Lalitha Harish-Chandra

Lalitha Harish-Chandra, known as Lily, passed away at home on Thursday, January 24, 2019.

Born in Warsaw, Poland, Lily spent most of her childhood in Bangalore, India, with her Polish mother and Indian father. Lily’s father was an agricultural scientist; her mother, after earning a doctoral degree in child psychology, became a teacher of French, German, and Russian at the Indian Institute of Science. When her family spent time in Italy, Lily added Italian to her language repertoire that already included English, French, and Hindi. In 1939 Lily and her mother were returning to India from Italy by ship on the day England declared war on Germany. Her father came home six months later after a long eastward journey by land, and Lily loved hearing stories of his adventures on this desert trip during her childhood.

One of Lily’s mother’s students, 22-year-old Harish Chandra, lodged in her family’s house and first met Lily when she was 11 years old. Seven years later the couple were married in Mysore; they then moved to the U.S. where Harish had a faculty position in the mathematics department at Columbia University. Subsequently Lily earned a B.S. in zoology from Barnard College and later she studied Linguistics at Columbia. Their two daughters were born in New York City. In 1963 Harish was offered a position at the Institute for Advanced Study and the family moved to Princeton. They spent many happy years here. After a long illness, Harish passed away in 1983.

During the more than 50 years that she lived in Princeton, Lily was an active participant in the town’s community life. As a faculty wife, a parent, a coworker, and later as a senior resident, she always welcomed newcomers and maintained ties to those she had known for many years. After her children left home, Lily joined the staff of the International Finance Section of Princeton University’s Department of Economics, where she worked for 11 years. Prior to this, she was a volunteer at Princeton’s Professional Roster; here Lily took a special interest in women who were returning to work outside the home after raising children. For many years Lily also served on the boards of Crossroads Nursery School and of Princeton Community Housing.

1n 2012 Lily moved to Windrows. She always wanted to maintain her independence, an aspect of life in the U.S. that she particularly liked. Amiable, inclusive, gracious, and articulate, Lily was a dear friend worth having.  Lily will be dearly missed by many.  She is survived by daughters Premala of Highland Park, NJ, Devaki of Berkeley, CA, and four grandchildren. 

A celebration of Lily’s life will be held on February 23, 2019 at 3:30 p.m. at the Institute of Advanced Study, 1 Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, and all who knew and loved Lily are most welcome. Her family suggests that donations in Lily’s memory may be given to the following organizations:  Doctors Without Borders, Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, and Women for Women International.

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William Dudley Jones

Lieutenant Colonel William Dudley Jones passed away, surrounded by love, on February 13, 2019 in Skillman, NJ. He was 86.  

Known for his extraordinary kindness and telling wonderful stories, Bill loved his beloved wife, children, and grandchildren above all things. He was a proud West Point graduate who served and gave unselfishly to his country, his family, his God, his friends, and community. Our hearts are broken but we are richer for being loved by him. 

Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Newton Wesley Jones and Elizabeth Dudley Jones. He is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Nancy Dawn Zarker Jones; daughter Jennie Dawn Jones Hanson (husband Jeff Hanson) of Nashville, TN; son Wesley Zarker Jones (wife Kim Durham) of Chesapeake, VA; and four “grand” grandchildren Connor Wesley Jones, Christian William Hanson, Taylor Carolyn Jones, and Sara Dawn Hanson. 

Born May 7, 1932 in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, Bill graduated from high school in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1953, and Princeton University with a Master’s in Civil Engineering in 1958. He served 20 years active duty in the U.S. Army with service in Korea, Europe, Southeast Asia, and various locations in the continental U.S. He served in the Corp of Engineers and later in the Medical Service Corp. Bill received numerous military awards including Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Korea Service Medal, UN Service Medal, National Defense Medal with One Oak Leaf Cluster, and Ranger TAB.  

Retiring from active military service in 1973, Bill continued his service to others with a 20-year civilian healthcare administration career at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, NJ, as Director of Facilities and then as Vice President of Support Services. He was a Fellow of both the American Society of Civil Engineers and American Society of Healthcare Engineers. He also served as President of the Healthcare Engineers of New Jersey, spoke nationally on leadership, and was an Instructor for The Goldfarb Institute.

Bill was a 45-year resident of Belle Mead. Known as a tremendously caring person, Bill volunteered often in his community, serving on the Montgomery Township Board of Health, School Board Management Review Committee, and Citizen’s Advisory Board. Bill was an Eagle Scott and continued his lifelong support of this program as an Eagle Scout Advisor for Boy Scout Troop 46. He and his wife were avid travelers, enjoying trips to Russia, Kenya, and Churchill Canada, and taking their family on many wonderful family reunions. 

A deeply religious man with a generous heart, Bill was a professed life member of the Third Order of Society of Saint Francis. He was Episcopalian, a past associate member of the Montgomery United Methodist Church, and most recently attended the Princeton United Methodist Church. He loved his church, gave generously to charity, and was grateful for and blessed by family and friends. 

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Hillsborough Funeral Home, Hillsborough, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Princeton United Methodist Church or the United States Military Academy at West Point.