John W. Gaston Jr.
John W. Gaston, Jr., 56, of Hopewell Township, died at home Monday after a two-year battle with brain cancer.
Born in Easton, Pa., he was the son of the late John Wilson Gaston Sr. and Mary Garrison Gaston of White Township, Warren County, where Mr. Gaston was raised.
Mr. Gaston earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemical engineering from Rutgers University and an MBA from Rider University.
He was a former employee of the state Department of Environmental Protection as director of the Division of Water Resources and assistant commissioner, Hazardous Waste Management. He also was a private consultant on environmental management issues and served as executive director of the Stony Brook Regional Sewerage Authority for over 10 years.
Mr. Gaston also served as president and basketball coach for the Hopewell Valley YMCA.
In addition to his mother, Mr. Gaston is survived by his wife, Susan Lorenzo Gaston; and two sons, Chris and Kenneth, who attend George Washington University.
Friends may visit with the family from 6-9 p.m. today (Feb. 20) in the Gathering Room of Saint James Roman Catholic Church, 115 E. Delaware Ave., Pennington. A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. in the church.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to: The John Gaston Award Fund, American Society for Public Administration, 1120 G Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20005, or to the Hopewell Valley YMCA, P.O. Box 301, Pennington, 08534.
Arrangements are by MacFadden Funeral Home, 325 Hardwick St., Belvidere.
Mary Schaefer Rittmann
Mary "Penny" Schaefer Rittmann, 85, died Sunday at The Clare Estates in Bordentown City.
Born in Pennington, she lived in Hopewell Township until moving to Susquehanna County, Pa.
Ms. Rittman served as an elementary teacher and reading specialist for the Hopewell Valley Regional School District for over 18 years.
She was a life member of the National Education Association and the New Jersey Education Association and was a member of the Mercer County Education Association and the N.R.T.A. In addition, Ms. Rittman was a member of Ashlar Chapter 169, Order of the Eastern Star and the Congregational Church of Harford. A volunteer with the American Cancer Society for over 40 years and a member of the American Cancer Society (ACS) Board of Managers of Mercer County for 35 years, she also was a member of the New Jersey Division of the ACS.
She once served as minister’s assistant at the Second Presbyterian Church in Carlisle, Pa., and as director of Christian Education at the First Presbyterian Church in Watertown, N.Y. She also was director of Christian Education for the Cooperative Parish in Hunterdon and executive secretary for the YMCA of Morris County.
After her retirement in 1977, she did volunteer work for the Mercer Unit of the ACS, for Mercer Medical Center for 15 years and for the Pennington Public Library. More recently, she volunteered at the Masonic Home in Burlington, the Mercer County Geriatric Center and the Red Cross Blood Bank.
A bowler in three senior citizen leagues, she also was active with the Susquehanna County Recycling Program, the Willing Workers, the Harford Historical Society and Old Mill Historical Society and the Kingsley Civic Club.
The daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Schaefer of Pennington and sister of the late Charles J. Schaefer, she was the widow of Karl S. Rittmann. She is survived by a sister, Ruth E. Kirchner of West Dover, Vt.; a stepdaughter Joan R. Johnson of Deltona, Fla. and the Poconos; and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
Interment will be at the convenience of the family in the Ewing Church Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Schaefer-Rittman Foundation, P.O. Box 210, Crosswicks, 08515.
Arrangements are by Huber-Moore Funeral Home of Bordentown.

