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Robert Carter Miller Jr.
Robert Carter Miller Jr. passed away peacefully at Acorn Glen in Princeton on January 5, 2017. Bob was born July 1, 1936, in Huntington, N.Y., to Robert Carter Miller and Mildred “Moo Moo” Baylis Miller, and was a resident of New Jersey for most of his life. He was married twice, first to Sandra Schuessler Miller and then to Ruth Gibson Miller. He spent his early life in Princeton, where he attended Nassau Elementary School and Princeton Country Day School before advancing onto the Taft School in Watertown, Conn. He followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather by attending Princeton University, graduating in 1958 with a BA in English. During college, Bob played freshman soccer and was a member of the swim team for two years. He sang in the University Chapel choir and was a member of Tower Club. After two years in the Army stationed in Fort Polk, La., Bob began his professional life as a teacher. He taught for the next 20 years as a Middle School teacher and soccer coach at the newly formed Princeton Day School. He took great pride in the final chapter of his teaching career — learning sign language and working at the New Jersey School for the Deaf in Ewing until his retirement. Bob was a nature enthusiast and had an encyclopedic knowledge when it came to identifying flora and fauna. He was deeply passionate about history, especially the history of Native Americans. He treasured finding arrowheads, spearheads, and even an ax on the former LenniLenape encampment near his boyhood home. He loved to walk his dogs in the Institute Woods and was fond of camping and hiking in Stoke State Forest and Sunfish Pond. He worked with inner city children at the Princeton Summer Camp in Blairstown and kept in touch with the program through the years. It was always a source of joy for him. Bob enjoyed a very active social life, attending Scottish Country Dance classes in the local area for over three decades. He loved all things Princeton. He was an act ive member of the Princeton University Chapel and was a supporter of Princeton University athletics, with his favorites being football, men’s hockey, men’s lacrosse and men’s soccer. Bob was well traveled and trotted the globe from Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe. Bob is sur vived by his daughter, Ann Paiva; son,
A ndrew Brewster Car ter Miller; grandson, Alexander Joachim Paiva; granddaughter, Sophie Joachim Paiva; and his sister, Nancy Baylis Miller. He is predeceased by his daughter, Fiona Gibson Miller and brother, Thomas Brush Miller. A memorial service for Bob will be held on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, at the Princeton University Chapel at 1:30 p.m. followed by a reception at Murray Dodge Hall, Princeton University, at 3 p.m. Interment will be private. Memorial donations can be made in Bob’s honor to the Princeton-Blairstown Center. http://princetonblairstown.org/donate-now. ———
Ann France Freda Ann France Freda, 89, died January 21, 2017 at University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro surrounded by her family. Mrs. Freda, a longtime resident of Princeton, was a RN working on the surgical floors A-1, A-3, and J-6 of Princeton Hospital. While on A-1 she was promoted to Head Nurse, that title was changed to Nursing Care Coordinator (NCC) years later. Mrs. Freda had a stellar reputation and was known to run a tight ship with excellent patient outcomes; she was loved by her patients and respected by physicians, nurses, and other hospital staff. Many members of her former nursing staff credit her with instilling in them the importance of patient care, treating every patient with dignity and respect. Mrs. Freda went back to school at the age of 51 to earn her BS degree. She retired in 1997 as the NCC of J-6. In retirement Mrs. Freda participated in the Grandpal Reading Program at Littlebrook Elementary School serving as a Grandpal for many children, including two of her own grandchildren. She was a longtime parishioner of St Paul’s Catholic Church. Mrs. Freda was born on March 31, 1927, in Scranton, Pa., to Gertrude and Stanford France. Mrs. Freda graduated from St. Mary Hospital School of Nursing in Scranton before moving to Princeton in 1951 to start her nursing career at Princeton Hospital. She was married in 1951 and raised three children in Princeton. Mrs. Freda is survived by her children, Maureen Freda Peterson and husband, William Peterson, of Bowie, Maryland; Kathy Freda of Olympia, Washington; Mark Freda and his wife, Beth Ogilvie Freda, of Princeton; her beloved grandchildren, Brandon Boyd of Aliso Viejo, California; Dawn Boyd of Billings, Montana; and Rebecca and Alex Freda of Princeton. She is also survived by her sisterin-law, Rosemary Roberto, of Hamilton, New Jersey and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents and her dear sister, Barbara France Dunne of Manassas, Virginia. Contributions in her memory may be made to: Princeton HealthCare System Foundation and directed to the Annual Fund, Hospice or any other department at Princeton HealthCare System Foundation, 3626 US Route One, Princeton, NJ 08540. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 26, 2017 at St. Paul’s Church 216 Nassau Street, Princeton. Burial will follow at the
Princeton Cemetery. Fr iends may call on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton.
Ruth S. Houck Borgia Ruth S. Houck Borgia, 96, daughter of Bethenia and Ernest Stout died at her home in Lawrence Township on Tuesday January 17, 2017. Ruth is survived by 7 children Shirley Houck, Harry Houck, Robert Houck, Carol Ciarlone, Richard Houck, Ruth Donhauser, and Jeffrey Houck. She is also survived by 17 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren and 4 greatgreat grandchildren. Ruth worked at the New Jersey Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles. She had several hobbies that she thoroughly enjoyed throughout her life that included knitting, crocheting, weaving, and growing roses. She was a member of the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company and the Oratorio Choir at Germantown First Presbyterian Church in Germantown, Pa. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 1 p.m. in the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08542 followed by interment at Kingston Cemetery, Kingston, NJ. Friends may call Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the funeral home. Extend condolences and remembrances at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.
Kenneth George Negus Kenneth George Negus, 89, of Ewing passed away suddenly at his residence on Friday, January 20, 2017. Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he lived in Princeton for many years before his recent move to Ewing. He earned his PhD from Princeton University and taught graduate level German literature at Princeton University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, and Rutgers University. Kenneth served in the U.S. Army in Germany after the end of World War II. He cofounded the Astrological Society of Princeton and was its president for 44 years. He published Johannes Kepler’s astrological writings, wrote
poetry, loved to garden and cook, take walks, sing, and play classical guitar. He was predeceased by his first wife, Joan Negus in 1997. Surviving are his wife Carol Raine, a daughter and son-in-law Niki Giberson and Gary (Port Republic, N.J.), two sons and daughters-inlaw; Chris Negus and Sheree (Manchester, N.H.) and Jon Negus and Jacque (Palatine, Ill.); 8 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. Visiting hours at the funeral home are Friday, January 27, 2017 from 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral services will be held at the Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Avenue, Princeton, NJ on Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 3 p.m. followed by burial at Fountain Lawn Memorial Park in Ewing, NJ. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Astrological Society of Princeton. Please make checks payable to ASP c/o D. Orr, 14 Ravine Drive, Matawan, NJ 07747. Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.
or events anywhere in North America. She howled with wolves on Isle Royale, Michigan, watched polar bears in Churchill Manitoba, and hiked in Pangnirtung, Nunavit Territory. (She conceded the use of an airplane to reach places that did not have roads.) A devoted mother and grandmother, she had a charm and positive energy that brightened the day of all who met her. Preceded in death by her former husband and her son Dale James Bennett, she is survived by her daughter Nancy Bennett and grandchildren Neil and Ivor Havkin of West Windsor and daughter Emily Jane Bennett and grandchildren Sarah, Patrick, and Kathleen Neff of Golden, Colo. A funeral mass is scheduled at the chapel at St. Mary’s Assisted Living, 1 Bishops Drive, Lawrenceville at 2 p.m. Saturday January 28th. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Pet Rescue of Mercer, PO Box 2574, Hamilton NJ, 08690 petrescueofmercer.org.
George Eugene Zeitlin Emily L. Bennett Emily (“Elva”) Langford Bennet t died peacefully Wednesday January 22, at her home at St. Mary’s Assisted Living in Lawrenceville at age 93. The daughter of the late Fr a n ci s D a ly a n d Ver a Sweeney, Emily was born and raised in St. Paul Minnesota and attended St. John’s School and Hamline University. She worked for the U.S. Armed Forces Radio Service in Vienna after World War II and studied opera with renowned Austrian opera singers Fritz and Louisa Krenn. Following her marriage to fellow American Frank Bennett, the couple returned to the United States while Frank completed his studies at MIT. They eventually settled in Lawrenceville in order for Frank to take a position as director of engineering at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. In addition to raising three children, Emily worked as an administrative assistant for the Princeton University Alumni Council for almost 25 years. Following her University retirement, she worked as private secretary to emeritus physics professor John Archibald Wheeler, who acknowledged her assistance in his autobiography Geons, Black Holes, and Quantum Foam: A Life in Physics. A lifelong bibliophile she was a member of the Bronte Society, the St. Andrew Society, the English Speaking Union, and the Princeton Folk Music Society. Emily loved to travel and thought nothing of jumping into the car with one or more family members for long, cross-country drives (camping along the way) to visit friends, family, places,
George Eugene Zeitlin, 86, resident of both New York and Princeton, and a leading tax partner at Chadbourne and Parke, and a former dean of the tax law program at New York University School of Law, died Jan. 19, 2017, after a four-month illness, with family and friends in close attendance. He was a vigorous and active man who played tennis twice a week, belonged to a bridge club, and did the New York Times crossword puzzle in ink every day. He was an enthusiastic world traveler who had most recently returned from a trip to northern Greece, and had a lifelong devotion to Judaism and Jewish learning. He greatly enjoyed his profession of tax attorney. He was a partner at Chadbourne for 34 years and kept up a full client caseload until he became ill in the fall. He handled bet-the-company IRS audits for corporations and advised on mergers and acquisitions and tax issues facing high net-worth individuals. “George was one of the true lions of the tax bar,” said Chadbourne tax department chair William Cavanagh, adding he was the firm’s lead tax partner in the 1980s and 1990s. “George had a broad command of almost all areas of tax law, which is somewhat unique for a tax lawyer,” Cavanagh said. “He was a very gifted and creative problem solver. George could take the most complex tax problem and reduce it down to simple, understandable terms and then come up with a solution.” Zeitlin began his career as a tax lawyer at Chadbourne in 1955 after graduating from Columbia Law School in 1953 and serving a tour of duty in the U.S. Army. He earned his
LLM in Taxation from NYU in 1961. He briefly left Chadbourne to serve as deputy tax legislative counsel in the U.S. Treasury Department in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Zeitlin returned to New York in 1966, serving as a full-time tax professor at New York University School of Law until 1982. He was an associate dean of the graduate tax division of the law school from 1975 to 1982, overseeing the school’s LLM program. While on the law school’s full-time faculty, Zeitlin was counsel to Chadbourne. He became a partner at the firm after stepping down as associate dean in 1982. He continued to teach part time in the school’s tax program until just a few years ago. Zeitlin was attracted to tax law for the puzzles inherent in the practice, said his daughter, Judith. “He liked the problem solving and the abstract nature of the problem,” she said. She added that her father was a “child of the Depression” and enjoyed having more than one job throughout his life. “He was a man of tremendous energy and dedication,” who was uninhibited and liked to tell jokes, she said. “He was a warm, gregarious guy who remembered all his students,” Cavanagh added, noting he frequently kept in touch with his former students who viewed him as a resource. “He was master teacher in that he would make sure young tax lawyers would understand all aspects of a transaction.” His wife of 63 years, Froma Zeitlin (now emeritus), was Charles Ewing Professor of Greek Language and Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature in the Department of Classics at Princeton University (1976-2010). He supported her enthusiastically throughout the years in all her scholarly enterprises and took enormous pride in her accomplishments. George continued to spend weekdays in New York at his law firm and his weekends in Princeton, a town which he loved and where he made numerous friends, as he did everywhere he went throughout his life. They valued him among other virtues for his honesty, open-mindedness, empathy, legendary hospitality, and famous sense of humor. George was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on September 11, 1930, to Benjamin Zeitlin, a pharmacist, and Ruth Leiberman Zeitlin, a bookkeeper, who owned and operated their own pharmacy in several successive locations in Brooklyn and in the Bronx. He received his AB in 1951 from Columbia College, a JD in 1953 from Columbia University and LLM in taxation in 1961 from New York University. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Froma; his children Jonathan, Ariel; and Judith (and son-in-law, Wu Hung); his grandchildren, Sam and Joshua Zeitlin, Lida Zeitlin Wu, and Eve Cooke; his stepgranddaughter Nina Jiang and step-great-grandchildren Caitlyn and Lucas Kindij; as well as his brothers Richard and Paul. May his memory be for a blessing. Donations in George’s name may be made to the WallaceLyon-Eustice Tax Fund at NYU at law.nyu.edu or the American Jewish World Service at ajws.org.
33 • TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, JANuARY 25, 2017
Obituaries