Joshua Milstein
Joshua Milstein, aged 82, passed away on July 28, 2026. Josh was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Gwendolyn and David Milstein. He grew up in Union, New Jersey, surrounded by a close-knit group of cousins that he would stay connected with for his entire life. After graduating from Union High School in 1962, he attended Brown University, where he received a BA in American Civilization, and then the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he obtained an MS in Forestry.
Josh had two careers over the course of his life. First, for many years he ran Country Workshop, the family furniture business that his father and two uncles started in the mid-1940s. CW, as it was known, built beautiful, modular maple, oak and walnut furniture at a small factory in Newark — furniture so beautifully durable, his daughter Sarah is now collecting CW bookcases, chests and tables that were built many decades ago.
Later in life, Josh pursued a longtime interest in computers and developed a second career in information technology. He worked for many years supporting the staff at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center, a part of Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP). Josh enjoyed working with the staff and learning about and supporting their work.
Josh was characterized, more than anything, by the wonderful eagerness of his enthusiasms. He wanted to share his excitement with the people he was close with, be that for the intricately beautiful music of Johann Sebastian Bach, the majesty of California’s giant redwood trees, the geography and roads of any place he traveled, or the vastly underrated (if you asked Josh!) career of Yankees Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra.
Nothing in Josh’s life was more significant than the moment in 10th grade when he met Linda Teicher. Josh and Linda quickly became high school sweethearts, and then in their junior year in college, they married. They moved to Princeton, New Jersey, in 1968 where they raised their family. Josh and Linda shared a lifetime of delight in family, friends, travel, the natural environment and the new/avantgarde as well as the established/classical in music, modern dance, architecture, and art.
Josh is survived by his wife of 61 years, Linda; his sister, Sada Sat Kaur; his children Sarah (Tony Stubblebine) and Dan (Bonnie Duncan); and his beloved grandchildren, Jack, Rex, and Adelaide Milstein and the many family members and friends who will miss him.
Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org), Planned Parenthood, (plannedparenthood.org), or the Death Valley Unrestricted Fund, (dvnha.org/about-our-funds).
Funeral services were held on July 29 at The Jewish Center of Princeton, followed by burial at Mount Lebanon Cemetery.
For condolences: OrlandsMemorialChapel.com.
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Christa Sandow Rounds
Pyritz, Pommern, Germany, November 10, 1923
Montgomery, New Jersey, U.S.A., July 21, 2026
Christa Maria Sandow Rounds was born November 10, 1923 in the village of Pyritz, in the province of Pommern (Pommerania), in Germany. She passed on from this world in Montgomery, New Jersey, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at the age of 102.
Christa arrived in the United States with her mother, father, and younger sister Edith on the steamship S.S. America in 1928. They came through Ellis Island and, with Christa not speaking a word of English yet, settled in Trenton, N.J. Her younger brother Richard was born in Trenton in 1933.
She graduated from Trenton Central High School in 1942, where she met her lifelong friend and future sister-in-law, Joan Rounds.
Christa enrolled in Trenton State Teachers College (now The College of New Jersey) and when manpower shortages during World War II resulted in year-round class schedules, she and most of her fellow students graduated early, often in three years.
Upon graduation in 1945, with a major in Kindergarten, she was immediately hired in Wrightstown, N.J., and followed that with turns in Trenton and Allentown, N.J.
When she accompanied Joan to a New Year’s Eve party at the end of 1947, she and Joan’s older brother Stuart became aware of each other and the rest, as they say, is history. They already shared a love of music. Stuart taught Christa how to drive, both automobiles and golf balls, and how to bid and play bridge. These pursuits remained three of her many passions in life.
They got married December 27, 1948 and moved into the Rounds family house on Pennington Road in Ewing, with Stuart’s mother and father, Mabel and Charles.
Christa became a naturalized citizen of the United States of America on October 19, 1951.
Being a Catholic, she was steered by a neighbor to St. James Church up the road in Pennington. When she discovered an organ up in the balcony, she recruited and formed the St. Cecilia’s Choir, leading to a lifelong friendship with Ed and Jean Meredith and their family. She was the organist and choir director until 1965, when the family moved to Princeton.
That family started in 1953 with Eric, followed by John, Mark, Ralph, and Frank, the fifth and final son who Christa cleverly delivered on Stuart’s 50th birthday.
Riverside Elementary School in Princeton opened in January 1960 and in September they needed a new kindergarten teacher. Christa was hired and in 1965 the family moved into the new four-bedroom colonial they had built across the street from Riverside School.
Christa designed and planted all of the gardens, beds and shrubbery, and she designed, created, and sewed all of the interior decor, as she would for all the homes she lived in.
By this point, her best friend Joan had married Bill Mills and they had three boys: Charlie, James, and Robby. They had a similar colonial built across the street, and the eight Rounds/Mills cousins became the legendary nucleus of the Riverside neighborhood.
At a local Gilbert & Sullivan audition, Christa came to the attention of conductor David Agler, who immediately accepted her into the production. He also pointed out that many members of the cast and crew were his fellow Westminster Choir College students and faculty, and that they also sang at All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Princeton. That cemented Christa’s trade from The Catholics to The Episcopalians.
While singing with the G & S crew (and hosting legendary cast parties) she met another lifelong friend, Lois Laverty, who would become a member of the family for the next 50+ years.
Back at work, she entered into a K-1, team-teaching partnership with Nancy Schreiber which lasted until Christa’s retirement in 1991. She continued to volunteer in Nancy’s classroom for years after she retired, and had a lifelong friendship with Nancy, her husband Greg Hand, and their family.
In her 45 years in education, she taught some 1,000 students, each of whom learned that, as the book says, “All I Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”
During her 97 years of life in New Jersey, she lived in Trenton, Ewing, Princeton, West Amwell, and Lawrenceville. From 2007 on, mom lived in Stonebridge at Montgomery, where she met her great later-in-life friend, Bob Powers.
In addition to founding and directing the St. Cecelia’s Choir, Christa enjoyed her memberships at Pike Brook Country Club, Hopewell Valley Golf Club, Lawrenceville School Golf Club, The Present Day Club in Princeton, the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Princeton, the N.J. Opera Society, and the Princeton Regional Education Association chapter of the NEA and the NJEA.
Christa was an exceptionally accomplished wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, seamstress, cook and baker, party host, musician and vocalist, bridge partner, golfer, gardener, interior designer, teacher, patriot, and friend. She was truly one of “The Greatest Generation” and she and her kind are sorely missed in today’s world.
Predeceased by her father, Eric Sandow; her mother, Clara Ulinski Sandow; her sister, Edith Sandow Nunziato; and her husband, Stuart Boyd Rounds; she is survived by her brother Richard Sandow (Sandra) of CA; her sons Eric (Marcia) of NY, John (Sue) of Lawrenceville, NJ, Mark of CT, Ralph (Gail) of NJ, and Frank (Sandy) of VT; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews, and their spouses and children.
Cremation will be private, under the auspices of the Wilson Apple Funeral Home in Pennington, N.J., and a memorial celebration will be held at a future date. For information about the memorial, email her son John at mercerart07@gmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation in Christa’s name to the charity of your choice.
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Nancy Dole Letteney-Silver
Nancy Dole Letteney-Silver died on August 1, 2026.
Born in Boston on December 2, 1933, Nancy Dole Letteney-Silver was the daughter of the late F. Sidney and Esther P. Dole. In 1954, Nancy received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island and began graduate studies at Boston University. In 1970, she completed her Master of Arts in education from Newark State College, while also raising two children and tutoring.
Nancy is survived by her daughter, Jessica Letteney; son, David Letteney; stepdaughter Audrey Jacobs and family — husband Sean and children Colby and Siena; and stepdaughter Wendy Gordon and family — husband Brad and daughter Amanda. Nancy’s second husband, Arthur Silver, as well as her first husband, David Letteney, predeceased her.
Nancy began her professional life in the 1950s as an executive trainee with the Boston-based Jordan Marsh Company. As she began her graduate studies in education, she taught at public elementary and middle schools in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Later in her career, she served as supervisor of curriculum and instruction in the Marlboro School District in New Jersey, and then as principal of Asher Holmes Elementary School. She also taught as an adjunct instructor at Monmouth College in Long Branch, New Jersey.
Nancy believed strongly in promoting the learning world. During her work as principal, she developed cross-cultural programs with her international student community, fostering a better understanding of humankind around the world. She traveled extensively, visiting countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. She met with students, teachers, and educational leaders to exchange ideas on how to better communicate and prepare the next generation for the challenges ahead. When she returned home, she’d bring the world back with her, creating multicultural presentations that drew on not only her experience but also the knowledge and languages of the students and parents from those countries.
After retiring from public school education, Nancy earned her certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language and worked for English Link in Prague, Czech Republic, and Puscha Voditsa, Ukraine. Her primary assignments were to teach English to air traffic controllers. She volunteered in New Delhi, India; Tiblisi, Georgia; the south of France; and for Princeton University at the Davis International Center, continuing to teach English as a Second Language to newcomers and their family members.
An avid Francophile, Nancy lived in Paris, France, for a year and returned for long stays every year after that. She was a walking Wikipedia on the City of Light, absorbing music, culture, food and wine, as well as the best Metro routes to efficiently travel from point A to point B. She continued to speak French until her last breath, communicating with the members of her beloved Café Français (a program at the Center for Modern Aging Princeton) in her very last days.
Everyone who knew Nancy understands that she is bigger than her biography. She spread her joie de vivre, thirst for learning, and delight in the world widely and lifted up everyone who knew and loved her.
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Leonore Itzkowitz
Leonore Itzkowitz, 93, passed away peacefully at her home in Princeton, as she had wished, on August 8. She resided in Princeton for over 70 years, but nevertheless considered herself to be a New Yorker, having been born in the Bronx.
Leonore was a beloved reading teacher, primarily at Lawrence Intermediate School, where she taught for 20 years as a remedial reading specialist, helping scores of children learn to read. For many years she also taught in the Teacher Prep program at Princeton University. Leonore was also a published author of both academic articles on reading and innovative teaching materials. Her Hip Pocket Stories, published in 1974, featured easy to read biographies of a diverse group of celebrities including Diana Ross and Shirley Chisholm.
Leonore graduated from City College of New York, where she met her husband and the love of her life, Norman Itzkowitz. Leonore met Norman in the cafeteria when he asked her what was worse than finding a worm in an apple. His answer, “Finding half a worm in an apple,” provoked her always warm and generous laughter — and they stayed together for the next 65 years.
Norman became a professor of Turkish History at Princeton, and Leonore accompanied him to Turkey starting in the mid 1950s. Their son Jay was born in Ankara, and their daughter Karen followed a shortly thereafter in Princeton. The family travelled regularly to Turkey and many other places, with Leonore always creating warm and welcoming homes for sabbatical and academic postings in London, Istanbul, Jerusalem, and Vancouver.
A multitasking coper, Leonore, while working and raising a young family, completed an MA from Teacher’s College at Columbia University and the coursework towards a Ph.D. at Rutgers.
Leonore had a number of abiding passions — gardening, reading, and the study of insect life. She was a great cook, despite her denials, and a welcoming host. She adored children, whether they were related to her or not, and was a member of Hadassah, B’nai Brith Women, and Women for Greenwood House.
Leonore lived her life by her mantra that there are only three important things in life: to be kind, to be kind, and to be kind. She more than lived these words. Leonore and Norman made a point of moving into the first integrated housing development in Princeton on Glenview Drive in the early 1960s. She attended the historic march on Washington at which Martin Luther King Jr. gave the “I Have a Dream” speech. By the time the children were growing up, the family had moved back into University housing, where Leonore surreptitiously stuck a Congress of Racial Equality sticker on the front window.
Leonore was always a very family-minded person. Her Princeton home remained the center of gravity for the family. As she became a devoted grandmother, her four granddaughters treasured their time with her. And when she recently became a great-grandmother, she focused her doting affection on a fourth generation.
Leonore is survived by her son Jay and his wife Pria Chatterjee; her daughter Karen and her husband Norman Redlich; four granddaughters, Anjali de Robillard (husband Marc De Robillard), Aliya Itzkowitz (husband Max Martinez Mendoza), and Ruby and Dvora Redlich; and one great-granddaughter, Leela de Robillard. She also leaves behind a large group of close friends and generations of students, all able to read.
Despite her identity as a New Yorker, she remained committed to Princeton until the end, living in the center of town. She was a familiar sight walking with her rollator along Nassau Street, stopping to speak with anyone who needed a kind word.
Funeral services are Wednesday, August 12, at 11 a.m. at Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, 1534 Pennington Road, Ewing Township, NJ. Burial will follow at Beth Israel Cemetery, 1098 Woodbridge Center Drive, Woodbridge Township, NJ.
Shiva will be observed Wednesday, August 12, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Leonore’s home in Princeton.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Princeton Public Library (princetonlibrary.org).
For condolences please visit the obituary page at
OrlandsMemorialChapel.com.
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Ruth Burt Ekstrom
Ruth Burt Ekstrom, 95, a research psychologist, died on August 2, 2026 at Penn Medicine, Plainsboro Township, NJ.
Ekstrom moved to Princeton in 1957 and joined the research staff at Educational Testing Service. At the time of retirement, in 1997, Ruth was a Principal Research Scientist in the ETS Education Policy Research Division. She served as Executive Director of that division from 1992 to 1995. Ruth’s research at ETS centered on issues of educational and occupational attainment, especially for women and minorities. She was the author or editor of several books and monographs as well as numerous book chapters and articles in professional journals. She was also the editor of the ETS Kit of Factor-Referenced Cognitive Tests and the author of a variety of counseling materials. Ruth was a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. In 1996, she received the American Counseling Association’s Research Career Award.
From 1972 to 1988, Ruth Ekstrom was a member of the Corporation (governing board) of Brown University. She served as an officer of the Corporation from 1982 to 1988, the first woman to hold such a position. She received an honorary LLD from Brown in 1988.
Ruth was president of the Bennington (VT) Historical Society from 1999 to 2001. She was a member of the board of trustees at the Bennington Museum from 2000 to 2005. In retirement, Ruth enjoyed reading and writing about New England history. She had articles published in Vermont History and the Walloomsack Review.
Ruth Burt Ekstrom was born in Bennington, VT, in 1931, the daughter of Ralph Amos Burt and Bertha Paisley Lambert Burt. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1953, a Master’s degree from Boston University in 1956, and a Doctorate from Rutgers University in 1967.
She was the widow of Lincoln Ekstrom, a research chemist and environmental consultant, who she married in 1957. He died in 2016. Survivors include George Lambert of Belle Mead, NJ, and several other cousins.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Pleasant Street, Bennington, VT 03201.
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