John William Hurley III
On January 19, 2025, John W. Hurley III age 59, of South Pasadena, CA, passed away at home surrounded by loved ones after a brief struggle with cancer.
Born and raised in Princeton and a member of the PHS class of 1983, John was a lecturer in Computer Science at California State University.
John is survived by his father and step-mother, John W. Jr. and Susan M. Hurley of Princeton, his step-sister Molly Nunez, his wife of 38 years and world travel companion Nancy, daughter Che (Alexander), son Theo, and granddaughters Aurelia and Paloma Aquino. He was predeceased by his mother Sharon Haupt. A lifelong learner, John earned a BA in English from UC Berkeley, MA in American Civilization from Harvard, MS in Computer Science from California State University, and was nearing completion of a Masters in Philosophy at the time of his passing.
John loved learning, teaching, world travel, hunting, family time, and spoiling his granddaughters.
Services and interment were held at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, CA. May he be in heaven a full half hour before the devil knows he passed.
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Eunice Davis
Eunice Patricia “Pat” Davis passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 20, in her home, in New Orleans, LA, at the age of 98. Raised in Princeton, NJ, by freethinking, bohemian, entrepreneurial parents, Ruth and Murray Sloshberg Bailey, Pat was an athletic child and natural leader to her younger brothers, Ralph and Larry. Their tight-knit family was surrounded by an enormous array of aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides. This sprawling but close family structure shaped Pat’s entire worldview and inspired her to become the matriarch of her own expansive, close tribe.
At 19, Pat married Morton J. Davis, a handsome soldier from his own sprawling family. After a short stint at Dartmouth, they moved to Brooklyn, NY, where daughter Susan and son Richard were born. The family spent years in Roslyn, NY, and Princeton, where Pat aspired to be the ultimate mid-century housewife — keeping house and hosting soirees. Her business ambitions peeked through, however, when she and a friend launched a bookmobile business. Family was always at the heart of her life; she made sure to keep loved ones close, also embracing her teenage niece Laura, into her home as another daughter.
After 23 years of marriage, Pat chose to forge a new path, divorcing and embracing the swinging ’70s as a single woman. She spent joyful years living near her now-adult children in Washington, DC, where she formed a lifelong friendship with James Kabler. She later returned to Princeton to be near her parents and brothers. In a bold move, she opened her own interior design business. With impeccable taste and fearless independence, she pursued a career in an era when few women struck out on their own. She had an eye for beauty, a love for elegant spaces, and a deep appreciation for artists, including her dear friend Linda LeBoeuf, who created renderings of her designs.
In the 1980s, Pat embarked on a new adventure in Manhattan, where she lived until 2010. It was during this time that she became a grandmother, affectionately known as Baba. Living in the same building as her daughter Susan, she played a central role in raising her granddaughter Zoe. Baba was a bon vivant, a lover of the arts, an active board member of Urban Stages NYC, and a lifetime member of National Council of Jewish Women. She instilled in her grandchildren an appreciation for art, design, theater, and travel, ensuring they carried on her love for culture. She was a devoted people-watcher, a sharp observer of the human condition, and the proud organizer of many family reunions. As president of the “Cousins Club,” she brought together nieces, nephews, and extended family for summers at the beach.
In 2005, a health crisis meant it was time for the village she had built to care for her. Alongside Susan, Rick, Laura and Ina, dedicated caregivers including Maka Peradze, Olga Lizardo and family, and Tanya Gill, ensured that Baba’s later years remained joyful and laughter-filled. In 2010, Pat moved to New Orleans to be closer to her son, settling into a lovely apartment overlooking the oak trees and Mardi Gras parades of St. Charles Avenue. She continued to love parties and large gatherings until the very end. At 96 years old, when she could barely walk, she found the strength to shake and shimmy at her grandson Matthew’s wedding.
Pat is survived by her brother, Larry Bailey, and was predeceased by her brother, Ralph Bailey. Larry’s late wife, Nancy, and Ralph’s surviving wife, Eileen, remain cherished members of the family.
She leaves behind her beloved children, Richard Davis (Ina), Susan Davis, and Laura Boyd (John).
Pat was also a loving aunt to Kimberly Borek (George), Cynthia Landis (Jon), Brad Bailey (Cathy), Jenifer Wirtshafter (David), and Scott Bailey (Jory), and adored cousin of Renee Bretton.
Her memory lives on through her cherished grandchildren: Matthew Davis (Marc), David Davis (Vassiliki), Brett Davis, Zoe Lukov, Josh Boyd (Heather), Jordan Novak (Alexandra), and Ian Boyd (Rebecca). She delighted in seeing her family grow in numbers and love across the generations.
As the end drew near, Pat found comfort in knowing that her beloved parents, Ruth and Murray, were ready to pick her up on the other side and take her to the next big party. Wherever she is, we can all smile knowing Pat is laughing, dancing, and shouting out her tagline: “We’re having fun now!”
Funeral services were held on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 12:30 p.m. in Kimble Funeral Home, Princeton, NJ followed by interment, beside her parents, at Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to Desert X, National Council of Jewish Women, Greater New Orleans or a charity of your choice is greatly appreciated.
Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.
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Paul Joseph Salomon Benacerraf
Paul Joseph Salomon Benacerraf, famed philosopher and Princeton University stalwart, died in his home on January 13, 2025, at age 93.
Paul was born in Paris on March 26, 1931, to two Sephardic Jews: Abraham from Morocco and Rica Henriette (de Lasry) from Algeria. The family fled to Venezuela in 1939 as the Nazis approached, and soon landed in New York City. Following the war, his parents returned to France, leaving Paul and his beloved brother Baruj in the States. Paul proudly retained his French citizenship for his remaining years.
Paul spent the entirety of his academic life at Princeton University. Princeton was an unfamiliar world for a rebellious young Paul, who was initially rejected by its undergraduate program in 1948 because the university had already filled their Jewish quota. Once on campus, he quickly distinguished himself for being the only bearded student in sight. During these undergraduate years, he attempted to single-handedly take down the eating club system (and instead founded the first all-inclusive one), failed his junior year for spending too much time with beatniks in the West Village, and chose to major in philosophy because it was his only subject with a B-grade.
Paul’s position at Princeton would soon shift once he was admitted to the PhD program in Philosophy, where he was taken under the wing of Hilary Putnam, a young professor, mentor, and friend. Together, the two led an insurgent movement to establish analytical philosophy as the department’s primary focus and strength, a move that carried global reverberations.
Paul served as Chair of Philosophy from 1975 to 1984, and again from 1992 to 1999. During these times, the department was repeatedly ranked first in the world. Paul’s research was focused on logic, linguistics, and, most famously, the ontology of numbers. His essays “What Numbers Could Not Be” (1965) and “Mathematical Truth” (1973) are considered definitive texts in the philosophy of mathematics. His early difficulties on campus fueled his lifelong passion for mentorship, which endeared him to countless students, as his distinguished colleagues remembered in an obituary published on the Princeton University website.
Another significant aspect of Paul’s contributions to Princeton was his service to the administration, most notably when he worked alongside his dear friend and colleague, William G. Bowen. When Bowen was Provost, he asked Paul (then Associate Provost) to lead Princeton’s initiative to become the first all-male Ivy League university to integrate female students. This accomplishment was one of the proudest in both of their careers.
Throughout his time at Princeton, Paul enjoyed pushing its culture to become more worldly, inclusive, and forward-thinking. He opened Princeton’s first espresso café and decorated its walls with newspapers. In 1969, Paul commissioned a young Michael Graves to create an addition to his home, which was Graves’s first design ever to be constructed. Benacerraf House, where Paul raised all of his children, proved immediately controversial for mixing old and new aesthetics, but it also garnered worldwide acclaim for the same reason.
All who were fortunate enough to visit Paul’s home learned that he was a remarkably generous host. His culinary artistry and his knowledge of exquisite wines were incomparable. One of his favorite pastimes was chatting with loved ones and guests as he prepared their meals. He will be remembered for his selflessness, his wit, his uncompromising honesty, and his effusive warmth.
Paul is survived by his children Marc, Tania, Andrea, Nicolas, and Natasha; his grandchildren Sophie, Lucas, Audrey, Dillon, and Seth; his granddog Dante; his grandnephew Oliver; his grandniece Brigitte; his devoted friend and former wife Dr. Suzanne Miller; and generations of beloved colleagues and protégés. His first wife, Carlotta Benacerraf, passed away in 2020. Over the last decade, Paul grew increasingly close to his longtime friend, Edith Jeffrey, who became his intimate companion. Edie passed away on February 1, 2025, just three short weeks after Paul.
Paul’s remains are buried in the Princeton Cemetery.
Information about Paul’s memorial is forthcoming. To remain informed of these plans, please send an email to benacerrafmemorial@gmail.com.
Please consider making a donation in Paul’s honor to your local National Public Radio station.
Arrangements are under the direction of Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
When I realized last Saturday was George Washington’s birthday, I looked up former president Bill Clinton’s foreword to Shakespeare in America (Library of America 2013), which refers to Washington leaving the “legislative haggling” at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia to see a production of The Tempest, which, as editor James Shapiro points out, was “based on the story of the wreck of the Sea Venture off the coast of Bermuda in 1609.” The 42nd president — who remembers a high school assignment requiring him to memorize 100 lines from Macbeth, among them “Life’s but a walking shadow” (“an important early lesson in the perils of blind ambition”) — makes sure to mention the time presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson visited Stratford-upon-Avon. Later in the book, as Abigail Adams recalls, Jefferson “fell upon the ground and kissed it” while Adams “cut a relic from a chair claimed to have belonged to Shakespeare himself.”
