Ralph Schoenstein
Ralph Schoenstein, 73, a longtime resident of Princeton, died August 24 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania following complications from heart surgery. A noted humorist, he was the author of 18 books, including The Block, Citizen Paul, Every Day is Sunday, You Can't Be Serious, Diamonds for Lori and Me, and Toilet Trained for Yale, which he was in the process of turning into an Off-Broadway musical at the time of his death. His I-Hate-Preppies Handbook was a best-seller.
Born in New York City, he was educated at Stuyvesant High School and Columbia University.
The holder of the Playboy Award for humor and the Grantland Rice Award for sportswriting, he wrote for The New Yorker, Playboy, The New York Times, New York Newsday, and the New York Daily News. Through his friendship with the author P.G. Wodehouse, he became the American correspondent for Punch, and was a founding writer for New York magazine. His work was also heard through his regular commentaries on National Public Radio's All Things Considered.
Mr. Schoenstein's work was well known for taking a long, hard, and humorous look at his life and craft. From his earliest days transcribing his sergeant's one-liners at Fort Dix, to his experience as an ABC commentator (he was jailed at the 1968 Chicago Democratic convention for impersonating a police officer) and a professional writer (the White House tried to kill his book about Lyndon Johnson's dogs), his work captured the joys and frustrations of a writer's life.
He also wrote books for Bill Cosby, including the best-seller Fatherhood, and for Joan Rivers, Charles Osgood, and Ed McMahon.
He was the son of Paul Schoenstein, a Pulitzer Prize winner and managing editor of the New York Journal-American.
He is survived by his wife, Judith (Greenspan) Schoenstein; three daughters, Jill Feldman, Eve-Lynn Schefer, and Lori Schoenstein; a sister, Shira Stein; and three grandchildren.
The funeral service was August 27 at Temple Micah at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville.
Memorial donations may be made to the Ralph Schoenstein Fund of Princeton Little League, c/o Tesone Capital Management, 54 David Brearly Court, Princeton 08540. The fund provides need-based financial scholarships to children in the PLL program.
Funeral arrangements were by Orland's Ewing Memorial Chapel, Ewing Township.
Julia H. (Judy) Fulmer, 70, of Princeton, died August 19 at New York Presbyterian Hospital following an extended illness.
Born and raised in Westfield, she received a B.S. degree from the University of Rhode Island.
She was a former employee of the Princeton-based management firm of Kepner, Tregoe & Assoc., Inc. In the 1980s she pursued a career as a freelance photographer, specializing in black and white portraits of families.
She was a member of Nassau Presbyterian Church, The Bedens Brook Club, and The Present Day Club.
Her love of travel took her to all corners of the U.S. with her family, and on many tours with her husband throughout Europe, Turkey, China, and New Zealand. Central to her life was her allegiance to Princeton University, through her father Charles (class of '25), her brother Charles ('52), her husband Thomas ('56), her son Scott ('90), her brother-in-law David ('55), and dozens of friends in the class of 1956.
She is survived by her husband of 42 years, architect Thomas S. Fulmer; a daughter, Christine F. Goss of Jackson, Wyo.; a son, Scott of Hopewell; and a brother, Charles H. Hemminger of Northampton, Mass.
A memorial service will be held on September 22 at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau Street, at 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Princeton Area Community Foundation, 15 Princess Road, Lawrenceville 08648; or to The University Medical Center at Princeton, 253 Witherspoon Street, Princeton 08540.
Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home.
Behrends (Pete) Messer, Jr, 84, of Princeton, died August 28 at his home following a brief illness. Born in Yonkers, N.Y., he grew up in Edgemont, N.Y., where he was active in scouting, attaining Eagle Scout status. He graduated from Bronxville High School "with Distinction" and from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1943 with a degree in Civil Engineering.
During World War II, he attended the U.S. Army Engineer Officers Candidate School at Ft. Belvoir, Va. and was assigned to the Advanced Engineer Troop Training Program at Ft. Lewis, Wash. He then served in South Eastern China as a Special Intelligence Officer with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). After WW II he advanced to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
He retired in 1983 from Mobil Oil Research and Development Corp., where he was Manager of Wholesale Plant and Civil Engineering for 15 years. In his earlier years with Mobil Oil, which began in 1948, he managed a number of major construction projects in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East, as well as managing petroleum distribution terminals in the New York area.
A member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, International Standards Organization, and the Old Guard of Princeton, he was a licensed Professional Engineer in New York and New Jersey.
He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Buckhorn Messer, two daughters, Barbara Palomino of Clearwater, Fla. and Nancy Messer, of Greenport, N.Y., two sons, John Messer of Port Richey, Fla. and Bill Messer of Richmond, Va., six grandchildren, and stepsons John and Mike Paisley and stepdaughter Sally Vargas. He was pre-deceased by stepdaughter, Maire Paisley.
A memorial service will be conducted at the Princeton University Chapel on Tuesday, September 5 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to either Princeton Hospice or The St. Labre Indian School (www.stlabre.org). Interment at Mt. Hope Cemetery, Hastings-On-Hudson, N.Y., will be at a later date.
Michael Kevin McCloskey, 45, of Princeton, died August 26 at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Born in Princeton, he was a lifelong area resident.
A 1980 graduate of Princeton High School, he was employed at the Flower Market in Princeton. He also served as a volunteer fireman for various local fire companies.
A member of St. Paul's Church, he enjoyed fishing and golf.
He is survived by his parents, William David and Mary "Bridie" McCloskey of Princeton; and a sister, Missy Bruvik of Skillman.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated tomorrow, August 31, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Paul's Church, 214 Nassau Street.
Calling hours will be this evening, August 30, from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue.
Burial will be in St. Paul's cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 2250 Route 1, North Brunswick 08902-4301; or to St. Paul's School, 218 Nassau Street, Princeton 08540.