OBITUARIES, March 1, 2005

William H. Cherry, Charles M. Hartman, Thomas H. Johnson, David Castrejon, Helen M. Craven, Kate P. Tredennick.

William H. Cherry
Physicist, township committeeman
   
MONTGOMERY — William H. Cherry died on Feb. 19 at University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 85.
   Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., he was a Princeton Township resident for 53 years before moving with his wife to Stonebridge in Montgomery in January 2004.
   He was a physicist and a former member of the Princeton Township Committee.
   He began his career in 1941, when he joined the Radio Corporation of America in Harrison. He attended the groundbreaking for RCA Laboratories, later David Sarnoff Research Center, in West Windsor and began working there at its opening in 1942. At RCA, he received 11 patents, contributed to RCA’s development of the color television and was an early pioneer in the field of superconductivity, using low temperatures to lower electronic resistance.
   During World War II, he and another physicist, Dr. Jan A. Rajchman, spent two years in radar development, trying to improve the betatron electron tube.
   In 1946 and 1947, he worked on the development of color television, establishing the mathematical basis of what could be called "video high fidelity."
   Dr. Cherry was deeply involved in RCA’s research, development and manufacture of superconducting niobium tin solenoids, which make possible MRI technology. In the 1960s, he helped pioneer gigahertz computing using electron-beam addressing, examined the relationship between the theoretical and experimental behavior of superconductive materials, and developed the test equipment and observational techniques for superconductors under extremely high magnetic fields.
   He retired from RCA in 1975 after 31 years of service.
   He was a life member of the American Physical Society and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
   He graduated from Bayside High School in New York City and received a bachelor of science degree from MIT in 1941 and a doctorate from Princeton University in 1958.
   He served three three-year terms, from 1978 to 1986, on the Princeton Township Committee. He was liaison to the Flood Control Committee, Board of Health, Welfare Board, Recreation Committee and Sewer Operating Committee. Beginning in 1987, he served as chair of the Flood Control Committee and continued as chair until 1994.
   He was an avid distance swimmer and loved sailing and summer vacations on Nantucket and, more recently, Silver Bay on Lake George, N.Y.
   In 2004, he received the Good Guy Award from the Women’s Political Caucus of New Jersey.
   Most recently, he was chairman of the Princeton AARP’s Legislative Committee and was a New Jersey Delegate to the AARP Biennial Convention in Orlando, Fla., in 2000.
   Son of the late William and Theresa Baur Cherry, he is survived by his wife of 57 years, Patricia N. Cherry; daughters and sons-in-law Kathleen P. Cherry and Daniel B. Thompson of Princeton and Diana N. Cherry and Charles Schiedel of Springfield, Ill.; son and daughter-in-law Martin and Susan Cherry of St. Johnsbury, Vt.; and grandchildren Peter Cherry and wife Erin of Beverly, Mass., Carolyn Cherry, Rebecca Cherry and Elizabeth Cherry of St. Johnsbury, Vt., and William Schiedel of Springfield, Ill.
   A memorial service and brief reception will be held 1 p.m. Sunday at All Saints’ Church, 16 All Saints Road, Princeton.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Crisis Ministry of Princeton and Trenton, 61 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ 08542.
Charles M. Hartman
Partner in venture capital firm
   
Charles M. Hartman of Princeton died Feb. 22 while playing tennis with friends. He was 63.
   Born in Detroit, he was an East Windsor resident before moving to Princeton more than 35 years ago.
   He was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, served as a lieutenant in the Army, and received a degree from the University of Chicago School of Business.
   After 17 years with Johnson & Johnson, he became a partner with CW Group, a leading manager of venture capital funds focused on seed and early stage health-care companies.
   He was a former member of the board of directors of The Hastings Center in Garrison, N.Y., the former chairman of the board of trustees of the D&R Greenway Land Trust and a member of the Committee on Intellectual Property of The National Academy of Sciences.
   He was a wine connoisseur, amateur archaeologist, land preservationist, accomplished photographer, world traveler, movie buff, aspiring golfer and avid tennis player.
   Son of the late Charles M. Hartman Sr., he is survived by his mother, Margaret Hartman of Farmington Hills, Mich.; wife Mary Louise Hartman; daughters Christine Contiliano and Katherine Shea; sons Jeffrey Hartman and John Hartman; brothers Bill and Jim; grandchildren Brian and Christopher Contiliano, Aidan and Hannah Shea and Will and Clara Hartman.
   Visiting hours will be 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the A.S. Cole Funeral Home, 22 N. Main St., Cranbury.
   Visitation and evening prayer will be 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday at The Church of St. Ann, 1253 Lawrence Road, Lawrence Township.
   There will also be visiting hours 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday at The Church of St. Ann. Mass of the Resurrection will follow at 11 a.m.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the D&R Greenway Land Trust, 1327 Canal Road, Princeton, NJ 08540; the Earthwatch Institute, Development Office, 3 Clock Tower Place, Suite 100, Box 75, Maynard, MA 01754; or the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church, PO Box 85, Southampton, MA 01073.
Thomas H. Johnson
Electrical contractor
   
Thomas H. Johnson of Princeton died Saturday at home. He was 62.
   Born in Princeton, he was a 1956 graduate of St. Paul’s School and a 1961 graduate of the Hun School of Princeton.
   He was a self-employed electrical contractor.
   He was past president and former chief of Mercer Engine Company No. 3 in Princeton; past president of Princeton Lions Club; past president of the Nassau Social Club; president and founder of the Kenmore Social Club; football coach of the Mercer County Football League, heavyweight division; former member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 269; and member of the Princeton Boy Scout Troop 56.
   Mr. Johnson was a former altar server serving at the dedication Mass of St. Paul’s Church in 1956.
   Son of the late Reuben F. and Cecelia McCloskey Johnson, he is survived by his wife of 19 years, Josephine "Josie" Galletta Johnson of Princeton; sons Thomas R. Jr. and Michael J. and daughter Jessica L. of Princeton; brother and sister-in-law George W. and Catherine Johnson of Princeton; sister and brother-in-law Margaret "Peggy" and Flavio Fener of Princeton; nephew George Johnson Jr.; and nieces Brooke Johnson, Heidi Fener and her husband, Brandon Kessler, and Heather Fener.
   The funeral will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Ave., Princeton.
   A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, 214 Nassau St., Princeton.
   Burial will follow in St. Paul’s Cemetery.
   Calling hours are 6 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Johnson Family College Fund, c/o Commerce Bank, 883 State Road 206, Princeton NJ 08540, Attn: Maria Medida.
David Castrejon
Worked at Panera Bread
   
David Castrejon of Princeton died Wednesday at University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 39.
   He was employed by Panera Bread, Princeton.
   Son of the late Jose and Fidela Santiago Castrejon, he is survived by sons Israel Castrejon of Princeton and David Castrejon of Mexico; daughter Edith Castrejon of Mexico; brothers Antonio, Arturo and Jamie of Princeton and Juan of Mexico; sisters Isabel and Diana of Mexico; and granddaughter Diana A. Castrejon of Mexico.
   A memorial visitation is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Ave., Princeton.
Helen M. Craven
Princeton Junior School co-founder
   
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Helen McDaniel Craven, a former Princeton resident, died Feb. 19 at Carol Woods Retirement Community. She was 92.
   Born in Suzhou, China, she was the youngest of six children. Her parents, Charles and Nancy McDaniel, were Baptist missionaries.
   She began her preschool teaching career in 1953 in Princeton. Two-year olds were her favorite age group, and she particularly enjoyed teaching them music and movement.
   She later helped to found and administer the Princeton Junior School. After retiring, she moved to Carol Woods in 1993.
   She enjoyed music and played in recorder societies for many years. She also enjoyed travel. Her sister-in-law — and in later years, her daughter, Betty — accompanied her on visits to many places around the world, including China.
   Wife of the late Wesley F. Craven, who died in 1981, she is survived by daughters and sons-in law Nancy and Bill Beecher of Madison, Wis., and Betty and Norris Barber of Portland, Ore.; grandchildren Kimberly Bellefeuille, Tracy Kok, Kirsten Lenz and Eric Barber; six great-grandchildren; a dear friend, Dr. Campbell McMillan; niece Martha Yeatts; nephews Berkeley and James Cone; and special lifelong friends John & Nancy Eills.
   Memorial contributions may be made to YMCA Children’s Center, c/o Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA, 980 Airport Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
   Arrangements were by Cremation Society of the Carolinas.
Kate P. Tredennick
Former Princeton resident
   
MONROE — Kate Payson Tredennick died Sunday at The Elms of Cranbury. She was 91.
   Born in Portland, Maine, she lived in Princeton more than 25 years before moving to Rossmoor in Monroe Township 35 years ago.
   She received a bachelor’s degree from Smith College, and was a former chairman of the Red Cross Blood Donor Drive.
   She was a state of Maine women’s singles champion in tennis.
   Daughter of the late Kate Wheeler Payson and Robert Payson, wife of the late Alan Tredennick, she is survived by daughters Joan Tredennick and Anne Chacchia, both of Rochester, N.Y.; son Alan P. Tredennick of Monroe; sister Mary Hitchcock of Portland, Maine; nine grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
   Funeral and burial are private under the direction of Kimble Funeral Home, Princeton.
   Memorial contributions may be made to The American Red Cross.