OBITUARIES, Jan. 31, 2003

Orville A. Petty II, Surenda (Suren) N. Sehgal, Kurt R. Maurer, Edward I. Fischer, Seymour Solow, Helga Neuhauser, Marie S. Manson, Mahesh Amritlal Shah

By:
Orville A. Petty II
Executive at Lenox
   
Orville A. Petty II, former senior group vice president and director of Lenox Inc., died Wednesday at The Pavilions at Forrestal. He was 87 and lived in Princeton for more than 40 years.
   From 1960 until 1980, Mr. Petty led marketing activities for Lenox, dramatically expanding the product line and introducing Lenox to markets outside the United States. Before joining Lenox, now part of the Brown-Forman Corp., he was executive vice president and a director of Schick, the electric shaver manufacturer, based in Lancaster, Pa.
   During World War II, Mr. Petty served as executive assistant to the Chief of Ordinance at the Pentagon, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army before his discharge in 1946.
   He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1936 and William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia in 1932.
   Mr. Petty was a charter member of the Bedens Brook Club, and a member of the Nassau Club, Nassau Gun Club and Princeton Old Guard. He served on the vestry of Trinity Church in Princeton and was a life member of the Sons of the Revolution, Pennsylvania Society.
   Born and raised in Philadelphia, Mr. Petty was the son of the late Dr. Orlando Petty, a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry in action in France during World War I.
   He is survived by his wife of 62 years, the former Jessie Elizabeth "Betsy" Nelms; a daughter, Gail Petty Riepe of Cockeysville, Md.; four grandchildren, Christina and James Riepe Jr. and Carson and Virginia Petty; and his sister, Clara Bristor of Vero Beach, Fla. His son, O. Anderson Petty III of Princeton, died in 2001.
   Services will be 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer St., Princeton.
   Memorial contributions can be made to The Medical Center at Princeton, 253 Witherspoon St., Princeton, NJ 08540; or to University of Pennsylvania, O. Anderson Petty III Endowed Scholarship, 627 Franklin Building, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
   Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Ave., Princeton.
Surenda (Suren) N. Sehgal
Research scientist
   
SNOHOMISH, Wash. — Surenda (Suren) N. Sehgal, whose pioneering scientific research led to new treatments for organ transplantation, fighting cancer and cardiac care, died Jan. 21. He was 69.
   Dr. Sehgal was affiliated for 40 years with Wyeth Research, beginning at Ayerst in Montreal, Canada, in 1959, then in Princeton. He continued his association with Wyeth as a consultant following his retirement in December 1999.
   Among his many significant accomplishments are the discovery of sirolimus and the development of the process for its production. He and his team worked to identify the compound’s immunosuppressive activity and proposed its use in organ transplantation and autoimmunity. Sirolimus, marketed as Rapamune, is now approved for use around the world for the prevention of acute organ rejection in kidney transplant patients. Sirolimus is also being used in the coronary stent to prevent restenosis following angioplasty, through a partnership with Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson company.
   Dr. Sehgal was also instrumental in the discovery of CCI-779, now in development for the treatment of cancer.
   Dr. Sehgal received many awards throughout his career, including lifetime achievement awards from both the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation (1997) and the Canadian Transplantation Society (2000); two exceptional achievement awards from Wyeth (1993 and 1999); and election in 1997 as a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. He was active in the international scientific community through membership or affiliation with more than 15 professional organizations and participation as a speaker at more than 30 meetings and conferences around the world.
   Born in Khushab, India (now part of Pakistan), he began his scientific studies at the Banaris Hindu University in Banaris, India, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in pharmacy. He earned his Ph.D. at Bristol University in England before moving to Canada.
   Dr. Sehgal is survived by his wife, Uma; sons Ajai and Neel; three brothers; a sister; and grandchildren.
   Memorial donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation, Attn: Development, 30 E. 33rd St., New York, NY 10016.
Kurt R. Maurer
Interior designer
   
Kurt R. Maurer died Wednesday at The Medical Center at Princeton. He was 37.
   Born in Morristown, he graduated from Morristown High School and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
   He was an account development manager for Herman Miller Inc. in New York City for the past five years. Previously, he was employed by KSS Architects in Princeton for several years.
   He was a member of the American Society of Interior Designers, as well as the International Interior Design Association.
   He was a cook and an avid gardener.
   He is survived by his wife, Sherry MacLean Maurer of Princeton; his parents, Robert J. and Irene T. Maurer of Morristown; his brother and sister-in-law, Eric J. and Kelly A. Maurer of Springfield; his sister and brother-in-law, Kim Maurer and Keisuke Amarume of New York City; his mother and father-in-law, Ellen and Jerry MacLean of Princeton; his sister-in-law, Tammy MacLean of Boston; and his niece, Chloe Jean Maurer.
   Funeral will be Monday at 10 a.m. at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer St., Princeton. Burial will follow at Princeton Cemetery.
   Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Ave., Princeton.
Edward I. Fischer
Retired from Bell Labs
ROCKY HILL — Edward I. Fischer died Monday of complications from melanoma at The Medical Center at Princeton. He was 81.
   Born in Philadelphia, he was a longtime resident of Princeton before moving to Rocky Hill in recent years.
   Mr. Fischer worked in the fields of electrical, plant and construction engineering for Western Electric, AT&T Bell Labs, Kendall Development Co. and The Hillier Group.
   Upon retiring from Bell Labs, he started his own construction engineering consulting company, from which he retired last September.
   He was the youngest of eight children of Russian Jewish immigrants. His mother died when he was 2. He was raised in foster care in Brooklyn, N.Y., by Eli and Walter Lewins; his foster mother spent her last years in Princeton.
   Mr. Fischer interrupted his studies at Brooklyn College to work as a ship and shop electrician at Pearl Harbor following the attack in 1941. He then enlisted in the Army Air Force, serving as a radio operator and technical sergeant. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross flying 300 hours in the China-Burma-India theater.
   Following World War II, he returned to study engineering at the University of Southern California.
   After graduation in 1950, he moved back East and married in 1951. He continued his education by earning a master’s degree in engineering management from Drexel University.
   Mr. Fischer is survived by his wife, Rita; daughter and daughter-in-law Susan Alice Fischer and Michele Gregory of New York; son and daughter-in-law David Ben Fischer and Francesca Fornara of Milan, Italy; daughter and son-in-law Judith E.F. and David Oakley of Rocky Hill; grandchildren Benjamin and Rachel Oakley and Arianna and Daniel Fischer; and sister Lillian Smilowitz of Florida.
   A memorial service will be held at a later date. Burial in Princeton Cemetery was private.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity-Trenton Area, 20 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ 08542.
   Arrangements were under the direction of Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Ave., Princeton.
Seymour Solow
Hardware store owner
BOCA RATON, Fla. — Seymour Solow died Sunday at Boca Raton Community Hospital. He was 77.
   Mr. Solow was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and had lived in Cranbury and the Clearbrook section of Monroe Township before moving to Florida in 1987.
   He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II.
   He operated Cranbury Paint and Hardware from 1951 to 1964.
   Mr. Solow was a former member of the Cranbury Fire Department and the Masonic Lodge of Cranbury.
   Surviving are his wife, Caroline Shteir Solow; a son and daughter-in-law, Lee and Eve Solow of Lawrence; two daughters and sons-in-law, Fran and Marvin Weinberger of Havertown, Pa., and Beth and Steven Dietz of Langhorne, Pa.; sister Rena Rosenberg of Delray, Fla.; and six grandchildren, Robert and Joshua Solow, Ariela and David Weinberger, and Jeremy and Brian Dietz.
   Funeral was held Wednesday at the Higgins Memorial Home, 20 Center St., Freehold, followed by interment at the Workmen’s Circle Cemetery, Freehold.
Helga Neuhauser
Pediatric nurse
   
Helga Neuhauser of Princeton died Wednesday at the Princeton Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center after a long illness. She was 79.
   Born in Blankenese, Germany, she immigrated with her mother in 1924 to the United States through Ellis Island and settled in Farmington, Conn. She resided in Farmington for most of her life before moving to the Princeton area in 2001.
   A graduate of the St. Agnes Home Training School in West Hartford, Conn., she worked as a pediatric nurse.
   Mrs. Neuhauser was a lifelong member of the First Church of Christ, Congregational in Farmington.
   She was an avid gardener and traveler, and in her later life she performed volunteer work for her church and was a driver for Meals on Wheels with her late husband.
   Daughter of the late Frieda (née Habbe) and Friedrich Schwardt, wife of the late Henry Neuhauser, she is survived by daughter and son-in-law Sharon and Jim Lasbury of Princeton Junction; grandchildren Allison and Kevin Lasbury of Coral Gables, Fla.; brother and sister-in-law Karl and Connie Neuhausser of Burlington, Conn.; nephews Ross, Karl, Ron and Roger Neuhausser, all of Connecticut; and niece Joan Anderson of New York City.
   A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, in the Meeting House of First Church of Christ, Congregational, 75 Main St., Farmington, Conn., with the Rev. Ned Edwards officiating.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 2550 Route 1 North, North Brunswick, NJ 08902 or the First Church of Christ, Congregational, 75 Main St., Farmington, CT 06032.
   Arrangements are under the direction of the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
Marie S. Manson
Daughter lives in Princeton
   
EAST WINDSOR — Marie S. Manson died Thursday at The Medical Center at Princeton after a brief illness. She was 89.
   Born in Elmira, N.Y., she resided in Lansing, Mich., for 30 years before moving to Meadow Lakes in East Windsor in 1999.
   She worked with Manson, Jackson and Kane, her husband’s architectural company in Lansing, for over 20 years as an assistant and interior finish coordinator.
   She graduated in 1935 from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in home economics and taught both high school and junior high school home economics in New York.
   She was a member of the Crystal Sailing Club in Grand Ledge, Mich., as well as of the founders committee for the Center of the Arts. She was a volunteer with the Lansing Art Gallery and a charter docent at the Michigan State Historical Museum. She was a member of the University Club at Michigan State.
   Mrs. Manson served as president of Lansing Town Hall, the Pro-Symphony, the Women’s Symphony Association and of the Lansing Women’s Club (1959-1962).
   She taught Sunday school at the Central Methodist Church, where she was on the decorating committee and the education commission.
   She and her husband traveled extensively through the United States, Mexico, Greece, Spain, Russia, England and the Scandinavian countries.
   Wife of the late Elmer J. Manson, daughter of the late Bertha Hannah Moss and Harry J. Shriver, sister of the late Harry Shriver; she is survived by her son, Fred Manson of London, England; daughter Joyce M. Kelleher of Princeton; grandson and his wife John and Antionette Kelleher of Greeley, Colo.; and great-grandchildren Nathaniel and Lauren.
   A memorial service will be held at Meadow Lakes the week of Feb. 3. Arrangements are under the direction of The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
   Memorial contributions in her name may be made to Meadow Lakes Forum, 300 Meadow Lakes, Hightstown, NJ 08520 or to the Hightstown Presbyterian Church, 320 N. Main St., Hightstown, NJ 08520.
Mahesh Amritlal Shah
Financial planner
WEST WINDSOR — Mahesh Amritlal Shah died Monday at The Medical Center at Princeton. He was 59.
   Born in Bombay, India, he had resided in West Windsor for the past 15 years and was an active member of the community.
   He was a financial planner for the Professional Economic Growth Group in Edison.
   Surviving are his wife, Ranjana; a son, Bobby; a daughter-in-law, Anita; a daughter, Anjali; and eight brothers and sisters.
   Services were held Wednesday at Franklin Memorial Park, North Brunswick, under the direction of Cremation Services of Central New Jersey, East Brunswick.