Ann E. Peterson, 60, of Monroe died July 20 at her home. Born in Schenectady, NY, she was raised on Long Island. Peterson had been a longtime West Windsor resident until four years ago.
Survivors include her children, Bryan, Shannon, and Michael Peterson; grandson John Peterson; her mother, Loyola Murphy; and her brothers, Charles, Daniel, David, and Donald Murphy.
Dr. John Murphy, 78, of West Covina died July 23. A graduate of medical school at Georgetown University, he served in the Air Force and flew on a number of highly classified missions under “Operation Chrome Dome,” and eventually practiced plastic surgery in California for many years. Survivors include a sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Bill Burke of West Windsor.
Victor B. Pesco Jr., 78, of Cromwell, CT, died July 24. A baseball player, he was scouted by the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and the New York Giants while attending the University of Hartford. A member of the Army Infantry 82nd Airborne Division, he served in Germany, Austria, and Italy, and then served as an agent for the federal government.
Survivors include his extended family, Erica and Michael Bell of West Windsor. Donations may be made to the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center, 80 Seymour Street, Box 5037, Hartford, CT 06102; or to VNA Healthcare Hospice, 103 Woodland Street, Hartford, CT 06105.
Stanley W. Bryn, 81, of Toms River died July 26. Survivors include a sister, Pauline Melnyk of Plainsboro.
Donald J. Karas, 67, of Little Egg Harbor died July 26. Born in Newark, he retired from the Newark Police Department in 1999 after more than 25 years. An Air Force veteran, he served in the New Jersey National Guard for 20 years. Survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, Dana Karas and Michael Empson of Plainsboro; and granddaughter Victoria Karas.
Anatole “Tony” Kurdsjuk, 78, of North Fort Myers, FL, died July 26. He lived in West Windsor from 1969 to 1997. Born in Mariupol, USSR, his parents were survivors of the Nazi labor camps in Germany during World War II. The family immigrated to Bellmore, NY, in 1948.
Kurdsjuk attended Duke University before enlisting in the Air Force where he worked as a programmer on the first computer systems. He worked at Honeywell after the service.
After retiring to Florida he wrote and published “The Long Walk Home, With Miracles Along The Way,” the story of his family’s struggles in Russia and Germany. From 2005 to 2010 Kurdsjuk was a frequent speaker at schools, universities, clubs, and Holocaust gatherings, where he shared the tales of his family so that future generations would “never forget” the things that happened during those times.
Survivors include his wife of 50 years, Linda; sons Jacob and Tony; his daughters-in-law Muriel and Jennifer; and grandchildren Nicholas and Abigail. Donations may be made to the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida (www.holocaustmuseumswfl.org).
Rachel Elizabeth Hendershott, 84, of West Windsor died July 26 at Compassionate Care Hospice at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton. She was born in Montreal, Quebec, and lived at Bear Creek Assisted Living for the last seven years.
Herdershott was a volunteer with the All Access Mental Health, the Eden Institute, Girl Scouts, and the Princeton Watercolor Society. A world traveler, photographer, and watercolor artist, she visited the North Pole, the African Savanna, and Indonesia, capturing the beauty of the world in her photographs.
Survivors include her daughters and son-in-law, Caroline Jill Hendershott, and Catherine and David Weber; her son and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Jill Hendershott; her grandchildren, Scott Weber and his wife, Stephanie, Kevin Weber and his fiancee, Julie Sauer, Christopher Weber, Kyle Nosal and his wife, Megan, Matthew Nosal and Rachel S. Hendershott; great-grandchildren, Jackson and Colin Weber, and Juliet Nosal; her brothers, Peter and Charles Van Wagner; and her twin sister, Mary Waldvogel. Donations may be sent to Alzheimer’s Organization at www.alz.org.
Joseph F. Garofoli, 79, died July 28. He was an Army veteran. Survivors include a daughter, Mary Jo Garofoli, of Plainsboro. Donations may be made to Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, 401 Park Drive, Suite 602, Boston, MA 02215.
Gladys McGuire Bower, 86, of Washington Township died July 30. Survivors include a daughter and son-in-law, Kathleen and Theodore Gershon of West Windsor. 2013. Donations may be made to James F. McGuire Memorial Senior Citizen Center, 116 Paris Avenue, Northvale 07647.
Charles E. Belton, 70, of New Haven, CT, died August 6. Survivors include a daughter, Karen Belton of Plainsboro.
Henry Brown Murphy, 88, of Pennington died August 8. Born and raised in Trenton, he operated the M. William Murphy Funeral Home for more than 50 years. He was a graduate of Georgetown University and the Eckles College of Mortuary Science. He served in the Army during World War II.
He served on the board of directors of the Trenton Trust Company and the National State Bank and was a councilman-at-large of the City of Trenton from 1962 to 1970. Murphy was also president of the War Memorial Commission, vice-chairman of the Parking Authority Commission, member of the Trenton Planning Board, and past president of the Mercer County Funeral Directors Association.
Survivors include a son and daughter-in-law, Henry B. and Eileen Murphy Jr. of West Windsor. Donations may be made to either Morris Hall, 1 Bishops Drive, Lawrenceville 08648; or Village Charter School Fund, 101 Sullivan Way, Trenton 08628.
Loretta Agnes Dalton Wertz, 89, of Londonderry, NH, died August 10. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, she was a former resident of West Windsor.
Survivors include her husband of 68 years, Lloyd Jr. of Londonderry; a son Lloyd Wertz III, his wife Carol; and their children Hunter and Logan of Londonderry; a daughter and son-in-law, Deidre and Brian Stone; and their children Tara, Patrick, and Alison; great-grandchildren Kamrein and Sadie Stone; and sister-in-law Margaret Wertz of West Mifflin, PA.
Virginia Van Patten Doering, 85, of Albany, NY, died August 11. Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Kimberley and Stephen Harfenist of West Windsor; and grandson Michael Harfenist. Donations may be made to the Ladies Auxiliary of the German American Club, 32 Cherry Street, Albany, NY 12205.
Sean Robert Reed, 22, of West Windsor, died August 13. He was a 2010 graduate of High School North, where he was a standout running back. He had a been a student at Fairleigh Dickinson.
