Memorials 2010

We've just learned that classmate Barrie D. Sparling died on June 20, 2010. At Princeton he majored in English and belonged to Elm Club. He left in 1950 for the Air Force, but returned to graduate with the class of 1954. Barrie spent most of his career with IBM in a variety of positions in manufacturing, marketing, administration and corporate planning. His outside interests were boating, sailing, cruising and skiing. He left his wife, Dorothy, and one son, Eric.

Jack Collins '52

died July 30, 2010. Mark Crane '52 has given us this report:
"Jack had been suffering from hepatitis C, which he contracted in the Navy. I was an usher in his wedding to Jan Decker in 1958 and kept in touch with him during his life-long career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Portland, Oregon. During the latter part of his career, he specialized in large civil cases, many (mostly?) involving the rights of Indian tribes or the protection of the environment, especially against the depredations of the logging industry. When I last talked to Jan about two years ago, she said that he 'looked 90' and was too sick to talk. However, when I called several months later, Jack answered. He started out sounding very weak, but recovered while we talked until he sounded a lot like his old self. When I tried again last fall, I got the recording from the phone company."

Classmate E. Andrew Deiss Jr. died on December 25, 2010 in Salt Lake City, UT. At Princeton, Andy majored in psychology as a pre-med and was a member of Colonial Club. He earned his M.D. at Duke in 1956, practiced medicine with the Army and the Veteran's Administration for forty years, and became a professor of medicine at the University of Utah.

        Andy's daughter, Mary Deiss Brown, sent Rudy Lehnert the following "non-obituary":
Dr. Elmer Andrew Deiss (Andy) made it exceedingly clear to all of us in his family that he did not want an obituary. Dad was content with the life he had lived and needed nothing said about it after he was gone. In death as in life, however, his family proved to be quite stubborn.

        This is Dad's obituary. In partial deference to him, we will at least keep this short: Dad died peacefully at home on Christmas Day in the company of family and his two bulldogs. He was a wonderful man. We should all be so lucky as to have people say that about us when we die. We should be satisfied with that. Dad would have been. Anyone who spent any real time with Dad recognized that he was exceedingly smart. Dad also had a terribly playful wit which was tempered by a very warm heart.

        Perhaps, the most remarkable thing about Dad was his unabating love of life. He found a ferocious, unrelenting, and childlike joy in ideas, in nature, and in living beings (including humans). This joy persisted to the very last second that his body permitted.

        Andy is survived by his wife of some 50 years, Lois, his sister, his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchild, and his two dogs. He was, is, and will be loved.

Henry M. (Hank) Worthington '52 died September 13, 2010.

Following is the obituary from the Baltimore Sun:

Henry Miller "Hank" Worthington, a retired hardware executive and music lover who enjoyed waterfowl hunting, died Monday of complications from dementia at his Garrison home. He was 80.

Mr. Worthington, the son of a hardware executive and a homemaker, was born in Baltimore and raised in Forest Park and Garrison.
He was a 1948 graduate of Gilman School and attended Princeton University, where he played ice hockey and was captain of the skeet shooting team. He was an expert marksman, a skill inherited from his father, a 13-time Maryland state skeet and trap champion," said a son, Edward H. "Ned" Worthington of Garrison. "While still at Princeton, he qualified for the U.S. Olympic skeet team."

Mr. Worthington left Princeton and was attending the Johns Hopkins University when his father, H. Linn Worthington, who was a manufacturer's representative for the hardware industry, died in 1951. He left college to take over the family business, H. Linn Worthington Co., which his father had established in the early 1900s.

In addition to managing his father's business, he also owned and operated the Katchall Trap Co. and Wire Fabricators. Mr. Worthington's professional memberships included serving as secretary and treasurer for the Eastern and Southern Hardware associations. Mr. Worthington retired in 2004.

A lifelong music lover, Mr. Worthington played a major role in establishing a volunteer choir at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Owings Mills. In 1964, Mr. Worthington, who played the guitar, founded the Foxheads, a male a cappella singing group that performed around Baltimore and in other East Coast towns and cities, family members said. The group disbanded in 1995. Mr. Worthington also staged musicals, plays and Gilbert & Sullivan performances at his church.

Mr. Worthington was an avid baseball fan and had been an Orioles season ticket holder for 47 years. In 1966, he founded the Greenspring Little League, and his subsequent 12 years of coaching and overseeing the organization earned him the nickname of "Commissioner."

Because Mr. Worthington never lost his affection for ice hockey, he designed and built an outdoor ice rink at the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club. "It's a tradition that has been enjoyed by countless skaters and still endures today," his son said.

DAVID SYKES '52 died September 14, 2010. At Princeton he majored in Politics and was a member of Quadrangle Club. His obituary in the Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle for 9/23/2010 is as follows:

David W. Sykes, 80, September 14, 2010. Survived by brothers, Robert (Catherine) of Rochester & John (Elaine) of Farmington; 3 nieces & 1 nephew. Predeceased by sister, Virginia Kantz. David was born in Rochester, son of Wadsworth & Helen Foulkes Sykes. A graduate of Princeton he was a computer programmer for insurance companies and worked for the City of Rochester in Programming. He served in the Navy in the Korean War.

        Classmate WALTER RAMSAY died on August 26, 2010. At Princeton he majored in History and belonged to Tower Club and was a varsity wrestler.
           Walt was a Korean War veteran and did post-graduate studies at George Washington University. He was a Foreign Service Officer, a Middle Eastern specialist for the State Department.   He was known as an advocate for human and animal rights. TigerNet notes that he had a Princeton son, David R. Ramsay '85 S'52.
          Walt's obituary in The Washington Post is as follows:


          WALTER GAINES RAMSAY (Age 79) Of Swanton, MD, died Thursday, August 26, 2010, at his home. Born October 2, 1930 in Washington, DC, he was the son of the late Marion L. and Alma (Gaines) Ramsay. He is also preceded in death by two brothers, Andrew C. Ramsay and William Ramsay. He is survived by his wife, Pauline "Polly" English-Ramsay; three sons, Chris English-Ramsay, Swanton, David Ramsay, and Andrew Ramsay; one sister, Jeanne Bunyan, Waimanalo, HI; one sister-in-law, Robin Ramsay, Annapolis, MD; several nieces and nephews. Condolences may be sent to the family at: www.newmanfuneralhomes.com.

        Classmate FREDERICK R. SCHUMACHER died on May 29, 2010. At Princeton he majored in Modern Languages and belonged to Charter Club. Fred went from the Princeton NROTC unit to the Marine Corps, where he was wounded in Korea as a Battery Commander. From there he earned a JD at Cornell law school. Fred spent his career in the law, specializing in tax and international business law.

        Fred was a crack rifle shot before he came to Princeton and continued competitive shooting there. That, combined with his experience as a Marine, may have led to his hobby from 1955 to 1990 � big game hunting in the US, Canada, Alaska and Africa. He operated a safari company in Tanzania for several years in the �80�s.

        A detached retina in 1990 ended Fred�s tax law practice and big game hunting. He stayed active as a consultant and on Marine Corps veterans� projects.

        Fred leaves his wife, Birte, three children and three grandchildren.

Classmate JOHN CHAPMAN (CHIPS) CHESTER

died July 9, 2010. His son John Chester Jr. '80 sent the following to the c lass:

        Our father died on Friday afternoon. He was among friends enjoying stories and jokes, and he went very quickly. Dad always told us that when his time came he did not want to linger. He had a wonderful family-filled Fourth of July in Oconomowoc, and the weekend before he enjoyed the equestrian events at Sure Fire Farm. We feel blessed that we had time to say goodbye and that Dad was able to go on his own terms.
On Friday, July 16, at 2:00 there will be a service at All Saints Church, the same church where services were held for our mom 25 years ago. The address is 3 Chevy Chase Circle, Chevy Chase, MD.
        Following the service there will be a reception at the Chevy Chase Club, about a half mile from the church at 6100 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, MD.
        On Saturday, a smaller group will be traveling down to Charlottesville, Virginia where Dad will be buried alongside Mom at Riverview Cemetery. While all are welcome, no one should feel at all obligated or expected to make this journey. And for that matter, please do not worry if you cannot attend any of the events � Dad would much rather that you stay on your vacation or be with your family or take care of the things you need to.
         Please feel free to forward this email to friends and family. We thank you for all the love and support you have shown Dad and our family.
        Love, John & Isabelle & Charlie

Chips' obit in The Washington Post for July 14 follows:
JOHN CHAPMAN CHESTER "Chips" (Age 80) Diplomat & Equestrian Died peacefully at home on July 9, 2010 having been diagnosed with brain cancer. He was born and raised in Milwaukee and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, attended Milwaukee Country Day School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Princeton University, and Georgetown University''s School of Foreign Service. As an undergraduate, he majored in German and English literature, participated in Théatre Intime and the Triangle Club, and was unanimously voted "Most Unconscious Member" by his senior class. Mr. Chester became an enlisted man in the Army in 1953. His division was set to deploy to Korea when the war ended and he was reassigned to occupied Germany to oversee war crimes prisoners.
After marriage to Clara Paige Mills of Chevy Chase, Maryland in 1956, his career in the Foreign Service led him to stations in Germany, Yugoslavia, and Malawi, where he served as chargé d''affaires and received an award for "heroic services" from the Malawi government. A career switch in 1970 moved Mr. Chester to Capitol Hill where he worked for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives serving under, among others, Peter Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Clement Zablocki (D-WI), and Dante Fascell (D-FL). He was the staff facilitator of numerous House and Senate interparliamentary conferences with Europe, Mexico, and Canada, and undertook Committee missions to Asia and Africa in the early 1970s evaluating Peace Corp operations, a subject on which he was a recognized expert. He wrote an autobiography entitled From Foggy Bottom to Capitol Hill: Exploits of a GI, Diplomat and Congressional Aide.
In addition to devotedly serving Princeton''s Class of ''52, Chester was an avid equestrian. After his retirement in 1987, he took horseback tours through many countries of the world, including Mongolia, Argentina, Latvia, South Africa, New Zealand, Iceland, as well as several European countries and US states. He was a member of the Fairfax Hunt, serving a term as President, and owned horses competing in international events. He is survived by siblings Marion Read and William Chester, by three children, John Chester, Isabelle Chester, and Charles Chester, by seven grandchildren, and four horses. Services will be at All Saints Church in Chevy Chase, Maryland at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 16. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the International Crisis Group ( www.crisisgroup.org ) or Lift Me Up! ( www.liftmeup.org ).

Rudy Lehnert found the following obituary for classmate Poncet Davis, Jr. in the Miami Herald.

        DAVIS , JR., PONCET, 79, of Bal Harbour, Florida, devoted husband of Astra and friend to many, passed away peacefully on April 24, 2010. Poncet was born in Akron, Ohio to Poncet Sr. and Katharine Davis, who were pioneers in the country's rubber business. He attended Culver Academy in Culver, Indiana where he was a member of the esteemed Black Horse Brigade, and later attended and graduated from Princeton University.

         After college, Poncet enlisted in the U.S. Army and served his country proudly for several years. He then went to work for his family businesses, Robbins Tire and Robbins Flooring, "Flexco" which were manufacturers of both rubber and vinyl products used in various industries throughout the world. He moved from Akron, Ohio to Sheffield, Alabama in the mid 50's as he took over the leadership role in the companies which were based in the Muscle Shoals, Alabama area. Under his leadership, the company became a major player in his industry and through expansions and acquisitions provided employment for hundreds of families over the years. Poncet maintained as his second home for the past fifty years a suite of rooms at the Sea View Hotel in Bal Harbour, where he had met and married his wife, Astra. He, on occasion, occupied positions of leadership in the hotel and endeared himself to his fellow occupants of the hotel. Poncet was predeceased in death by his wife Astra of some 47 years and his sister, Katharine "Trinka" Rynne of New York City.

Todd Johnson '52

died March 11. Rudy Lehnert has found the following obituary in the Transylvania Times of Brevard, NC:

Todd T. Johnson, 80, of Brevard, died Thursday, March 11, 2010 at his home. His wife, Marie Johnson, and a son, Lee Johnson, of West Virginia, survive him. A sister, Gertrude McKee, of Brevard, also survives him. He was a native of Charleston, W.Va. and a graduate of Culver Military Academy in Indiana and attended Princeton University and the University of California at Berkeley. Mr. Johnson served in the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant in the Engineer Corps. He graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in mining engineering. He was the former owner of Monumental Design (grave headstones) in Brevard, which was located for many years at the corner of Caldwell and Main Streets. Mr. Johnson was a member and former chairman of the Transylvania County Cemetery Board.

Classmate Mike Carey

died April 1, 2010. We have recently learned that he was killed in the crash of a light aircraft he was piloting. Following is the obituary we received for him a few weeks ago:

Michael M. Carey III of Grosse Pointe and Harbor Springs, Michigan, died on April 1, 2010. He was 80 years old. Mike (as he was known to all who encountered him) was a lifelong golfer, an avid bridge player and a seasoned amateur pilot. Mike was a 1948 graduate of Cranbrook School and a 1952 graduate of Princeton University.
After college and a brief stint in the Army, Mike returned to the Detroit area where he spent most of his career at Time Magazine selling ads to the automotive industry. Mike worked at Time for over 20 years and retired from Time in the mid-80s. Mike was famous among his many friends (his "pals", as he called them) for his turkey hash (without which no Thanksgiving was complete) and his putting stroke (he was for a time one of the best putters in the world, or so he would claim and his many playing opponents could attest to). Mike was always ready with a story and advice, whether requested or not. Mike was a member of Bloomfield Hills Country Club (Bloomfield Hills, MI), The Little Club (Grosse Pointe, MI), Wequetonsing Golf Club (Harbor Springs, MI) and Little Traverse Yacht Club (Harbor Springs, MI). Mike is survived by his wife, Cheryl, four sons (Michael IV, Patrick, Timothy and Christopher Carey), two step-sons (Howard and Jeffrey Buhl) and eleven grandchildren. Mike was also formerly married to Barbara DeClerk. At Mike's request, there will be no Funeral Service. A Memorial Service has been scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on May 18, 2010 at St. Hugo of the Hills Church in Bloomfield Hills, MI. A reception will follow at Bloomfield Hills Country Club beginning at 3:30 p.m.

Classmate Ansel Vernon Gould

died March 11, 2010 in Washington, DC. At Princeton he majored in Aeronautical Engineering and was a member of Court Club. After three years in the Navy, Ansel returned to Princeton and earned a MSE in Aeronautical Engineering. He then worked briefly for several aircraft companies and for 30 years with two engineering research companies (MITRE and E Systems) on a variety of projects for various federal government agencies.
Ansel leaves his wife of 57 years, Mary Elizabeth, children Deborah Pederson '79 and Robert and four grandchildren.

Following is the obituary that appeared on the website of the Pumphrey Funeral Home, where the viewing took place:
Ansel V. Gould, 79 of Rockville, passed away March 11, 2010 at Specialty Hospital of Washington after a long illness. Born September 21, 1930, in Plainfield, NJ, he was a son of the late Eben and Margaret (Purple) Gould. He was the husband of Mary "Betty" (Decker) Gould for 57 years.
Mr. Gould grew up in Maplewood, NJ, graduating from Columbia High School. He attended Princeton University, NJ, earning an Aeronautical Engineering degree as a member of Phi Beta Kappa in 1952. He completed a master's degree at Princeton in 1956.
In 1952 Mr. Gould was commissioned in the United States Navy, and served aboard the U.S.S. Des Moines and the U.S.S. Mississippi. After leaving active duty in 1955 he remained in the Naval Reserve, retiring in 1977 as a Lieutenant Commander.
He worked for Convair in San Diego and Boston, designing military aircraft. After moving to Maryland in 1965, he switched careers to software engineering and worked at RAC, Mitre Corpoation and ERA in McLean, VA. He was a long-time Realtor in the Rockville area. He was an Eagle Scout, at one time volunteering as a scoutmaster for troop 1087 in Rockville.
Survivors in addition to his wife include a daughter, Deborah Pederson and husband Pete of San Antonio, TX, a son, Robert Gould and wife, Ellen of Silver Spring, MD, a brother, Dr. William Gould of Cerritos, CA, and 4 grandchildren, Peter, Kenneth, Matthew and Jennifer Pederson.
Funeral Services and interment will be in Milo, Maine.

Lovett Baker '52

died February 7, 2010, in Houston, TX. At Princeton he majored in Economics and was a member of Charter Club. Dave Smith forwarded his obituary from the Houston Chronicle which can be found at http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?n=lovett-baker&pid=139583063.

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