Mary L. Beilman, Ruth Lacks Singer, Margaret Schaum, Thelma Blanton, Ronald Astbury Sr., E. Harold Blakeslee.
Mary L. Beilman
VERO BEACH, Fla. Mary Louise Beilman, 93, chairman of the board of The Princeton Packet Inc., including The Register-News, died Sunday. Born in Greencastle, Ind., she was a Princeton resident since 1942.
Mrs. Beilman was the widow of Bernard Kilgore, one-time chairman of the board of Dow Jones & Company and the noted architect of The Wall Street Journal’s transformation from a little-known Wall Street financial sheet to a national business daily.
Mr. Kilgore purchased The Princeton Packet in 1955 and added five newspapers to that group before he died in 1967 at age 59. The Packet group, which now includes 18 publications, remains in the Kilgore family.
Mrs. Beilman, an active Packet board member who was involved in many Princeton community organizations, married Robert D. Beilman, a retired Pan American World Airways pilot, on Dec. 29, 1973.
Mrs. Beilman was a former member of the board of trustees of Princeton HealthCare System and was a former board member of the Friends of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. She was a former president of the Women’s Auxiliary of the University Medical Center at Princeton and served as co-chair of the Princeton Hospital Fete in 1960. She was a member of the Nassau Presbyterian Church.
She was a member and former president of The Present Day Club and was a charter member of the Bedens Brook Club in Montgomery. She was a former member of The Springdale Golf Club and Pretty Brook Tennis Club. She once also was active in the Princeton area chapter of the American Red Cross.
Mrs. Beilman and her husband maintained residences in Princeton, Nantucket, Mass., Vero Beach and Coral Gables, Fla., and Twin Lakes, Pa.
She was active in the Nantucket Garden Club, a member with her husband of the Nantucket Yacht Club, a member of the Wharf Rats and a former member of the Sankety Golf Club. She was also active in the Coral Gables Garden Club.
She was a 1929 graduate of Greencastle High School and received a bachelor’s degree with a major in English from DePauw University in 1933. At DePauw, she was a member of Alpha Phi and Kappa Kappa Kappa sororities.
After college, she was a high school teacher of English and public speaking in the Greencastle public school system until her 1938 marriage to Mr. Kilgore.
Daughter of the late Kathryn and Dr. James A. Throop, she is survived by her husband, Robert D. Beilman; daughter Kathryn Kilgore of Key West, Fla.; sons John Harvey Kilgore of Tuxedo Park, N.Y., and James Bernard Kilgore of Princeton; grandchildren India Lake Kilgore, Matthew Tecumseh Kilgore and Michael Bernard Kilgore; stepdaughters Roberta Francesconi and Marina Beilman; eight stepgrandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements, under the direction of the Strunk Funeral Home in Vero Beach, will be private. A memorial service will be held at a later date at the convenience of the family.
Memorial contributions be made to The Princeton HealthCare System Foundation, 253 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Ruth Lacks Singer
BORDENTOWN Ruth Lacks Singer, 87, died Friday in the Lourdes Medical Center in Rancocas. Born in Germany, Mrs. Singer lived in the Bordentown area since 1963.
She was a retired principal auditor account clerk for the State of New Jersey Department of Labor for 16 years, retiring in 1987. She was also a member of the AARP and the Bordentown Senior Citizens.
Daughter of the late Alfred and Franciska Wiszewski Lacks and wife of the late Morris Singer, she is survived by a son, Randolph Singer of Bordentown; a daughter she resided with, Irene Woodson; and three grandchildren, twins Kevin and Keith Woodson, and Brandon G. Singer.
Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Wednesday in St. Mary’s Church, 45 Crosswicks St., Bordentown. Burial was in parish cemetery.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Hartmann Memorial Home, 2830 Nottingham Way, Mercerville.
Margaret Schaum
Margaret Vandegrift Schaum, 77, of Beverly, died Friday in Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, Willingboro.
Mrs. Schaum was born in Burlington, the daughter of the late Harry and Christine Prager Vandegrift. She resided in Roebling and Willingboro before moving to Beverly in 1993.
She was an art student of Juanita Crosby at the Firehouse Gallery, Bordentown. She was an accomplished artist earning numerous awards at the Wood Street Fair, Burlington and the Bordentown Street Fair.
Mrs. Schaum was a member of Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, Burlington Township.
Sister of the late Majorie Stoddard, Dorothy Majors and Ruth Cliver and special friend of the late Florence DiPaolo, wife of the late William R. Schaum; she is survived by three daughter and sons-in-law, Katherine and William Basham of Mt. Laurel, Patti Tabor and fiance James Maines of Bordentown, Susan and Terry Allen of Tabernacle, son and daughter-in-law, William M. and Alesia Schaum of Newtown, Pa., three brothers and sisters-in-law, William and Florette Vandegrift of Burlington, Robert and Anita Vandegrift of Florida, Daniel Vandegrift of California, eight grandchildren, Jessica, Tiffany, Danielle, Matthew, David, Erik, Ashley and Dylan, and many nieces and nephews.
Funeral services were held Wednesday in the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, Burlington Township, with Mr. Edward Clark Jr. officiating.
Burial was in Brigadier General William C. Doyle Vet. Mem. Cem., North Hanover Township.
Memorial contributions may be made to The World Wide Work c/o Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, 907 Jacksonville Rd., Burlington Township, NJ 08016.
Thelma Blanton
EAST BRUNSWICK Thelma Gibson Blanton, former resident of Bordentown, died April 6.
Born in Wrightsville, Mrs. Blanton lived in The Chelsea Assisted Living Residence in East Brunswick for the last two and a half years.
She was a graduate of New Brunswick High School, Newark Normal School for Teachers, and Rutgers University. She completed additional graduate study at Rutgers University and the former Trenton State College. Mrs. Blanton taught for 44 years in the Bordentown Public School system, with appointments at the historic Number 2 School and the Clara Barton School.
She was active in the Bordentown and Burlington County communities. She was a member of various civic and professional groups, including the Burlington County NAACP, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, the Executive Board of the Bordentown Library, and the National Education Association.
She was a lifetime member of Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mrs. Gibson is survived by many nieces, nephews, and extended family.
Services were held Sunday at Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, 36 East Burlington St., Bordentown. Interment took place Monday in the Bound Brook Cemetery, Mountain Avenue, Bound Brook.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.perryfuneralhome.com. Arrangements entrusted to the Perry Funeral Home, 34 Mercer St., Newark, NJ 07103.
Ronald Astbury Sr.
JOBSTOWN Ronald Dale Astbury Sr., 61, died April 4 at home.
Born in Trenton, Mr. Astbury was a lifelong area resident. He was a 1962 graduate of Hamilton High West, and a graduate of Northwestern Traffic Institute in 1979. He retired as lieutenant from the New Jersey State Police after 31 years of service. He was an MP in the U.S. Army Reserve, and worked for the New Jersey Division of Motor Vehicles as an inspector.
Mr. Astbury was coach and manager of Hamilton Babe Ruth, and Hamilton Soccer Leagues. He was affiliated with Sunnybrae Little League for 31 years and was past president. He was also a Free Mason of Philo Lodge 243, a lifetime member of the Lambertville Rod and Gun Club, and a Park Rod and Gun Club member. Mr. Astbury was an avid outdoorsman, and the only thing he loved more was spending time with his children and grandchildren.
Son of the late George and Naomi Brophy Astbury Sr. and brother of the late George Astbury Jr., he is survived by his loving partner, Nancy Tegeder; three sons and daughters-in-law, Ronald D. Jr. and Patricia Astbury of Hamilton, Drew D. and Michele Astbury of Cream Ridge, Jason and Kelly Astbury of Hamilton; one brother and two sisters-in-law, Blair and Linda Astbury Sr. of Hamilton and Betty Astbury of Florida; three grandchildren, Ronald Astbury III, Cody and Brianna Astbury; he was separated from his wife Dorothy Astbury of Columbus; several nieces and nephews; and many close friends.
Funeral services were held at the Hamilton Brenna-Cellini Funeral Home, 2365 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road, Hamilton. Burial was in Upper Springfield Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Visiting Nurses and Hospice, 10 East Stow Road, Suite 100, Marlton, NJ 08053 or The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, 1609 Garden St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.
E. Harold Blakeslee
ROEBLING E. Harold Blakeslee, 87, died April 4 in St. Clare’s Hospital, Denville Township.
Born in Roebling, he was the son of the late John and Margaret Sunderman Blakeslee. He was a lifelong Roebling resident.
Mr. Blakeslee was a quartermaster in the U.S. Navy during World War II serving on the U.S.S. LST 657.
He was a retired planning and scheduling clerk, employed by John A. Roebling (C.F&I), Roebling, with 42 years service. He was also employed by Castle Realty in Willingboro for five years and was employed by NADE, Bordentown until 1995.
Mr. Blakeslee was a member of Holy Assumption Catholic Church and Willitts Hogan Tonne American Legion Post 39, Roebling.
Brother of the late John, Robert, Dorothy, and Ralph Blakeslee, he is survived by his wife of 65 years, Ann Filipowicz Blakeslee; daughter and son-in-law, Peggy A. and Travis Hutchinson of Essex Fells; brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Francis Blakeslee of Ventor; two grandsons and spouses, David and Leslie Hutchinson of Herndon, VA and Peter and Maryann Hutchinson of Essex Fells; and seven great-grandchildren, Andrew, Kyle, Timothy, William, Garrett, Colin and Natalie.
The Funeral was held at Koschek and Porter Funeral Directors, 1115 Hornberger Ave., Roebling.
Funeral Mass was held at Holy Assumption Catholic Church, 1290 Hornberger Ave., Roebling.
Interment was in the parish cemetery.

