Obituaries 12/11/19 | Town Topics (2024)

Robert Carithers (Bob) Duncan, Jr.

On Monday, November 25, 2019, Robert Carithers (Bob) Duncan, Jr., loving husband, biological father of four, father-in-fact to one, and father-in-law, grandfather, and great-grandfather to many, passed away peacefully at home at the age of 90, with his devoted wife Helen at his side. Adoring family and friends surrounded him throughout his final days.

Bob was born on July 1, 1929, in Washington, D.C., to Robert Carithers Duncan and Jane McMullan Duncan of Chevy Chase, Maryland. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in the District of Columbia in 1947, and received his BA from Union College in 1951, and his MA in Physics from Cornell University in 1958. When not leading memorable summer family camping adventures, he worked as a research physicist for many years at RCA Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey, publishing numerous research papers between 1958 and 1977. He was later conscripted to serve in the delicate role of facilities allocation manager there until his retirement in 1987. Freed of a nine to five commitment, Bob then perfected his talents (and nourished his innate curiosity) as a home handyman, amateur tennis player, storyteller, instinctive educator, aspiring sailor, non-fiction book aficionado, Maryland crab picker, and New York Times crossword puzzler, and spent as much time as possible “puttering” and relaxing on the porch of the Duncan family cottage on the banks of the Potomac River in Southern Maryland.

Bob married his high school sweetheart and wife of 67 years, Helen Sheppard Duncan, on June 27, 1952. They raised two sons, Rob and Dave, and two daughters, Carol and Karen, in the home in which Helen still resides in Princeton, New Jersey. Their integrated-by-design neighborhood, and the civil and human rights ideals upon which it was founded in the late 1950s, remained — aside from family and children, whom he considered critical to that mission — the most important commitment of Bob’s adult life. Bob was a member of the Princeton Housing Group, which focused on fair housing initiatives during that time, and he and Helen routinely invited foreign students and young people facing challenging circ*mstances into their home over the years. Bob continued to take an active role in supporting equal rights on both the national and local level through the rest of his life.

Bob was a participating member of the Nassau Presbyterian Church from the time he and Helen joined in 1960, serving in various capacities on assorted committees over the years, supporting incarcerated youth, working on revitalization projects in Trenton, and leading immigration rights and other community service initiatives well into his late 80s. He was President of the Princeton YMCA Service Club in 1961-2 and 1965-6, and was elected to the West Windsor Township Board of Education in 1966. He served on the school board until 1975, and was chosen as its President during the period in which the Township planned, funded, constructed, and inhabited its first high school, now West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South. In spite of what he perceived as a naturally introverted and reserved personality, Bob’s thoughtful and heartfelt (and, when appropriate, humorous) words were welcomed, respected, powerful, and convincing in support of this endeavor, as they were on so many diverse occasions throughout his adult life.

Bob was preceded in death by his father and mother and brother, Bruce. He is survived by his wife, Helen; his four children and their families: Rob, Jennifer, Amy Cameron and Natalie Duncan; David, Valerie, Jennifer, Sarah (Turner), Katie, Cameron, Ashley (Webb) and Grayson Duncan; Carol, Elizabeth and Christopher Quin; and Karen, Chris, Stach, Jana, Rye and Li Jaran; much-loved spouses and significant others of several of his grandchildren; and Bryan Mitnaul — who Bob and Helen have considered part of their family since he grew up with their children as a next door neighbor — and his children David and Todd.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2019 at the Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey, at 4 p.m. Donations in Bob’s honor may be made to the International Rescue Committee or Nassau Presbyterian Church’s Hunger Fund.

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Judith Applegate

Judith Applegate of Princeton, New Jersey. Deceased, December 3, 2019, age 83, after a long illness.

Born in 1936 in Northern New Jersey, the daughter of the late John Bayles Applegate (1900-1978) and Pauline Hammell Applegate (1908-1993), Ms. Applegate grew up in Westfield and Harding Township. She attended Kent Place School, received her B.A. in the History of Art from Brown University, and completed graduate-level work at the University of Chicago. Her professional career in the arts included work as an Assistant Curator with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Director of Education and Chief Curator at the DeCordova Museum; Director of New York’s Place des Antiquaires International Antiques Center; Vice President, Citibank Art Advisory Services; and Director of the Litchfield Auction Gallery of Connecticut.

Always interested in education, Ms. Applegate held various adjunct teaching positions throughout her career, most recently with the Cooper-Hewitt Museum graduate program, the Bard Graduate Center, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. With her former husband, Irving Slavid, she ran a successful antiques business in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Returning to New Jersey in 1994, Ms. Applegate settled in Princeton, where she enjoyed helping with the Master Gardeners of Mercer County and continued to run her own art and antiques appraisal business before retiring in 2016.

She was predeceased by her brother John W. Applegate of California.

Ms. Applegate is survived by her daughter Suzy Cain of Wellington, New Zealand; two grandchildren, Joseph Cain of New York and Wilson Cain of New Zealand; a niece and nephew, Jennifer Applegate and Charles Applegate, both of California; and one grand-nephew, Timothy Applegate, also of California.

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Marie-Antoinette Pinard

On Wednesday, December 4, 2019, Marie-Antoinette Pinard transitioned to heaven. Antoinette’s journey began in St. Marc Haiti, her place of birth. Mrs. Pinard attended the Ecole Elie DuBois for girls in Haiti and taught elementary school in Haiti for 15 years. After teaching, she acted as the Secretary of Presidential candidate, Clement Jumelle, under the administration of President Estimé.

In 1970, in search of a place to live out her dreams and share herself with the world, Mrs. Pinard emigrated to Princeton from Haiti. And we are all better for it.

Arriving in Princeton, Mrs. Pinard worked at Princeton Medical Center for over 25 years. Princeton became the birthplace of Andre V. Pinard, her beloved son and only child. Both Andre and Antoinette made the most of Princeton, capitalizing on its reputable public school system. Education had always been something that Mrs. Pinard took very seriously. Andre attended Community Park, John Witherspoon, and Princeton High School before graduating from Connecticut College in 1994.

Antoinette dedicated her life to the nurturing of her large extended family and made it a point to continue to take care of her family in Haiti by bringing them to the United States. Those of us who knew her know that her nurturing extended far outside of her extended family. We have all been nurtured, in some way, by Marie Antoinette Pinard. And we are blessed to have been able to experience the love that she gave, consistently, with class and some sass, if you deserved it.

Mrs. Pinard is survived by her son and his wife, Folake, sister, Nicole Lopez, and four brothers, Noe St. Juste, Emmanuel St. Juste, Elie St. Juste, and Michelet Jean-François as well as her three grandchildren, Ajani, Anais, and Amelie, her cousin Bertha Toussaint, and many nieces and nephews including Sophia, Bobby, Carla, Julio, Lucas, Edson, Vava, Mayerling, Jacques, Mimi, Sandra, Sade, Naomi, Raquel, Romy, Marjorie, and Carine.

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Marie retired after 50 years as a legal secretary with the law firm of Smith, Stratton, Wise, Heher and Brennan of Princeton.

Daughter of the late Harold and Elsie (Duffield) Stone, she is survived by a sister, Joan Froehlich of Princeton; a niece, Denise Hewitt of Allentown, NJ; a great niece, Abigail Hewitt and great nephew, Wesley Hewitt; niece Lorise Furey of Wayne, PA, great niece Lila Furey and great nephew, Bryce Furey.

Burial will be at the convenience of the family.

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

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Elisabeth Borgerhoff-Pomerleau

Elisabeth Borgerhoff-Pomerleau, daughter of Professor and Mrs. E. B. O. Borgerhoff, died peacefully at home in Mount Vernon, Maine, on November 8, 2019, surrounded by her loving family and friends.

Beth was born on August 20, 1951 in Princeton, New Jersey. She attended Rose Cottage Nursery School, Nassau Street School, Miss Fines School, and Princeton Day School. Beth was a brilliant student, especially of writing, languages, and music. She began studying piano as a young girl and later became a student of Naomi Chandler with whom she developed a lasting friendship. While studying Russian in high school, Beth traveled to Russia with the American Field Service, and went again to teach English in St. Petersburg. Beth was an editor for the PDS publication Cymbals, and a frequent contributor of poetry and prose. She sang with the school choir and madrigal group.

In the fall of 1969, Beth entered Yale University as a member of the first coed class at Yale. She majored in Russian Studies and was a founding member of the Yale Slavic Chorus. After graduating from Yale, Beth moved to Maine and in 1978 met Ricky Pomerleau. Beth and Ricky were married on November 4, 1995 by the Reverend Thomas Hagen, O.M.I., at the Princeton University Chapel in Princeton, New Jersey.

Beth quickly became in demand in Maine. She was sought after to serve as interpreter for Russian sailing crews arriving in Maine seaports. She provided piano and accordion accompaniment for a variety of dance groups, and performed frequently at the Center for Cultural Exchange in Portland, Maine. She was a member of the band The Ambassadors, which toured in the U.S. and Europe and released a live recorded album. She traveled with Project Troubador’s “Whistle Stop to China Tour” in the provinces, and to Shanghai and Beijing. Beth played with Alan Shavash Bardezbanian and His Middle Eastern Ensemble. The group toured and later recorded the CD “Oud Masterpieces: From Armenia, Turkey and the Middle East” which had international sales.

Beth was a much loved and respected piano teacher to children and adults in Bath, Maine, and at home in Mount Vernon. Many of her students became close friends and during Beth’s illness expressed their gratitude to her for the invaluable life lessons through which she lovingly guided them.

Beth studied painting theory and techniques at the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pennsylvania, with Violette de Mazia. Beth made both representational and impressionistic paintings on canvas and on paper, creating some paintings as small as one inch square. Inspired by the Ukranian pysanki, she developed techniques for making paintings on ostrich, goose, and pullet eggs. Among her large abstract paintings, some she cherished most were her final ones. They are a tribute to the wonderful play of shape and color. Beth’s work has been exhibited in South Windsor, Connecticut, at the Ann Weber Gallery in Georgetown, Maine, and at Thomas College in Waterville, Maine. One of her seascapes is on permanent exhibit in the Upper School Library at Princeton Day School. Beth is represented by the CG Gallery, Ltd. in Princeton, New Jersey.

Beth was an excellent swimmer and avid reader of fiction and nonfiction. She loved nature and all nature’s creatures, especially birds, and was a dedicated ornithologist.

Beth was predeceased by her parents, E.B.O. Borgerhoff and Cornelia N. Borgerhoff, and by her sister Jane C. Borgerhoff.

She is survived, and will be forever missed, by Ricky, her loving husband of 41 years; stepson Raven; her sister Ledlie Borgerhoff of Princeton, N.J.; nephew and niece Arthur and Cornelia Borgerhoff of Chestnut Hill, Pa.; sister-in-law Susan Quinn and spouse John of Beverly, Mass.; brother-in-law Marc Pomerleau and spouse Curt Knight of Kea’au, Hawai’i; along with many beloved cousins, nephews, and nieces; cherished friends; and faithful dog Winston.

Sincere and heartfelt thanks to the nurses and doctors of the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care and to the Maine General Hospice of Augusta, Maine.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Thursday, November 21 at the St. Augustine Church in Augusta, Maine. A memorial service for Beth will be held in Princeton, New Jersey at the Princeton University Chapel on Sunday, June 14, 2020 at 1 p.m.

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Henry Jones

A wonderful husband, dad, and Pop Pop and the patriarch of our family, Henry (Buddy) Jones passed away unexpectedly on December 5, 2019. He was 78 years old.

Henry was born in Camden, NJ, to the late Henry and Dorothy (Higgins) Jones and was stepson of the late John Fiumenero. He was also predeceased by his wife’s parents, the late Anthony and Catherine Cirullo, who loved him as a son, and his late brother-in-law Michael Cirullo. Henry spent his childhood in Kingston, NJ. After marriage, he lived in Princeton, and finally Lawrenceville, for the past 45 years.

Henry was a member of Carpenter’s Local #781 – Princeton and served as Business Representative for 17 years. He retired in 1996. He was also a volunteer firefighter for Mercer Engine Company #3 in Princeton for many years.

The epitome of a family man, Henry was always ready to support his wife, children, and grandchildren in all their endeavors. A skilled woodworker, he produced many cherished items for family and friends. His backyard Koi pond gave him many hours of pleasure and at times, frustration. He was an enthusiastic NHRA fan. He enjoyed cruise vacations and especially enjoyed family summer shore vacations, 16 people in one house.

Henry was the #1 fan of his children’s and grandchildren’s activities and sporting events. He often proudly said, “If I had a nickel for every game I went to, I would have lots of money.” He loved every minute of it and took delight in all their accomplishments.

A quiet man who faced many health challenges throughout his life, Henry did it with bravery, grace, and dignity and a lot of wit. He had a wry sense of humor and could regale others with laughter.

Surviving Henry is his loving wife of 53 years, Frances Jones (Cirullo); his sons Henry (Rick) and wife Jennifer, Mark and wife Jennifer; daughters Karen Truban and husband Paul, Rebecca and husband Ray Pyontek. He is also survived by his cherished grandchildren Peyton, Alex, and Kathryn Truban, Liz and Caitlin Jones and Nate Jones.

Also surviving are his brother Anthony (Tony) and wife Jeanette Fiumenero, and brother-in-law Anthony and wife Donna Cirullo. He is survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, lifelong friends, and his faithful canine companion Gracie.

We were blessed by his life and are grateful for the way he lived it and will cherish our many wonderful memories.

Services were held at Mather Hodge Funeral Home and interment at Princeton Cemetery.

If you wish, donations may be made to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), P.O. Box 872, Trenton, NJ 08605, Homefront, 1880 Princeton Avenue, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648 or The Salvation Army, at Salvationarmyusa.org.

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Marilyn R. Wellemeyer

Marilyn R. Wellemeyer died peacefully in her apartment in New York City on Sunday morning December 1, 2019. Marilyn was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 3, 1925. In her early years she attended public schools in St. Rose and Destrahan before moving on to the Louise S. McGehee School in New Orleans from which she graduated in 1942. The school honored her with its Distinguished Alumna Award in 1989.

She attended Bryn Mawr College because it offered her a larger scholarship package than did Vassar or Wellesley. Marilyn majored in French and graduated Cum Laude in 1946. She then went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne for one year where she studied French literature and philosophy.

Marilyn returned to the States in 1947 and worked for what was then called the Central Intelligence Organization as a translator/researcher. In addition to being fluent in French, Marilyn also had a reading knowledge of German, Italian, and Spanish.

Marilyn left the CIO in 1949 to pursue a degree in Modern European History at Columbia University during which time she was also an Administrative Assistant in the French department between 1949 and 1951. Her thesis, The Politics of Decolonization: France and Morocco, was eventually published by Columbia University Press in the Dean’s Papers in June 1969.

In 1951 Marilyn joined Time Magazine as an editorial trainee and secretary to the Foreign News Editor. From 1952 through 1955 she was a researcher in the Foreign News Department of Time before she moved to the Foreign News section of LIFE as a reporter in 1955. In 1959 she became the Chief Reporter for the LIFE Foreign News Department until she was sent to Paris in 1961 as a correspondent in LIFE’s European Bureau. While in Paris she covered many fascinating developments such as the Ecumenical Council’s opening in Rome, the Pope’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Churchill’s funeral, a special issue on the USSR, as well as the European reaction to the deaths of Kennedy and Nehru. She also spent time in Tokyo preparing a special issue of LIFE on Japan as well as stories on the Tokyo Olympics and Emperor Hirohito.

In 1965 Marilyn returned to New York as Assistant Editor in LIFE’s Modern Living department, where she focused on urban affairs and architecture. She interviewed Dallas Mayor Erik Jonsson as part of the story on the rebirth of Dallas.

Marilyn then transferred to Fortune Magazine as Associate Editor where she wrote 158 articles, all but 30 of which appeared in a monthly column in Fortune entitled On Your Own Time. These stories took her to Bonaire in the Caribbean for undersea photography, to Iceland for salmon fishing, to an archaeological dig in Texas and to a ski patrol in Vermont amongst many other locations. Many of these articles have been collected in a book by Marilyn, On Your Own Time: The Fortune Guide to Executive Leisure.

Upon her retirement from Fortune, Marilyn became active in the Women’s City Club of New York (WCC) a non-profit, non-partisan, multi-issue activist organization dedicated to improving the lives of all New Yorkers. (The Club is now known as Women Creating Change.) In 2009 she was recognized by the WCC as its Honoree of the Year with the following description of her efforts on its behalf:

“MARILYN WELLEMEYER, a WCC member since 1996, is the Chair of WCC’s Communication Committee. She is currently the Editor of AGENDA, a post she has held for the last five years and was the Editor of BULLETIN for 11 years. Marilyn served two three-year terms on the Nominating Committee and is currently on the Executive and Membership Committees.”

Despite her very busy and exciting life, Marilyn always made time to spend with her friends and family. She was a member of the Cosmopolitan Club in New York City for many years. She was also one of the many volunteers who organized the Bryn Mawr book sale held every spring at Princeton Day School.

Marilyn first became acquainted with the Princeton area in 1949 when her parents bought a farm on Bedens Brook Road. She enjoyed visiting the farm on weekends to recharge her batteries after very late nights “putting to bed” magazines on which she was working. After her retirement, she purchased a home in Princeton in 1990 where she enjoyed gardening; she knew all the Latin names as well as the common names of the species in her garden.

Marilyn is survived by her brother John, and his wife, Louise, who live in Princeton, New Jersey, with their twin sons, Douglas and James. She is also survived by her nephew, Robert Wellemeyer and his wife, Beth, of Castleton, Virginia; her nephew William Wellemeyer and his wife, Lori, of Shreveport, Louisiana; and her niece Edith Wellemeyer of Lafayette, Louisiana. Bob is the father of Autumn Reynolds of Palmyra, Virginia and Ry and Dane Wellemeyer of Castleton, Virginia. William is the father of William John Wellemeyer of College Station, Texas. Marilyn’s brother, William R. Wellemeyer of Covington Louisiana, the father of Robert, William and Edith predeceased Marilyn. Her parents, Elmer Haefner Wellemeyer and Edith Hess Wellemeyer of Skillman, New Jersey, also predeceased her.

A funeral service will be held at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home at 40 Vandeventer Avenue in Princeton beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 21. It is suggested that anyone wishing to remember Marilyn make a gift to the financial aid funds at Bryn Mawr College and/or The Louise S. McGehee School: Alumni Relations and Development, Bryn Mawr College, 101 North Merion Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010; The Office of Development, The Louise S. McGehee School, 2343 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA 70130.

Written by: Town Topics Newspaper