Galina Prilutskaya
June 6, 1955 – October 11, 2025
Galina Prilutskaya (Kaplan), 70, passed away at her home in Princeton, NJ, on October 11, 2025. She was an accomplished classical pianist, devoted teacher, and mentor to her students, and beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend.
Galina was born on June 6, 1955 in a suburb of Moscow, Russia, into a family of medical professionals. She charted her own path, found her passion for the piano at an early age, and studied with some of the most prominent professors of classical piano in Russia, graduating with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Pedagogy and Performance.
She met her future husband Arkadiy in a Moscow theater while they were both at university, and they married just several months later in 1976. Upon graduating, Galina toured and performed extensively throughout the Russia as a soloist, accompanist, and chamber musician. She also developed a love of teaching music and increasingly focused on classical piano and chamber music instruction, particularly after her own two children were born in 1985 and 1989.
In 1992, fleeing institutional antisemitism and seeking a better life for their children, Galina’s family moved to Princeton. Shortly thereafter, she began working as a teacher at the Westminster Conservatory of Music at Rider University, where she taught for more than 30 years and was a master faculty member. Galina also taught students of all ages, ranging from 3 to 93 years old, at her private studio.
While she continued to perform on stage throughout the United States, Galina was most passionate about developing and mentoring her students, whom she was devoted to with all her heart. Over the years, she received multiple prestigious teaching awards and her students, as winners of numerous competitions, have performed with orchestras at notable music halls around the world. Galina loved all music that brought people joy, and her legacy will live on through the hundreds of students and families with whom she shared the gift of music over her five decades of teaching and performing.
She is survived by her sister Sonya; her devoted husband Arkadiy; her loving sons Yuriy (Susannah) and Lenny; and her cherished grandchildren Jakob, Lukas, and Maks.
A memorial service was held on October 19, 2025 at the Star of David Memorial Chapel (Mather-Hodge) in Princeton, followed by burial at Princeton Cemetery.
Donations in Galina’s memory may be made to charities that support music education.
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Graydon Vanderbilt
Graydon Vanderbilt passed away peacefully at the age of 95 in her home in Princeton, NJ, on September 28, 2025. She was born Ann Graydon Smith in Nutley, NJ, and grew up there and in Garden City, NY. After graduating from the Garden City High School she attended Vassar College, where she got a degree in biology and physiology. She then married Robert (“Bob”) Vanderbilt, and together they raised two sons. The family lived first in Huntington, NY, and then returned to Garden City, where Graydon and Bob remained for more than 50 years.
Graydon held jobs and volunteer positions throughout her life. As a young parent, she worked part-time as a medical technician for a local doctor and as an assistant in the children’s section of the public library. When her children were in high school, she became active in the Garden City Student Exchange Program, serving as its president for a year and arranging for her own family to host a Dutch exchange student for six months. She went on to become an assistant to the Foreign Student Advisor at Adelphi University, and then Dean of Foreign Students at Hofstra University, where she served for many years.
Graydon was an avid gardener and tennis player, interests she shared with her husband Bob. Upon his retirement from Grumman Aerospace in Bethpage, NY, the two took the opportunity to travel frequently, enjoying many memorable international trips together.
After Bob passed away in 2010, Graydon moved to Windrows in Princeton, NJ, near the home of one of her sons. She remained there for the final 13-year chapter of her life. Graydon quickly made many friends and became a well-known figure. She chaired the gardening and landscaping committees, and for many years was the organizer of the weekly program of outside speakers.
Graydon was a person of wide interests, perhaps influenced by her father, a commercial artist by profession and a scholar of Shakespearean theaters by avocation, and her mother, who graduated from Wellesley College and wrote two books on Long Island history. Graydon was also a very talented artist, with a specialty in botanical watercolors that decorated the walls of her apartment and those of friends and family. She stayed active, playing tennis into her 80s and ping-pong into her 90s. She always had a smile and encouraging words for all those around her.
Graydon is survived by her son Peter and daughter-in-law Marisa Vanderbilt; son David and daughter-in-law Roslyn Vanderbilt; granddaughter Karen Vanderbilt and husband Marc Shapiro; granddaughter Sarah Vanderbilt and partner Matt Stohrer; and great-grandchildren Hannah and Dylan Shapiro. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Youth for Understanding.
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Barbara E. Greenstein
January 21, 1932 – October 16, 2025
Barbara Elferink Greenstein, age 93, of Princeton, NJ, died peacefully at home on October 16, 2025, after a brief illness. Active until her final days, her children were by her side for her final weeks.
Born in Rochester, NY, Barbara received her BA in English from Vassar College (1953). She then moved to Boston, where she worked first for Harvard University Press and then as a research assistant to author Bernard DeVoto. Barbara met her husband, Fred I. Greenstein, in 1956, when both were attending graduate programs at Yale University. The couple married in 1957. After earning an MA in English (Yale 1956) and teaching certification, Barbara was employed as a primary school teacher at the Foote School. During their marriage, the Greensteins moved several times when Fred was either promoted or took sabbatical leaves.
In 1962 the family moved from New Haven to Middletown, CT. At that time, Barbara dedicated her time to full-time parenting and periodically taught classes at Middlesex Community College. In 1973, the family moved to Princeton, NJ. Once the family was settled, Barbara worked as an editor and writer at Educational Testing Service, and later made a mid-life career change to pursue a Master’s Degree in Social Service at Bryn Mawr College (1982). Barbara then worked as a clinical social worker at several agencies during her career, including the ARC of Somerset County, Trenton/Hopewell Family Service, Corner House Behavioral Health, and Trinity Counseling Center. As a certified LCSW, she later maintained a private practice in Lawrenceville, NJ. After retiring she advocated for abused and neglected children as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. Barbara also served in leadership positions for many local organizations, including Evergreen Forum, Princeton Pro Musica, and Musical Amateurs.
Barbara was an avid reader who participated in multiple book groups, and had just finished leading her final group in early September. A lover of all things music, Barbara was an accomplished pianist and flutist; she later dabbled with trombone and oboe. A talented soprano, Barbara was a devoted longtime member of Princeton Pro Musica and was a member of the Princeton Society of Musical Amateurs. She attended countless concerts, operas, and theater performances.
Barbara and her late husband Fred were enthusiastic travelers, having toured 32 countries across five continents. Living abroad for extended periods during Fred’s sabbaticals in England and Australia were pivotal experiences for Barbara. Her love of nature included family walks in the woods, gardening, and bird watching. Creative skills included poetry writing, handmade wooden toys, photography, basketry, needlepoint, crochet, and knitting countless children’s sweaters with matching vests for teddy bears. Naturally, she was the chief repair person in the house.
At Princeton Windrows, Barbara was a longtime editor and writer for the Window on Windrows Newsletter, she volunteered on the Landscape Committee, and was a regular at the Mexican Train Dominoes table. Her thoughtful ear, intellect, spirit of participation, no-nonsense nature, and creativity inspired Barbara’s children and grandchildren.
Predeceased by her husband of 61 years, Fred I. Greenstein (Princeton Professor Emeritus), and by her sister Elizabeth Cayer, Barbara is survived by her son Michael Greenstein (Nettie Kurtz Greenstein), and her twin daughters Amy Dahn (William Dahn) and Jessica Greenstein (Eric Hollman); and her grandchildren Ryan Dahn (Katya Motyl), Emma Greenstein, Cory Dahn (Tyler Van Derveer), Nathan Greenstein, Benjamin Hollman, Samuel Hollman; and her great-grandson, Felix Dahn-Motyl. She is also survived by her sister, Dorothy Maples, her brother George Elferink, as well as a large extended family of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A memorial gathering for family and friends will take place on November 2, 2025 at Princeton Windrows, 2000 Windrow Drive, Princeton, NJ from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. The memorial service begins at 10:30 a.m. with private interment following at Princeton Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Vassar College Fund, Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, or Princeton Pro Musica.
Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.
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Rita M. Boccanfuso
Rita M. (Dalle Pezze) Boccanfuso, 77, of Hamilton, passed away peacefully on October 22, 2025 with her cherished family by her side. She was a loving wife, devoted mother, treasured MomMom, and dear friend to many.
Rita was born in Princeton, NJ, to the late Angelo and Yolanda Dalle Pezze. She grew up in Princeton, where she met the love of her life, Vince, to whom she was married for 54 wonderful years. Rita attended Littlebrook School, Princeton High School, and Georgian Court College. She was a first grade teacher at Mercerville School until she became a stay-at-home mom to her two beloved daughters. She was the best mother her daughters could have asked for — devoted, selfless, and endlessly loving. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for them, and her unwavering support and care shaped their lives in countless ways.
She loved traveling with her husband, especially to the Iberostar Grand in Montego Bay. She had a lifelong fascination with airplanes and found joy in simply watching them take off and land. In 2024, her husband arranged a trip to St. Maarten so she could experience the thrill of watching planes descend over Maho Beach. She loved shopping and going out to lunch with her daughters. Every summer, she looked forward to spending time in Ocean City, NJ, watching her granddaughters go on the rides and play on the beach. Her pride and joy was watching her granddaughter Madison’s dance recitals and competitions, and she absolutely couldn’t wait to see Madison’s first movie premiere, which she joyously attended this year. She loved flowers, dining out, blueberry wine, and dark chocolate. Rita was at her happiest when she was with her husband Vince and when spending time with her children and grandchildren. She will be remembered by all who had the honor of knowing her for her kind, caring and beautifully sweet demeanor.
Rita will be dearly missed by her devoted husband, Vincent Boccanfuso; her daughters, Lynn Azarchi and Beth Bokop; her son-in-law, Deron Bokop; her grandchildren, Madison and Macy Azarchi, and Christian, Cole, and Brielle Bokop; her brother John Dalle Pezze and his wife Georgia; her brother-in-law Anthony Boccanfuso and his wife Joyce; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Angelo and Yolanda Dalle Pezze.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 214 Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey. Donations in memory of Rita can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association online at donorservices.alz.org or by mail to Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011.
Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.
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Fleur Elizabeth Varney Chandler
(1933-2025)
Fleur Elizabeth Varney Chandler, aged 92, passed away peacefully at Pennswood Village, in Newtown, PA, where she and her husband of 70 years, Dr. James John (“Jay”) Chandler, lived since 2016, following 50 years as residents of Princeton, NJ.
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Fleur moved with her family several times so her father could pursue his Army career, but upon his retirement after WWII, they settled in Rocky River, Ohio. It was there, in her hometown high school, that Fleur caught the eye of a handsome upperclassman, Jay Chandler, who became the love of her life. Their seven decades-long love story was a partnership marked by mutual respect, an enduring affection for each other, a commitment to give back to their discovery of new places and cultures.
Fleur earned a scholarship to attend Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, where she nurtured her lifelong commitment to learning but also cultivated an elegant curiosity about the world and a blossoming love for Jay, who was attending Dartmouth College, 115 miles north in Hanover, NH. Soon after graduation in June 1955, Fleur donned her wedding dress, and the family dog promptly leapt through her veil. Undeterred, the high school sweethearts said, “I do,” vowing “to love and cherish each other ‘til death do us part.” That they did.
Early in their marriage, while Jay pursued his medical degree at the University of Michigan, Fleur loved teaching first graders in Saline, Michigan, and later was a substitute teacher in other communities where she lived. Jay’s career in medicine and as a Naval Officer brought them to Boston, MA, Newport, RI, Portland OR, and Newfoundland, Canada, where Fleur hosted a radio show on the Naval base every Friday, and where their daughter, Jennifer Fleur Chandler, was born. When Jay completed his surgical residency in 1965, the Chandlers settled in Princeton, NJ. Fleur loved living in Princeton where she dove into serving on the Women’s Auxiliary of the Princeton Medical Center as President and on the hospital’s board. Along with other doctors’ wives she enthusiastically committed to baking hundreds of strawberry shortcakes for the Strawberry Patch at the famous annual “Hospital Fete.” Pursuing her commitment to education and service she created an endowed scholarship at her alma mater, Mount Holyoke College, and valued her volunteer work for the Mount Holyoke Club of Princeton and as well as fellowship through her membership in the Present Day Club. Alongside Jay she was a strong supporter of Princeton Day School, All Saints Church in Princeton, and Womanspace, as well as other nonprofits in Mercer County, NJ.
An animated presence and gardener of note, Fleur knew the name and temperament of every flower in her garden, which she nurtured as intentionally as her many friendships. Everyone marveled that she never forgot to send greeting cards to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Fleur was also known for her gracious manners and ability to make everyone feel appreciated, including those who cared for her at the end of her life. She loved a good party and took great joy in cooking, setting a beautiful table, and making sure everyone’s plate was full.
Fleur shared her love of learning and interest in the history and cuisine of different cultures with Jay. Together they often entertained in the home they adored, designed by noted Princeton-area architect Rolf Bauhan, and traveled widely, but Fleur’s favorite spot in the world was their summer cottage in Quebec, built by Jay’s grandparents in the 1930s. There, on an island in the middle of a large Canadian lake, Fleur celebrated being in harmony with family, friends, and nature. Canada was where she honeymooned with Jay in 1955, bonded with family, celebrated many of her own birthdays and wedding anniversaries, loved listening to the loons and watching the moon rise, hosted dinner parties and porch “wine tastings,” caught fish, and expertly cooked them. It often seemed that for Fleur, the rest of the year was waiting to return to Canada. For loving and being loved by Jay for 70 years, Fleur’s life was blessed, and when adversity faced her, that love and her faith, as well as the support of family and the skilled caregivers at Pennswood Village, gave her comfort and strength.
She is survived and lovingly remembered by her husband, Dr. James John (Jay) Chandler, who resides at Pennswood Village in Newtown, PA; her daughter, Jennifer Chandler Hauge (Potomac Falls, VA) and treasured grandchildren, Camden Chandler Hauge of (New York, NY) [Lucas Sin] and Michael Lansdowne Hauge (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia); her younger brothers, Dr. James (Jim) Varney [Ruth], also of Princeton, NJ, and Tom Varney [Linda Martin] of Hilliard, Ohio; as well as her sons-in-law, Stephen B. Hauge (Morristown, NJ) and Steven N. Berk (Potomac Falls, VA), As an extra bonus, Fleur was lovingly “adopted” by two wonderful “bonus” children and their families, Emily Bakemeier (Guilford, CT) and Dylan Hogarty (Princeton, NJ and New York, NY).
A memorial service will be held at All Saints Church at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Fleur’s memory to the Fleur Varney Chandler ’55 Endowed Scholarship at Mount Holyoke College; to Pennswood Village, Newtown, PA; or to Younity (formerly Womanspace), in Lawrenceville, NJ.
Arrangements are under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
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Barbara Marcoe Scott
Barbara Marcoe Scott, born 10 February 1932, went to Heaven 19 October 2025.
She wore her Old Philadelphia History lightly on her sleeve. Both grandfathers had been Doctors, University of Pennsylvania, Medical Class of 1889, where they commissioned a certain young artist to portray Dr. D. H. Agnew performing surgery in front of his students, the leader of whom, Dr. J. Allison Scott, insisted upon being shown sleeping in class. The Agnew Clinic is the largest painting Thomas Eakins ever made and, though still owned by the University, can be seen at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Her great uncle was a United States Senator who founded a law firm which still bears his name. Her father, Ernest Scott, succeeded him as its Managing Partner. He also served as Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar and Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania. His portrait hangs in the University’s Law School.
Growing up, Barbara and her ever so slightly older twin sister, Annis Lee (called the “Twins” by their mother but “A” and “B” by everyone else), would load their two other sisters, Cintra and Diana, onto the family pony cart and drive them to school at Agnes Irwin. Upon return, they all tried to get their “little brother” David (he grew to 6 feet 4) to muck the stall.
Barbara was not a doctor or a lawyer. She was an athlete, quite a good one, and played field hockey, basketball, lacrosse, and tennis at the University of Pennsylvania. She rode and showed horses all her life, winning Blues at Devon, Harrisburg, Washington, D.C., and the Hampton Classic. She almost won at the Garden.
While at University, she met James W. Lillie. They married and had four children: Lydia S. Hall (David), Christopher W. Lillie (Patricia), James W. Lillie III (Maureen McCaffrey), and Derek S. Lillie (Lisa). In time, they would bring her so many grand and great-grandchildren that she couldn’t remember their names.
After moving to Princeton, New Jersey, Barbara enrolled her daughter in a newly-opened school, Stuart County Day. There, in face-offs during a Mother-Daughter Field Hockey match, where only one other mother knew how to play, she pulled an “Illegal Bully” three times and scored before any of the daughters had even touched the ball. The next day, the Head of School called and offered her a coaching job.
Barbara also was the school’s first Basketball Coach. Since it didn’t yet have a gymnasium, she would take the girls outside and teach them dribbling and passing in the parking lot. Clearing the ice and snow made great warm up exercise.
And, yes, she was the school’s first Lacrosse Coach.
Her field hockey and lacrosse teams did well, winning and losing any number of championships. However, because the rules of women’s basketball were changing, she struggled. Along came a Princeton University freshman, Thomas H. Tarantino, who served as her Assistant Coach. And when he graduated, he told her “I hope I can find someone just like you.” Thirteen years later, he did.
So Barbara began a second life, managing a real-estate office and counting house, where her words were soft but her decisions firm. This was followed by 25 years of travel and reflection.
She is survived by her Assistant Coach, who became her best friend, husband, partner, co-author, and fellow traveler.
Did they have a song? Absolutely. And a favorite verse:
“Sail on Silver Girl
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
Your dreams are on their way.”
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Mary Acheson Bundy
Mary Acheson Bundy lived a long life filled with a passion for friends, family, the arts, and world affairs. She died at the age of 101 on September 22 in Lexington, MA. Mary grew up in Washington, D.C., where her parents had first moved when her father, Dean Acheson, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. Acheson later held many positions in the State Department eventually becoming Secretary of State under President Truman. Mary’s mother, Alice Acheson, came from a long line of artists.
In 1943, at 18 and a beauty, Mary married William P. Bundy, the son of family friends. Soon Bill, a Lieutenant in the Signal Corps, was sent to England for classified cryptographic work. After 1973 he was able to explain he had been the American commander stationed at Bletchley Park decoding the Nazi “Enigma,” an enciphering devise that was a proto-computer. Mary also worked breaking codes, in her case the Japanese code “Magic.” She made the initial hit on the Japanese Ambassador’s report of his tour of the German defenses along the Normandy coast — the only source of intelligence available to the Allies.
In April of 1945 Mary discovered she had tuberculosis. She spent five years at a sanatorium near Saranac Lake, NY. Briefly well enough to return to Washington in 1947, the birth of her first child in 1949 coincided with a relapse. Mary returned to Saranac and underwent a thorocoplasty, an operation that removed seven of her ribs and collapsed her infected left lung. After a long period of recovery, Mary returned to her husband and child in Washington.
The young couple eventually had two more children. Bill’s career shifted from intelligence work in the Office of National Estimates under the legendary Sherman Kent at the CIA to the Defense Department and eventually to State, where he was Under Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs, deeply enmeshed in the tragedy of the Vietnam War. Throughout this period Mary and Bill were a mainstay of the Washington social scene.
The election of Richard Nixon in 1968 provided a change of venue and the family moved first to Cambridge, MA, then settled in Princeton NJ in 1971, which remained Mary’s home until 2014. She loved her life in Princeton, making a fabulously landscaped estate with flower gardens and a fairly large vegetable garden. The energy crisis of 1973 threw her into land conservation, alternative energy, watershed protection, and other issues of wise management of natural resources. She also returned to her early devotion to art, taking classes and experimenting with various media.
Mary’s husband Bill died in 2000. After a period of grief, Mary re-emerged, embracing her art fully. She developed a decade long devotion to an old friend, Thomas George, son of Rube Goldberg, and an artist himself. It was under Tom’s guidance that Mary developed the discipline that led to a burgeoning two-pronged career as a landscape artist, working in pastel, and as a portrait artist, starting with a portrait of the diplomat, George Kennan, and soon including virtually all the Nobel Laureates in the Princeton area.
In 2013 at the age of 89, Mary moved to Brookhaven at Lexington, a welcoming community, and Mary was soon making portraits of her new friends’ grandchildren. She thrived in the very sociable community. Her vibrancy was felt by all. She remained outgoing, curious, and vivacious into her 97th year. Even as she declined, her eyes continued to sparkle and she strove to find moments of joy.
The date for a memorial service will be forthcoming. Please contact the family at maryachesonbundy@gmail.com.