. in 1960. Upon completing his degree, he went to work at IBM British Laboratories in Hursley. 

Two years later, he returned to the University of Illinois, where he rose through the faculty ranks from assistant professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics to full professor in 1969 and, in 1985, head of the computer science department, as well as professor of Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, and Electrical and Computer Engineering.

In 1990 he was named vice president of the computer science research division at the nascent NEC Research Institute in Princeton, New Jersey.  There, he established its computer division, and two years later became president of the Institute, which also supported physics research.

After retiring in 2000, he soon became a part-time senior scientist at Princeton University, where he continued research work, primarily with associates in the Chemical and Biological Engineering department.

A fellow of the National Academy of Engineering from 1991, he was elected five years later a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1987 he received an honorary doctorate from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Also a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, in 1987-88 he had served as president of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

In his free time, he regularly attended concerts, operas, and plays. He also enjoyed sailing, tennis, New York Times crossword puzzles, parties, and, above all, travel to destinations around the world.

He leaves his partner of 50 years, wife Ann Lee Morgan, an art historian; a daughter, K. Jodi Gear of Butte, Montana, and son, Christopher, of Reno, Nevada, both from an earlier marriage to Sharon Smith; four grandchildren; and a sister, Kate Redding, in England.

———

Richard J. Levine

Richard J. Levine, 80, of Princeton passed away Monday, March 21, 2022 at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center of Plainsboro after a brief battle with cancer.

A loving son, husband, father, grandfather, and brother; a dedicated, honored first lieutenant in the United States Army; and a nationally recognized journalist and publishing executive, Richard was born in New York City in 1942.

He attended Cornell University, where he attained a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations in 1962. He received a master’s degree in Journalism from Columbia University in 1963 and was awarded a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship from 1963-64.

He then served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1964-66 and was the recipient of the Army Commendation Medal.

He spent his entire professional career working for Dow Jones & Company, Inc., first as a reporter and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, covering labor, economics, and the military. Later he served as an executive, rising to the position of Vice President and Executive Editor of Dow Jones Newswires. After retiring as an active employee in 2006, he spent the next 15 years in a philanthropic role as the President of the Board of Directors of the Dow Jones News Fund, which aims to train the next generation of journalists.

He was an avid tennis player and active in supporting the arts in the Princeton community. He served on the boards of numerous local nonprofit organizations, including National Junior Tennis & Learning of Trenton, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and McCarter Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Richard is predeceased by his parents, Irving J. and Dorothy (Thome) Levine. He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Neil Ann (Stuckey) Levine; two sons and daughters-in-law, Jonathan and Elizabeth Levine, Russell and Susan Levine; a sister and brother-in-law, Nancy and Peter Castro; and five grandchildren, Emma, Caroline, Andrew, Trevor, and Lindsay.

A visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. on Monday, April 4, 2022, at Mather Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08542. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 4, 2022, at Mather Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08542. Burial will follow in Washington Crossing National Cemetery, 830 Highland Road Newtown, PA 18940.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: National Junior Tennis and Learning of Trenton (njtloftrenton.org/donate) or Dow Jones News Fund (dowjonesnewsfund.org/donate/)

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Caitlin Ward Schuele

Caitlin Ward Schuele, born February 28, 1952, in Rockville Centre, New York, passed away on Tuesday, March 15 at her home in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. She battled Lymphoma, an unwelcome guest, that developed unexpectedly.

Caitlin Schuele was reared in Princeton, New Jersey, a daughter of Elaine W. Schuele and Norman A. Schuele Jr. In her formative years she was educated there. Upon graduating from Princeton High School, she matriculated with the Class of 1974 at Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida.

Her studies were her pursuit and it had been said she was never seen without a book in hand. Lawrence Thompson, the traveling companion and confidant of Robert Frost, and who was his Pulitzer Prize Biographer, became Caitlin’s mentor saying she was the best read young lady he’s ever come across while persuading her to transfer to the University of New Hampshire to major in English. He had been the Curator of Rare Books at The Princeton University Library. After graduating from UNH Caitlin obtained a master’s degree in Reading and the Language Arts from Rider College, Lawrenceville, NJ.

Caitlin’s dedication to mastering the English language was her foundation for a noteworthy career in education. She became the Headmistress of the Princeton Academy, Princeton, New Jersey. Under her tutelage the Princeton Academy became Chartered by the State of New Jersey. It taught adolescents who were cognitively impaired with either visual impairments, a behavioral disorder causing an intellectual disability and / or an auditory deficiency. The role she undertook was to oversee that the school would advance the aspirations of each student by bettering their academic performance and social development.

Later Caitlin’s career path was as a high school English teacher at Triton Regional High School in Runnemede, New Jersey. She also assisted coaching tennis. As at the Princeton Academy, her devotion to her students’ well-being at Triton Regional, and in her success to teach them, shortly was recognized by the faculty, the parents, and the Board of Education. In a high school that had more than 1,100 students enrolled, with the necessary support staff of educational professionals, Caitlin was awarded the recognition by the Board of Education as the Teacher of the Year. Caitlin’s career as an educator became sidelined due to family illness.

Returning to her parents’ home in Cornish, New Hampshire, her intellectual interest to learn was not set aside. Under the auspices of the NH Vocational Rehabilitation, Dept. of Education, she learned Braille so that she might be helpful in future years. Meanwhile, Caitlin worked marketing her brother’s antique business. When she was in NYC being introduced to his contacts, she and George Soros entertained one another talking about things of the past — period French antiques of the 17th and 18th centuries. Antiques were to her an interesting reflection based on history, somewhat dormant though cast in heritage. Her appreciation of the present always was being enlivened by flowers, the composition of gardens and landscape architecture. Her flower gardens framed by built rock walls had been included at one point on the Cornish, NH, garden tour.

Because the family home was sold Caitlin relocated to Ocala, Florida, to associate herself with Jane Schuele Booth in her aunt’s thoroughbred and realty businesses. When events caused change, she moved north to Pisgah Forest, North Carolina, southwest of Asheville. Here, on a mountainous landscape commanding an unobstructed panoramic vista with a 531’ waterfall, Caitlin’s pleasure to nurture nature’s beauty created a contoured landscape using just shy of 300 flowering shrubs. All these needed to be cultivated and watered for many years. However, after five years for various personal and business reasons she along with her English Setters went back to the state where she had been familiar, New Hampshire.

She is survived by one brother residing in Sugar Hill, NH, and an older sister and brother-in-law who reside in Topeka, Kansas. First cousins live in Belmont, MA, Buffalo, NY, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Ventura County, California. Services will be private.

To view an online memorial and/or send a message of condolence to the family, please visit rand-wilson.com.