Margaret Keating Chisholm

Margaret Keating (Meg) Chisholm, 78, a resident of Princeton Windrows in Plainsboro, formerly of Princeton, passed away peacefully at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center surrounded by her family on August 28, 2015 after suffering a sudden hemorrhagic stroke. She is survived by her loving husband Richard Chisholm; her three children, David Zucker of Winnetka, Ill.; Deborah Phillips of Swedesboro, N.J.; Laura Ciemniecki of Kendall Park; and eight adored grandchildren. She is also survived by her brothers, John and Michael Keating; five step children, Paul, Jennifer, Alexandra, Barbara and Christine Chisholm; five step grandchildren and several step great grandchildren. Meg was born in Washington, D.C. in 1936 to Dr. Joseph Keating and Margaret Shepherdson Keating. She is predeceased by her parents and by a sister, Kathleen Flink.

Meg grew up in Passaic, N.J. and graduated from Lacordaire Academy in Montclair, where she starred on the basketball team. She received a degree in mathematics from Seton Hill College and a masters degree in counseling from Northeastern University. She worked for 30 years as a counselor at New York and New Jersey high schools, 20 of them as director of guidance, where she had an important impact on many young lives. She was a pioneer in starting peer-helping programs in schools and helped to found a Peer Leaders Association which developed into a state organization and eventually into a national network. Meg always considered this work, involving colleagues and students, as one of the most satisfying and joyful accomplishments of her career. After college, Meg had also served for three years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force where she was in charge of the computer center at Chenault A.F. Base in Louisana.

There will be a memorial service for Meg at Princeton Windrows in October 2015.

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Sonja Hayes

Sonja was born August 9, 1932 in the town of Königshain in the Saxony State of Germany to Gregor Haase and Emma Ella Brühl.

After surviving the Second World War as a child living near Dresden, Sonja moved to the city of Trier in West Germany and started a family with John Hayes who was working for defense contractors in post-war Europe. Sonja received her pilot’s license while living in France and continued her passion for flying after moving to the U.S. in California and eventually New Jersey. She earned her airline transport rating (ATP) and was a certified flight instructor (CFII), through which she shared her love of flying with many students over the years. Sonja became a naturalized U.S. citizen and was a member of the Civil Air Patrol.

Sonja worked in the corporate travel industry, which provided opportunities for journeys around the world, including extensive travel in Europe, India, South America, and Africa. Sonja had a special fondness for wildlife and was an avid dog enthusiast. She had many furry companions over the years, especially poodles and dalmatians.

Through her flying, traveling, and love of family and friends, and with boundless energy and spirit, Sonja touched the lives of many people throughout her life and will be truly missed.

She is survived by her daughter, Michaela Van Orden, of Flemington; three grandchildren, nephews, and cousins in Germany; and her beloved Dalmatian and constant companion, Norton.

A memorial gathering will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2015, at the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue Princeton from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with remembrances beginning at 12:30 p.m.

To extend condolences and to sign the guest book, visit www.TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.

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Sheila Margaret Ager

Sheila Margaret Ager, 80, of Princeton, died peacefully September 4, 2015 after a long illness, her family by her side. She was born September 15, 1934 in Manchester, England to William Alexander Wilcox and Hannah Holt. There she attended the Manchester High School for Girls and matriculated to Oxford University where she earned a degree in modern history and met the love of her life, John Winfrid Ager.

They married in Black Mountain, North Carolina and lived briefly in Buffalo, New York, before settling in Princeton. There she taught Latin and History at Miss Fine’s School before moving to the Educational Testing Service, where she became head of test development for the College Board SAT and AP programs.

She was predeceased by her brother, Arthur William Wilcox, an officer in the Royal Navy. She is survived by her devoted husband; her loving children, Catherine (Kit) Ager Chandler, and John Winfrid Ager; and five grandchildren, her pride and joy — Sarah, William, Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Belle. A brilliant and pioneering career woman, she adored her family and lived life on her own terms. She will be remembered with love and appreciation, always.

Mrs. Ager’s family will be celebrating her life in a private ceremony.

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Cynthia K. Phillips

Cynthia Kieras Phillips, 61, of Princeton died Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro after a long illness. Born in Holyoke, Mass., she was raised in Chicopee, Mass. She moved to New Jersey in 1982 and was a resident of Rocky Hill and Kingston before moving to Princeton in 1991. Daughter of the late Henry and Elizabeth (Slesinski) Kieras, she is survived by her husband Michael W. Phillips, a son Benjamin H. Phillips, two brothers Philip H. and Michael L. Kieras, and a sister Audrey M. Kieras.

Cynthia had a lifelong passion for science, physics, and astronomy. After graduating from Chicopee High School in 1972, she studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a Bachelors of Science in 1976. She continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison earning a Masters Degree in physics in 1977 and a PhD in 1982 specializing in radio frequency heating of plasmas.

After university, Cynthia devoted her professional life to the advancement of fusion energy science. She started research at Princeton University in 1983 and went on to become a principal research physicist at the Plasma Physics Laboratory and lecturer with rank of professor in the Department of Astrophysical Sciences. She loved teaching and mentoring graduate students and postdocs. An active leader and contributor to the radio frequency physics community, she was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2005. She was an APS-DPP Distinguished Lecturer, 2001-2002, and a member of Sigma Xi.

Throughout life, Cynthia was known for her intellect, wit, and kindness. You could always count on her frank opinion and keen sense of humor. She was especially devoted to her family and loved to cook.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2015, at St. Paul’s Church, 214 Nassau Street, Princeton. Burial followed in Princeton Cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.

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Memorial Announcement

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 4 p.m., a celebration of the life and work of Professor Charles Townsend (1932-2015) will be held in the Chancellor Green rotunda at Princeton University. The event is sponsored by the Princeton Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, which Mr. Townsend chaired for 32 consecutive years. Please RSVP to Kate Fischer at kate@princeton.edu.