Mary G. Wilson, Donald L. Vandergrift, E. Margie Filter, Richard A. Diaforli.
Mary G. Wilson
Advocate for disabled
LEBANON, N.H. Mary Galey Wilson died at home in Harvest Hill on Jan. 6. She was 84.
Born in Philadelphia and a former Philadelphia and Princeton resident, she also maintained a home in Nevis, West Indies.
She was active in the Junior League of Philadelphia, where she founded the Outgrown Shop.
After moving to Princeton, she pioneered the effort to build community housing for people with developmental disabilities.
She was president of Princeton Nursery School and volunteered at the University Medical Center at Princeton, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic and Meals on Wheels.
With her husband and others, she founded the Association for the Multiple Impaired Blind, where her youngest daughter, Mary Blair Wilson, still resides. She remained president emeritus of the board of trustees until her death.
With a lifelong devotion to the Catholic Church, she was one of the first Eucharistic ministers to be ordained.
She graduated in 1937 from the Shipley School of Bryn Mawr, Pa., and in 1941 from Sarah Lawrence College.
She trained as a classical pianist and studied with William Shuman and Aaron Copeland.
Wife of the late Albert S. Wilson Jr., she is survived by daughters Janet Alternative of Lake Grove, N.Y., Beverley Parry of Norwich, Vt., and Mary Blair Wilson of Toms River; sister Janet Andruss; brothers William T. Galey Jr. and Charles E. Galey; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Memorial services were held Saturday at Harvest Hill and will be held on later dates in New Jersey and Nevis.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Association for Multiple Impaired Blind, 909 Cedar Bridge Ave., Suite 4, Brick, NJ 08723.
Arrangements are by Ricker Funeral Homes, Lebanon, N.H.
Donald L. Vandergrift
Retired attorney
Donald L. Vandergrift of Princeton died Friday after a long illness at the University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 60.
Born in Kingsport, Tenn., he was a resident of Princeton most of his adult life.
He retired from the Brown and Wood law firm of New York City.
A U.S. Air Force veteran during the Vietnam era, he was in the first graduating class of Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in Pomona.
He was active in community service in the area of cancer and lung disease.
Son of the late Roy Vandergrift, brother of the late Larry G. Vandergrift and his identical twin brother, Ronald F. Vandergrift, he is survived by his mother, Dorothy Hiller; wife of 41 years Catherine Lynch Vandergrift of Princeton; daughters Christine and her husband, Mario Cooke, of Philadelphia and Vanessa Vandergrift and her partner, Isabelle Ruiz, of Maplewood; brother Steven Cathey of North Carolina; sister and brother-in-law Daye and Chuck Campbell of Tennessee; grandchildren Amelia and Julia Cooke and Gloria Ruiz; and nieces Lindsey and Alexandra Campbell of Tennessee.
The funeral will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Ave., Princeton.
Burial will be in St. Paul’s Cemetery, Princeton.
Calling hours will be 9 a.m. Wednesday until time of service at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be made to Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 529, Princeton, NJ 08542 or the charity of donor’s choice.
E. Margie Filter
Brother lives in Princeton
WESTPORT, Conn. E. Margie Filter died Thursday from complications from ovarian cancer. She was 63.
She was a 30-year Westport resident.
Ms. Filter was a financial executive with Xerox Corp. for 30 years. She was the first female corporate officer of the company and served as vice president and treasurer for 11 years as well as vice president and corporate secretary for 17 years. She retired in 2002.
She served on the board of directors of three New York Stock Exchange-listed companies including Briggs & Stratton and LaBranche & Co. and retired from the board of Baker Hughes Inc. in 2002 after serving the 10-year limit for directors.
Ms. Filter was one of the first professional women on Wall Street, beginning her career as a security analyst in 1966 at Morgan Guaranty Trust Co. and later with G.A. Saxton & Co.
She was a board member of Cancer Care of Connecticut and previously served on the board of Wells College, Aurora, N.Y.
She attended Wells College and graduated from City College of New York with a degree in economics.
Daughter of the late Russell S. and Catherine Smith Matthews, Ms. Filter is survived by her husband, Jerry Hostetter; son Henry C. Filter III of Stevensville, Md.; brother Edward E. Matthews of Princeton; and two grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18 at Saugatuck Congregational Church, Wesport, Conn.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Cancer Care of Connecticut, 120 East Ave., Norwalk, CT 06851.
Richard A. Diaforli
Born in Princeton
WICHITA FALLS, Texas Richard Antonio Diaforli died Friday. He was 51.
Born in Princeton, he was a resident of Dallas and later Nocona, Texas.
He had a career in business management.
He was a 1970 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas and studied business management at Richland College.
He was a longtime assistant Boy Scout master of Troop 42 in Dallas and was also a vigil honor member of the Order of the Arrow.
Son of the late Antonio Diaforli Jr., he is survived by his mother, LaRue C. Diaforli of Dallas; daughter Rachel Marie Diaforli of Tuttle, Okla.; paternal grandmother Angelina Diaforli of Princeton; sister and brother-in-law Donna Gibbs-Nini and Anthony Nini of Mercerville; nieces and nephews Brice, Patti and Kieran Gibbs and Karina Beverage, all of Nocona, Texas, and Christine, Rudy and Annie Rangel, all of Denton, Texas; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
The funeral will be 1 p.m. today at First United Methodist Church, 202 Grayson St., Nocona, Texas with the Rev. Michael K. Harmuth of Dallas and Pastor Keith Barbee of Nocona, Texas, officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to local volunteer fire departments, Nocona Elementary School TRIBE, 220 Clay St., Nocona, TX 76255 or the charity of the donor’s choice.
Arrangements are by Scott-Morris Funeral Home, Nocona, Texas.