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Glenn Michael Ams
Glenn Michael Ams, 66, of Princeton, passed away peacefully at his nursing home on Saturday, Feburary 24, 2024 surrounded by family. He was a kind, humorous, and loving man. Glenn is survived by his siblings, Robert Ams, Rosemary (Ams) Raynor, Detlef Ams, and his many nieces and nephews. Glenn lived the majority of his adult life in Princeton with Robert, Susanne, Alexandria, and Matthew Ams. He is predeceased by his mother and father, Eleanore and Emmerich Ams.
Born with Down syndrome, Glenn grew up in Trenton, NJ, attending their school system. He enjoyed hanging out with his siblings, dribbling a basketball, swimming at the community pool, or going to the nearby Italian People’s Bakery. In Princeton, he was most recognized as the guy on the tricycle, and would many times be seen riding to his favorite spots, Thomas Sweet Ice Cream and McCaffrey’s Market where he made a number of friends over the last couple decades.
Glenn will also be fondly remembered as Philadelphia’s biggest sports fan, wearing Eagles and Phillies gear with pride every single day. Not a day would pass where he wouldn’t be sporting red or green for his teams.
Beyond his love for sports, Glenn found the most joy in life’s simple things. Whether he was enjoying an ice cold can of Coca-Cola, a ride in the car, sitting co-pilot in Robert or Matthew’s boat, peeling back a juicy clementine, or flipping through an old phone book, Glenn lived every experience in the present moment. Glenn’s vibrant spirit was also complemented by his passion for music. There was nothing better to Glenn than riding along in the car with the windows down and volume all the way up. His favorites were artists such as ABBA, the Village People, Glenn Fry, and Donna Summer.
Glenn touched the hearts of endless people as well as countless animals. His compassion for all of the dogs and cats he had over the years never went unnoticed. Finn, Glenn’s last cat, was particularly fond of him. They would often take naps side by side in the middle of the afternoon. Glenn truly never failed to put a smile on anybody’s face just by being himself. His pure and beautiful soul will be greatly missed.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, March 1 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton.
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John H. Edwards
John passed away peacefully, 96, at the Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, NJ, on February 23, 2024. Born in Princeton, he was a lifelong resident of Kingston, NJ.
John graduated from Princeton High School in 1944. He was a United States Army World War II veteran. John was employed by Krajack Tank Lines for 48 years as an owner-operator.
John enjoyed camping and hiking with his family and beloved dogs. He was also a Nascar racing fan and loved country music.
Son of the late Hilda and James Edwards, John was predeceased by his wife, Dorothy (Sincak) Edwards of 54 years and sisters Virginia and Winifred and a brother, Ross Edwards. He is survived by his daughter, Linda Edwards, and son, John M. Edwards and daughter-in-law, Janice Edwards. John is also survived by his grandson, John M. Edwards Jr. and a great-randdaughter, Kayleigh Edwards, and a niece, Kathleen A. McCarthy.
Burial will be private in the Rocky Hill Cemetery. Arrangements under the direction of M. J. Murphy Funeral Home, Monmouth Junction.
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Doris K. Mapes
Doris (Dodie) Kleiber Mapes, 87, of Princeton and Stone Harbor, NJ, passed away at home on February 23, 2024.
Born in Princeton, Dodie has been a lifelong member of the Princeton community. In 1956 Dodie married Charles F. Mapes Jr., a recent graduate of Princeton University (Class of 1955). Dodie and Charlie were essential to the class reunions and other activities. Her involvement was such that not only was she made an honorary class member but was also honored with Princeton University’s Society of the Claw. Dodie is Past President of the Present Day Club and the Dogwood Garden Club where she made lifelong friendships. Dodie managed the Princeton Indoor Tennis Center in the 1970s and as an avid crafter of needlepoint she later opened The Needle Craft Shop.
Dodie was a voracious reader and enjoyed spending time outdoors whether tending to her garden, playing tennis, or spending time on the beaches of Stone Harbor with family. Dodie and Charlie traveled the world, including many trips with the Class of ’55. Dodie and Charlie have been members of Bedens Brook Club for over 50 years.
Daughter of the late John Paul and Helen Higgins Kleiber, sister of the late Donald Kleiber (Betty) and Vernon Kleiber, she is survived by her husband, Charles F. Mapes Jr.; her children, Charles F. Mapes III and his wife Maureen, Linda Mapes, and Elizabeth “Libby” Yarnall and her husband Stephen; sister-in-law, Nancy Kleiber; nine grandchildren, Jeremy, Nicholas (Ashley), Ryan (Alan), Charles IV (Sara), Sidney, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Douglas (Patti), and Donald (Christy); 10 great-grandchildren, Austin, Adalynn, Nicholas, George, Jordan, Dylan, Alli, Sarah, Kayleigh and Raelynne; her niece Karen Aveyard and nephew Eric Kleiber. Dodie is also survived by her devoted canine companion, Abby, and many dear friends.
Dodie had a wonderful sense of humor, a great laugh, and gave the best hugs.
A Memorial Service to celebrate Dodie’s life will be announced in the spring. Arrangements are under the direction of the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to your local animal shelter.
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Dorothy H. Fiero
Dorothy H. Fiero, a resident of Princeton, NJ, and Nantucket, MA, passed away just shy of her 96th birthday on January 22, 2024 at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center.
Dolly, as she was known to family and friends, was born on February 17, 1928 in Mount Vernon, New York. She was the second of two children. She graduated valedictorian from A.B. Davis High School and received a full scholarship to Northwestern University’s School of Journalism.
Dolly met her beloved husband, Charles E. Fiero Jr (Chuck), at her brother Walter’s engagement party in Bronxville, NY, in 1947. Chuck and Dolly were married on August 28, 1948 and honeymooned on Nantucket Island. They then lived in Middletown, CT, as Chuck finished his degree at Wesleyan University. The couple moved back to Bronxville, NY, when Chuck joined the Chase Manhattan Bank training program. Dolly gave birth to two daughters before moving abroad to Geneva, Switzerland, and London, England. While in London, she gave birth to a son.
During this period of her life, she traveled extensively throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The family returned to the States and settled in Scarsdale, NY, until 1976 when a move brought Dolly and her family to Princeton, NJ, where she happily lived for the rest of her life.
Dolly was a longtime member of the Present Day Club, a supporter of the ASPCA, and an active volunteer at the Medical Center of Princeton, where she accumulated more than 2,000 hours of service. She was an avid reader, a needlepointer, and a die-hard New York Yankees fan. She loved the theater and travel, especially to the beaches of Anguilla and Hawaii. Her happiest times were always on the beach with a book in hand and family around — especially her six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Predeceased by Chuck, her husband of 66 years, Dolly is survived by her daughter Diane F. Claffey (husband Don) of Martinsville, Indiana, her daughter Wendy F. Morgan (husband Hugh) of Barrington, RI, and her son David E. Fiero (wife Kathleen) of Princeton, NJ; six grandchildren: Nick Brown (wife Kelly), Christopher Brown (husband Stephen), Heather Gugenheim (husband Zack), Brian Morgan, Sara Gullison (husband Ed), Jeffrey Morgan; and six great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held this summer on Nantucket.
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Herman Stanley Parish III
Herman Stanley Parish III, a 30-year resident of Princeton, died unexpectedly on February 10. He was the third child born to Virginia Ballentine and Dr. Herman Stanley Parish Jr., a flight surgeon in the U.S. Airforce in Waco, Texas, in 1953. Following Dr. Parish’s retirement from the USAF, the family settled in Cheyenne, WY, which Herman considered his home.
He graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in Finance, Accounting, and Management and was a member of the ZBT fraternity. His nearly 50-year relationship with his wife Rosemary began while they were students at Penn.
Following his graduation, he served as a midshipman in the U.S. Navy and in the reserves supporting Navy Seal teams in Europe. Herman separated honorably as a Lieutenant Commander in 1985.
After four years as a midshipman in the Western Pacific, he began a 13-year career in advertising as an account executive, copy writer, and creative director. He created multiple award-winning campaigns during his time at Ogilvy and Mather, Young and Rubicam, and other agencies.
Friends and acquaintances saw him as a thoughtful and thoroughly lovely man with a biting sense of humor. Yet few of his Princeton friends knew him as the beloved author of the children’s classic Amelia Bedelia. His modesty forbade it.
His aunt, Peggy Parish, introduced the literal-minded maid in 1963, writing 12 books in the series. His close relationship with his aunt ended with her death in 1988. Responding to requests to continue the series, Herman decided to do so himself, adding 59 titles to the series. They included picture books, I Can Read, and chapter books, several rising to the New York Times bestseller list.
His owlish wisdom was revealed through the pages of his books featuring the rollicking adventures of the grown-up, and young Amelia, who he described as “littler, but just as literal as ever.”
Herman saw himself as the Pied-Piper for early reading, lecturing at schools and libraries in more than 22 states. He emphasized the importance of writing and editing throughout his career; he understood that a series of books encouraged young readers to build on familiar literary territory. His humor, as well as his clear writing, engaged the funny bone of children and adults alike. Recently the books found new communities of interest in the autism spectrum and ESL readers.
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the series, Herman observed that he and his aunt agreed that “there was a narrow window where children could read or be interested in reading. If you miss that opportunity, it is very difficult to engage them later.”
In 2014, Herman suffered a life-threatening stroke. After 17 days in the ICU, thanks to the heroic efforts of Doctors Gaurav Gupta and Sudipta Roychowdhury, and the ICU staff at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, he made a full recovery and resumed his writing.
Herman enjoyed fly fishing, which he learned as an adolescent in his beloved Wyoming, flower gardening, cooking, classical piano, and walking in his much-loved Mountain Lake Park. He was a longtime member of Trinity Episcopal Church.
He is survived by his loving wife Rosemary; his sisters Mary Parish and Fredericka Lake; his adoring children Stan, Philip, and Margaret Parish; his daughters-in-law Anna Sanchez-Bendahan and Emmalee Carr-Parish; and his granddaughters Lola Rose Parish and Dorothy Owen Parish.
A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held at Trinity Church Princeton in May. Following his unanticipated death, his friends and family bid Herman — “Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
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Donald Craig Sheasley
Donald Craig Sheasley of Princeton, NJ, passed away peacefully at age 89 on the crisp winter afternoon of January 17, 2024, a bookend to his arrival on the sunny autumn afternoon of October 7, 1934, in Lock Haven, PA.
The son of Ernest Doyle and Clara Eleanor (Kieser Hare) Sheasley, his parents and younger brother, George Bartrum Sheasley, later settled in South Pottstown, PA, along the Schuylkill River. He attended North Coventry High School, was active in the school choir, and graduated in 1952 as co-valedictorian.
While at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, Don joined the college choir and the drama club Mask and Dagger and served as senior class president. Don graduated with a degree in education in 1956 and taught sixth grade for a year at Greenwich Elementary School in Stewartsville, NJ.
He hit a detour in July 1957 when drafted by Uncle Sam and served two years in the Army completing boot camp on the day Sputnik was launched. Don was sent to Baumholder Army Base in Germany, served as company clerk and fire direction control, and led musical events at bases in Germany.
After Army discharge in 1959 he returned to New Jersey, taught English classes at Piscataway High School, and was an advisor to the drama club. He took a sabbatical from teaching in 1965 and received a master’s degree in literature from Seton Hall University in 1967. Returning to teaching at PHS he also coached the golf team until retirement in 1992.
Don spent many years acting in community theater from 1960s-1981 at Foothill Playhouse in Middlesex, NJ; and directed plays including Ten Little Indians, A Doll’s House, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Arms and the Man.
In 1973 he returned to his love of vocal performance and pursued an interest in opera, studying with Ron Naldi, a tenor who had joined the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Don auditioned at the Princeton University Opera in 1977 and was offered the role of Sarastro in The Magic Flute. He landed several opera roles during that period with the Suburban Opera and Opera at Florham; by the late 1970s Don had become a Verdi baritone.
Don’s Lincoln Center debut with the Princeton University Opera in 1982 was in the role of Don Pizarro in Beethoven’s Fidelio. At the height of his career Don sang Rigoletto, Scarpia, Tonio and other roles with the Trenton Civic Opera and the Boheme Opera; he joined the Piccolo Opera performing Count DeLuna. Following other roles with the Opera Festival in Lawrenceville, he joined the Berks Grand Opera in Reading, PA, as Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
As a member of Opera International in the 1990s Don appeared at Merkin Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York and concert and oratorio settings for Hollywood composer Phil Springer. During that period he sang with Jersey Lyric Opera, the Baroque Orchestra of NJ, Concert Opera of NJ, as well as the Little Opera of NJ, the Verismo Opera, and the Regina Opera.
Don released a CD of arias and art songs, Warm As Autumn Light, in 1999.
Even into his late seventies Don performed in concerts with the Baroque Orchestra of NJ, The Opera Project in Hunterdon County, and the Eastern Opera Company in Morris County.
In addition to singing, Don contributed his formidable vocal talents locally as a reader for Learning Ally, a nonprofit organization supporting those with learning difficulties, as a reader and proofreader at the recording studio for the Blind and Dyslexic, and as a reviewer for 55PLUS programs. He collaborated with Dick Swain and Martin Rome on several musical events in Princeton.
When he wasn’t singing or volunteering, Don enjoyed golfing, bicycle trips, and gardening at the Walnut Lane home he shared with his life partner Julie. He was fascinated with genealogy and spent countless hours researching his family background, discovering tangential family connections along the way. He learned that relatives on both sides of his family had fought in the Revolutionary War as well as the Battle of Trenton and in the Union Army during the Civil War.
Don is survived by his partner of 42 years, Julie R. Wald of Princeton, NJ; his sons, Dirk Sheasley of Bridgewater, NJ, Ross Sheasley of Lawrenceville, NJ, and Kent Sheasley of Mashpee, MA; the mother of his sons and former wife, Nancy Ann Sheasley of Piscataway, NJ; his children-in-law Rebecca, York, and Sonja; Julie’s children Jon Wald, Lise Karas, Alison Wald, and Su Stanfa; his sister-in-law, Ann Sheasley of Lansdale, PA, and her children Alan, Gwen Jonik of Pottstown, PA, and Dane; Nancy’s caretaker Antonio; and Don and Julie’s grandchildren Meghan, Kelland, Noah, Kathryn, Bridgit, Rose, August, Abby, Madison, Noah, Lauren, Lindsay, and great-grandsons Samuel and Brayden.
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Christine P. Tamasi
Christine P. Tamasi, 88, of Princeton died on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, Plainsboro, New Jersey, surrounded by her loving family. Born in Pettoranello del Molise, Italy, she immigrated to the United States in 1946 and has been a lifelong Princeton resident. She was a graduate of Princeton High School Class of 1954, member of St. Paul’s Church, member and served as secretary of the Altar Rosary Society, and member of the Princeton Italian American Sportsman Club Ladies Auxiliary. Christine was a diehard Yankee Fan. She was a terrific cook and baker and enjoyed cooking for her family and friends.
Daughter of the late Umberto and Filomena (Nini) Pirone, sister of the late Felix Pirone, sister-in-law of the late Elizabeth Pirone, she is survived by her husband of 64 years Teodoro Tamasi; sons Mario (and Debra), Mark, Matthew (and Jessica); daughter Melinda (and Anthony) Godonis; a brother Anthony Pirone; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Sam and Mary Ann Tamasi, Maria and Sandy Procaccini, Camillo and Vincenza Paolino; five grandchildren: Tyler Tamasi (Lucia), Caroline Tamasi, Tony, Will, and Michael Godonis; and several loving aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
The funeral was held on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Paul’s Church, 216 Nassau Street, Princeton. Burial followed in Princeton Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Paul’s Church, 216 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08540.
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Janet Louise Kirk
Janet Kirk, 80, died peacefully in her Princeton home on Saturday, February 24, 2024.
Born in Milaca, Minnesota, to Merle and Louise (Pearson) Kirk, she grew up on a small farm near Onamia, Minnesota. Janet attended elementary school in Onamia, where her mother was her teacher. She graduated from Onamia High School with Honors in 1961, and immediately left home for the “big city” (Minneapolis). She worked for Prudential Insurance, Honeywell, Inc., and several law firms, as a legal secretary. While working, she attended the University of Minnesota, graduating with a degree in Political Science.
She loved reading, meeting people, writing short stories, playing the piano, cats, going to concerts, movies, shows, museums, art and history lectures, and traveling to “unknown places.” On one such travel, she met one Michael Diesso, and they were married a year later.
They lived in Maryland for a year, and then moved to Princeton in 1980, where they first rented, then bought and renovated, the house they lived in ever since.
Upon moving to Princeton, Jan joined the staff of Town Topics and retired from there after 22 years of working in the front office, as well as being the Town Topics movie critic.
Together, Jan and Michael traveled around the world, through the Panama and Suez Canals, around both Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope, as far north as the North Cape, Norway, as far south as Antarctica.
Janet is survived by her husband, Michael, her sister Anita Zaske and brother-in-law, Dennis Zaske, many relatives, and friends around the world.
In lieu of flowers or donations, go out and have a dinner and drinks in memory of Janet Kirk.
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