WEST AMWELL Margaret "Peg" Anne Prendergast, 67, died Tuesday, Jan. 4, at home.
Born in Trenton, she lived in West Amwell for 35 years.
She graduated from Cathedral High School in Trenton, St. Joseph’s School of Nursing in Philadelphia and the Mercer Medical Center Nursing School. She worked as a nurse in both Hunterdon and Bucks counties.
Mrs. Prendergast was a member of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Lambertville and was a Eucharist minister. She was one of the first religious education class teachers and was instrumental in starting the parish’s widows and widowers support group.
Daughter of the late John and Rose Connelly Scully and widow of James F. Prendergast, she is survived by three daughters and two sons-in-law, Anne and Paul Kisslinger of Bethesda, Md., Rose and Jonathan Miller of Doylestown, Pa., and Ellen Prendergast of West Amwell; one brother, the Rev. John J. Scully of St. Clement’s Roman Catholic Church in Matawan; and two granddaughters, Gabrielle Rose Kisslinger and Mira Margaret Kisslinger.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held Saturday at the church. Burial followed in the parish cemetery.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Garefino Funeral Home, Lambertville.
A Christian wake service was held at the funeral home.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 84 Park Ave., Flemington, 08822, or Hunterdon Hospice, 2100 Wescott Drive, Flemington, 08822.
WEST AMWELL Patricia A. Hoffman, 68, died Tuesday, Jan. 4, at Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township.
Born in Waukegan, Ill., she had lived in Trenton and Titusville and since 1975 in West Amwell.
She was a member of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church in Lambertville, the West Amwell Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary and the West Amwell Wanderers.
For more than 25 years, Mrs. Hoffman had worked for New Jersey Manufacturer’s Insurance Company as a claim representative and adjuster.
Daughter of the late Frank and Bernice Judge DeMar, she is survived by her husband, Louis Simonye; a son and daughter-in-law, Jack and Lu Anne Hoffman of Trenton; two brothers, Donald and Michael; two sisters, Anita and Donna; her stepmother, Lorna DeMar of Boon, Mich.; and three grandchildren, Christopher, Lindsay and Brian Hoffman.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held Saturday at the church. Burial followed in Old Rocks Cemetery, West Amwell.
Arrangements were under the direction of the Garefino Funeral Home, Lambertville,
Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, P.O. Box 318, Memphis, Tenn., 38101.
SEBASTIAN, Fla. Harry Lewis "Lewie" Apgar, 66, of Sebastian, Fla., died Wednesday, Jan. 5, at home.
He was born in Somerville, N.J., and moved to Sebastian in 1992 from Lambertville.
Mr. Apgar was a salesperson at Finkle’s & Sons in Lambertville for 35 years.
He was fire chief of the Lambertville Fire Department and captain of the Union Fire Department.
He was a member of the American Legion and Masonic Lodge, both in Lambertville.
He was associated with Cecrle Land Surveying Company in Sebastian.
He served in the Army during the Vietnam era.
Surviving are two daughters, Theresa Fink of Sebastian and Janet Myers of Sellersville, Pa.; a son, Lewis Apgar of Burlington, Vt.; a brother, Luther Apgar of St. Amont, La.; two sisters, Carol Nowak of Sebastian and Betty Leonard of Franklin, N.C.; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
A visitation was held Saturday at the Strunk Funeral Home in Sebastian. The funeral service followed with the Rev. Bill Reuhman officiating. Burial was in Sebastian Cemetery with full military honors conducted by American Legion Post 189, VFW Post 10210 and PLAV Post 210, all of Sebastian.
HAMILTON Betty J. Mercantini, 78, died Friday, Jan. 7, at Compassionate Care Hospice at St. Francis.
Born in Lambertville, she was a longtime Trenton-Hamilton resident.
Mrs. Mercantini was a manager for ShopRite Supermarket in Trenton where she retired after many years of service.
She was instrumental in the opening of Italian Peoples Bakery at the Trenton Farmers Market.
She was the daughter of the late Harry S. and Helen M. Hillborn Parrish Sr., widow of Raymond P. Mercantini and sister of the late Harry S. Parrish Jr.
Surviving are one son, Ronald P. Mercantini of Ewing Township; one daughter, Deborah L. Silber of Ewing Township; one granddaughter, Lori Wadsworth of Morrisville, Pa., and her husband, Michael; three great-grandchildren, Bryanna, Michael and Joseph; one sister, Alice J. McCormick of Hamilton Township; one sister-in-law, Faye Giordano of Hamilton Township; and several nieces and nephews.
The funeral will be private and under the direction of the M. William Murphy Funeral Home, Ewing.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 2550 Route 1, North Brunswick, N.J., 08902.
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP Beverly M. Helmlinger Hodanish, 70, died Friday, Jan. 7, at Compassionate Care Hospice at Saint Francis Medical Center, Trenton.
Born in Trenton, she was a lifelong Hamilton Township resident.
Mrs. Hodanish retired in 2004 after more than 20 years at Princeton University.
Daughter of the late Walter and Mary Burick Helmlinger, she is survived by two sons, Michael J. Hodanish of Bordentown and Stephen J. Hodanish of Pueblo West, Colo.; a daughter, Michelle Hodanish of Hamilton Township; two brothers and a sister-in-law, Walter Helmlinger of Allentown and Thomas and Lois Helmlinger of Ringoes; a sister and brother-in-law, Linda and Wilson Helmlinger Aviles of Puerto Rico; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services were private.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, Mercer County Chapter, 3076 Princeton Pike, Lawrenceville, N.J., 087648-2304.
HAMILTON Andrew Papiez Jr., 43, died Monday, Jan. 10, in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Born in Trenton, Mr. Papiez was a lifelong area resident.
He was employed at Pulaski Construction Company of Hamilton as a heavy equipment mechanic.
He was a member of Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in Mercerville.
Son of the late Marie "Judy" Papiez, he is survived by his father, Andrew Papiez Sr.; his fiancée, Sonia; his daughter, Amber Lynn; two stepsons, Joseph and Drew; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Susan and Charles Commini of Lawrenceville and Brenda Papiez Barry of Waretown; two brothers and sisters-in-law, Michael Sr. and Joette Papiez and Eric and Judith Papiez, all of Hamilton; a mother-in-law and father-in-law, Lydia and Felipe Acevedo; three sisters-in-law, Maribel Acevedo of East Windsor, Rose and Dave Bonney of Ringoes and Suzanne and Geovanni Jiminez of East Windsor; seven nephews, Charles and John Commini, Louis III and Michael Barry, Jakob Papiez, Michael Papiez Jr. and Dylan Bonney; a niece Victoria Papiez; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Funeral services will be held at 8 a.m. Friday from the Saul Colonial Home, Hamilton Square. A funeral mass will be held at 9 a.m. at the church. Burial will follow in Princeton Memorial Park, Robbinsville.
Memorial donations may be made to the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at New Brunswick Foundation, 1 Robert Wood Johnson Place, New Brunswick, N.J., 08901.

