Richard Puskas, 74, of East Brunswick died January 23. A Navy veteran, he served on several aircraft carriers. Survivors include a daughter, Cheryl Puskas of Plainsboro. Donations may be made to the American Lung Association.
Ann M. Pfeifer, 82, died January 24 at the Margaret McLoughlin McCarrick Care Center in Somerset. Survivors include a grandson, William Pfeifer of Plainsboro. Donations may be made to the McCarrick Care Center.
Gary A. Taft, 52, of Plainsboro died January 24 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick. Born in Princeton, he was a lifelong Plainsboro resident.
Survivors include a daughter, Briana Taft; a son, Steven Taft; his father, Frederick Taft; and a brother, Gerald Taft.
Earl Edward Stotler, 86, of Texas died January 25. Survivors include a son and daughter in law, Daren and Margaret of PlainsboroDonations may be made to Rotary International.
Eugene Stafford Sr., 67, of Plainfield died January 25. He served as a Marine during the Vietnam War. Survivors include his twin, Reverend Geraldine Stafford of West Windsor.
Gwendolyn L. Davis, 81, died January 26. Survivors include a daughter, Sharon Davis Stephens of Plainsboro. Donations may be made to the Alzeimer’s Association or St. John AME Church Scholarship Fund.
Barbara Bajzath Melsky, 95, of New Hope, Pennsylvania, died January 28 at Neshaminy Manor, Doylestown. She was born in Princeton Junction.
Survivors include her children, Joseph Melsky, Marlene and James Hamilton, and Barbara and James Siegfried; grandchildren Jeffrey Hamilton, Kelly Wielecki, Bryan Siegfried, Amy and Josh Trappler, and Rachel Siegfried; and four great-grandchildren. Donations may be made to the Hungarian Reformed Church, 180 Home Avenue, Trenton 08611.
Robert B. Lager, 82, of West Windsor died January 30. Born in Brooklyn, he was a former resident of Somerset. A graduate of SUNY Binghamton-Harpur College, he was the proprietor of Dale Electronics, now called Dale Pro Audio. He served in the Army during the Korean War.
Survivors include his wife, Naomi B. Lager; three daughters and sons-in-law, Debra and Kevin Ward, Marcia and Alan Stein, Julia Lager-Mesulam and Steven Mesulam; and six grandchildren.
Hirobumi Okura, 33, of West Windsor died in a car crash in Florence on January 30. His Prius crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer stopped at a red light at Route 130 northbound and Florence-Columbus Road. Okura worked at Rimtec, a Burlington-based PVC compound manufacturing company.
Diane M. Ruocco Smith, 56 of Monroe died February 1 at the University Medical Center of Princeton in Plainsboro.
Born in Union, she lived in lived in Plainsboro for 10 years before moving to Monroe two years ago. She worked for Rahway Hospital in the dietary department.
Survivors include her husband of 26 years, David E. Smith; and her siblings, Joanne Ruocco and Paul Ruocco. Donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Box 1000, Memphis, TN 38148.
