Wayne Richard Carlson
Wayne Richard Carlson, 66, of Princeton, New Jersey, passed away on October 8, 2024, after fighting the good fight.
As the middle child to Phyllis and Wayne Carlson, Wayne grew up in Schenectady, New York, playing football for Linton High School as a lineman, before being recruited to play for Rochester University. After graduating in 1985 with a Degree in Far East Asia History/International Relations, Wayne explored the world for a couple of years as a ship’s purser for Dolphin Cruise Lines, satisfying some of his God-given wanderlust.
Wayne eventually made port in Washington, DC, where he earned his MBA in Marketing at American University. Shortly thereafter, he made his way to Bristol Myers Squibb, where he began his career in global issues management once again scratching his itch to see the world. During his time with BMS he met his future wife of 29 years, Ellen Hoenig-Carlson (surviving), who gave him a chance at a first date on his fifth annual ask. They saw Pulp Fiction in the theater and the rest was history. In 1997, the duo started their family when their first son, Ethan Carlson, was born — quickly followed by the births of Asher and Zane Carlson.
A diligent lifelong student of world history, politics, and stoic philosophy, Wayne had a brilliant understanding of the world and loved to share his wisdom in the form of thoughtfully-crafted advice and opinions, with all those whose lives he touched. Wayne also had an eye for design and was an avid collector and restorer of historical cars, houses, and watches. He lived in a house that he himself designed, drove in a car he rebuilt, and was an avid proponent of love, charity, and the American Dream. A man of resolute character and unquestionable strength, Wayne constantly strove throughout his life to make the world a better place than when he found it — a rare endeavor which he believed to ultimately be the reason we were put on this Earth.
Wayne is preceded by Wayne Curtis Carlson and Phyllis Russell Carlson, and leaves behind his wife, Ellen Hoenig-Carlson; his three sons, Ethan, Asher (Ryan), and Zane (Kylee); his sister, Susan (Joe);, his brother, Richard (Jennifer); and nieces and nephews.
Services were held at Trinity Church, in Princeton, NJ, on Saturday, October 12, 2024. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Wayne’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Tunnel to Towers, two organizations Wayne strongly believed in.
Extend condolences and share memories at TheKimbleFuneralHome.com.
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Joseph James Needham
Joseph James Needham, 91, of Princeton, passed away peacefully on the morning of October 8, 2024, surrounded by his family. Born in Philadelphia, PA, to Joseph and Teresa Needham, Joe had been a resident of the Princeton area for the past 64 years.
Joe was a true gentleman, a selfless person who always thought of others before himself. He had an abundance of wit and quiet charm. Though he will be sorely missed, his love and sense of decency will never be forgotten. He was known for his generous and loving spirit, always willing to help others. He was determined and accomplished in everything he set his mind to, whether building a business, racing cars, or skiing.
After attending Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Joe joined the U.S. Army as a cryptographer stationed in Austria. In 1971, he started Princeton Air, where he created a lasting legacy. As a visionary executive, he built his company based on high standards and excellent relationships with his employees, clients, and partners.
Joe became an accomplished Porsche racer, competing as a member of the Schattenbaum Racing Club at tracks like Lime Rock, Bridgehampton, Watkins Glen, and Road Atlanta. He was an avid skier, enjoying the sport until the age of 84. Both he and his wife Joan were also longtime members of the Carnegie Lake Rowing Association.
He is predeceased by his wife, Joan Needham, his sister, Nancy, and his grandson, Ian. He is survived by his children: Linda, Scott, Leslie, Dian, Lisa, and Christine; his siblings: Robert, Teresa, Lillian, Donald, and Jack; his eight grandchildren and his four great-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, October 11, 2024, at 10 a.m. at St. Paul’s Catholic Church, 216 Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey, 08542. Interment followed in the Princeton Cemetery.
Arrangements under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
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Margaret Brooks McCloskey
Margaret Brooks McCloskey, 102, passed away into eternity on October 8, 2024, at her home. She was born in Plainsboro, N.J. on July 8, 1922, in a small home on Edgemere Avenue. Her father, David Brooks, and her mother, Mary, worked at Walker Gordon Laboratories The family eventually moved to another Walker-Gordon property on Plainsboro Road, which they purchased in 1936. She married Leo J. McCloskey in 1949 (died 1969) and, except for a few years at several Princeton addresses, lived in Plainsboro the rest of her life.
Margaret was very intelligent, skipped two elementary grades, and graduated from Princeton High School at the age of 16. She was employed at several Princeton locations, including The Institute for Advanced Study, Weller Insurance, Howe Travel Agency, Helen Van Cleve Real Estate, and K.M. Light Propertie. She retired in her late 70’s and was active in local social groups and Plainsboro community activities through her late ’90s. Margaret was a member of Plainsboro Presbyterian Church. She was an avid reader until age 100, when advanced macular degeneration detracted from her enjoyment. Margaret remained fiercely independent and unassuming her entire life. She enjoyed travel, visits with her family and playing Rummikub with her friends and neighbors.
Margaret is survived by her son Dennis and daughter-in-law Diane McCloskey; three grandchildren, Shannon (Lee) Grajzar, Heather (Hal) Pruitt, and Matthew (Ashley) McCloskey, as well as great grandchildren, Lily, Cohen, Trevor, Maddox, Maisie, and Matilly, all of Georgia. She is also survived by nieces Karen (Bill) Thomas of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Gail (Doug) Bowers of Palm Desert, California; Peggy (Flavio) Fener of Princeton; and Maureen (Ken) Bruvik of Skillman, as well as many other nieces, nephews and family throughout the U.S.
Special thanks to all the supportive personnel from Penn Hospice at Home for their loving care during her last weeks, and to Stella, her special home helper for the preceding four years.
There will be no formal funeral or memorial services following cremation, per her wishes.
In lieu of flowers, donations to either the Plainsboro Fire Company or Plainsboro First Aid Squad are suggested.
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Iris (Rosenthal) Goldin
Iris (Rosenthal) Goldin, of Princeton Junction, NJ, died peacefully at home at age 88 on October 12, 2024.
Born and raised in Highland Park, NJ, Iris was a proud graduate of Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia and taught second grade at Memorial School in East Brunswick. Iris was a classic “homemaker” of the ’60s and ’70s, serving as a President of the PTA and many other community organizations in North Brunswick, where she raised her family. She later became a full-time substitute teacher at North Brunswick High School, followed by a successful career as a realtor with Coldwell Banker. After moving to West Windsor in 2000, she served as Chairman of the Village Grande Social and Trip Committees.
Friends and family uniformly remember her big smile and sunny disposition She was one of those people that made others feel better for having spent time with her. She loved spending summers down the shore in Beach Haven with her family.
She considered herself wonderfully fortunate for having married a fellow from “the wrong side of the tracks” who “made good” and gave her a wonderful life. Asked years later why she dated a fellow who was “trouble” she replied, “I guess I was looking for trouble!”
She was predeceased by her parents Michael and Dorothy (Zagoren) Rosenthal and her husband of 43 years, The Hon. Martin S. Goldin. She is survived by her daughter, Tamara Eisenberger of Somerset, NJ; her son Steven and his partner Cynthia Bratman of Princeton Junction, NJ; her former daughter-in-law Evelyn Goldin of Ewing, NJ; her grandson Michael and his wife Jo-Ann, grandchildren Will, Beau, Devon.
A Memorial Service was held at Star of David Memorial Chapel, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08542 on Monday, October 14, 2024 at 11 a.m. Burial was at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery in Iselin.
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Clara Banta Kennedy
Clara Banta Kennedy, a beloved matriarch and dedicated community member, passed away peacefully in her home at the age of 101. Born on March 10, 1923, in Buffalo, New York, she was the daughter of Charles Woodbury Banta and Clara Urban Banta. Clara spent her childhood on a farm on Pine Ridge Road in Cheektowaga, which belonged to her grandfather, George Urban, Jr., a prominent Buffalo businessman.
Clara attended the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and graduated in the accelerated wartime program from Smith College in August 1944. Shortly after, she worked for the U.S. Naval Intelligence in the New York City office before marrying Kevin Kennedy, also from Buffalo, in March 1945. During Kevin’s service as a naval officer in the Pacific, Clara worked as a social worker at the American Red Cross in Buffalo.
In the fall of 1946, the couple moved to Princeton, New Jersey, where they lived on a farm and raised their four sons: Kevin, Charles, Alexander, and Shaun. Clara’s entrepreneurial spirit flourished when she started an antique business with a friend, eventually becoming a partner in several stores near Princeton and two on Martha’s Vineyard.
In 1969, Clara and Kevin built their home on Husselton Head in Vineyard Haven, where they joyfully hosted family and friends until Kevin’s passing in 1992. After his death, Clara remained an active and cherished member of the community, engaging with the West Chop Club, Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club, and the Want to Know Club of Vineyard Haven. She was an avid reader throughout her life and maintained a keen interest in local, U.S., and world affairs.
Clara’s life was marked by a deep commitment to education and service. She worked with children through summer Bible camps, served as a teacher’s aide in Trenton, NJ, and taught English as a second language. Her 23 years of volunteering at the Island Food Pantry exemplified her compassion and dedication to helping others. She always championed the underdog and will be remembered for her warmth, wisdom, spirited personality, and deep love of her family and friends.
Clara is survived by her four sons and their wives, eight grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, four nephews, and one niece. A memorial service will be held in June 2025 in Vineyard Haven, where family and friends will gather to celebrate Clara’s remarkable life.
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Charles Lutz Taggart
1927 – 2024
Charles L. Taggart, age 97, passed away on August 15, 2024 in Princeton, NJ. He was born on May 2, 1927 in Ponca City, Oklahoma, the son of Adelaide Lutz and Carl Stolz Taggart. He leaves behind a legacy of being known as someone who always wanted to make the communities he lived a better place.
Charlie graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1947 after serving in the U.S. Navy during WWII. After studying Architecture at Princeton University, he graduated in 1951, and worked as a draftsman for Embury and Lucas, Architects in New York until 1953 when he returned to Oklahoma City to join his brother J. Thomas Taggart at the family real estate investment and management firm.
He married Sydney Shaffer in 1955, and moved back to Princeton, NJ, in 1959 where he worked for Princeton University for 25 years, serving as Director of the Alumni Council, Assistant Dean of the Graduate College, and then Director of Development. In Princeton, and later in life, he was an active volunteer, serving on the Board of Trustees of Princeton Day School, and the Community Fund Board. He also served his Princeton Class of 1951 in various roles, including as Treasurer, Vice President and President, as well as Reunion Chair and Annual Giving.
After Princeton, Charlie went on to lead Development at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology. Upon his retirement, the Taggarts moved to Wakefield, RI, where he joined the Board at Willow Dell Beach Club and the Courthouse Center for the Arts before returning to Princeton in 2009.
Charlie and Sydney spent the last 15 years as active residents of Stonebridge at Montgomery, in Rocky Hill, NJ. It became their home, and Charlie became active in many aspects of the community, serving as Chair of the Residents Council, the Facilities committee, and he spent many hours in the woodshop. An avid tinkerer and handy man, improving the various homes in which his family lived, room by room, gave him great enjoyment. In his own wood shop and then at Stonebridge, he would joyfully repair and craft custom furniture, skills he learned while he was a Board Member at the Worcester Center for Crafts. While at Stonebridge, he was frequently asked to repair a chair or table or refinish a treasured antique that had seen better days.
He and Sydney were also keen travelers, visiting many countries together in his retirement, as well as numerous trips throughout the US southwest. One of his favorite places was France, where he traveled to spend time with his brother and wife, Tom and Norma Taggart.
Charlie’s quick wit, focus, and curiosity made him a thoughtful and loving husband, father, grandfather, colleague, and communicator, and he was lovingly embraced by his friends for his trustworthiness and sense of humor. Throughout his life he was known for “challenging the status quo” and his life’s work of fundraising and hard work has left the world a far better place.
Charlie is predeceased by his parents and his brother Tom. He is survived by his wife Sydney of nearly 69 years, and three sons Peter (Judy), Denver, CO, Ward (Rebecca), Las Vegas, NV, and Carl (Kim), Wayne, PA, and seven grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Stonebridge at Montgomery on October 26 at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his honor to the Stonebridge Employee Appreciation Fund by contacting Keith Ikola at kikola@springpointsl.org or (609) 759-3614.
