OBITUARIES, Nov. 1, 2005

Albert M. Venta, Marjorie Montagu, Elizabeth Neilson, John W. Kalajian, H. Guy Smith, Dorothy M. McNelis

Albert M. Venta
Princeton letter carrier
   
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Albert M. Venta died Thursday at Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula. He was 79.
   Born in Princeton, he had been a Princeton resident all of his life before retiring to Pascagoula in 1989.
   He was employed 38 years as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, delivering from the Princeton Post Office.
   He was a member of the Princeton Italian-American Sportsmen’s Club, the Citizens Club and the Princeton Elks Lodge.
   A World War II Marine veteran, he served in China.
   Son of the late Josephine and Innocenzo Venta Sr., husband of the late Doris E. Venta and brother of the late Innocenzo Venta Jr. and Louis P. Venta, who was killed in action in World War II, he is survived by his daughter, Gloria A. Venta, of Granada Hills, Calif.; sisters Lydia Pfister of East Lansing, Mich., his twin, and Helen "Sandy" Perone of Montgomery Township; and granddaughter Alexandra Venta, of Granada Hills, Calif.
   The funeral is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Friday at Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Ave., Princeton.
   A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, 214 Nassau St., Princeton.
   Interment will follow in St. Paul’s Cemetery, with military honors.
   Calling hours will be 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Disabled American Veterans, National Headquarters, PO Box 14301, Cincinnati OH 45250 or Salvation Army, 575 East State St., Trenton, NJ 08609.
Marjorie Montagu
Longtime Princeton resident
   
Marjorie Montagu of Princeton died Sunday at Merwick Rehab Hospital & Nursing Care. She was 99.
   Born in Weston, Mass., she attended art school and went on to fashion silver jewelry, paint watercolors and create wire sculptures.
   On a return trip aboard the Carmania from a summer job in France, she met her future husband, the late anthropologist Ashley Montagu.
   They lived in New York, Philadelphia and Princeton with their three children.
   She is survived by her son, Geoffrey Montagu of Lawrence; daughters Barbara Johnstone of Princeton and Audrey Murphy of Sturbridge, Mass.; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Princeton animal shelter SAVE, 900 Herrontown Road, Princeton, NJ 08540.
   Arrangements are by Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
Elizabeth Neilson
Retired from ETS
   
Elizabeth Neilson of Princeton died Saturday at home of lung cancer. She was 78.
   Born in New York City, she moved to Princeton with her two daughters following her divorce from David H. Neilson in 1968.
   She worked briefly at Gallup & Robinson and McGraw-Hill before joining Educational Testing Service, where she remained until her retirement.
   She attended Rutgers University at night during those years, changing her major from English to history and graduating with honors in 1978.
   She was a graduate of Holy Cross Academy in New York City and had attended Hunter College in New York over 3½ years as an English major.
   Her special interests included the French language, politics and social justice. She was active in the peace and civil rights movements, joining in demonstrations over a 40-year span. She also enjoyed gardening and walking.
   Soon after moving to Princeton, she began French study in Madame Archer’s class. After Madame Archer’s death, she and her French group found Dominique Wenzel as a teacher, and Ms. Neilson was active in that group until her death.
   Sister of the late Howard and Robert Hughes, she is survived by daughters and son-in-law Deborah L. and Mark Ward of Asheville, N.C., and Suzanne C. Neilson of Princeton; brothers Frank and James Hughes of Wiccoppe, N.Y.; sister Virginia Kaminsky of Wiccoppe, N.Y.; and six grandchildren.
   A memorial service conducted by her son-in-law, the Rev. Mark Ward, is scheduled for 11 a.m. Nov. 12 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, 50 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the United Nations Association of the United States of America, 801 Second Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017.
   Arrangements are by Alloway Funeral Home, Merchantville.
John W. Kalajian
Retired from Princeton University
   
John W. Kalajian of Princeton died Wednesday at the University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 80.
   Born in Princeton, he was a lifelong Princeton-area resident.
   Mr. Kalajian retired after many years of service at Princeton University.
   He was a cellist and teacher in Princeton for many years.
   He was a member of Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church in West Windsor.
   An Army veteran of World War II, he fought at the Battle of the Bulge.
   Son of the late Herbert and late Helen Kalajian, he is survived by daughters and sons-in-law Susan and Raymond Ranallo of Ewing Township and Jocelyn Kalajian and John Middleton of Mahtomedi, Minn.; sisters Eleanor Kalajian of Trenton, Louise Pickering of California, and Lorraine Kalajian of Trenton; and grandchildren Stephen Ranallo, Gregory Ranallo and Sylvia Middleton.
   A memorial service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday at First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, 154 South Mill Road, West Windsor.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society of New Jersey, Mercer County Chapter, 3076 Princeton Pike, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.
   Arrangements are by Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
H. Guy Smith
Bristol-Myers Squibb controller
   
WEST WINDSOR — H. Guy Smith died Saturday at Bear Creek Assisted Living. He was 83.
   Born in Bethlehem, Pa., Mr. Smith lived in Hillsborough for 35 years before moving to West Windsor nearly four years ago.
   He retired as a controller in the research and development department of Bristol-Myers Squibb, after more than 20 years of service.
   He was navigator in the Army Air Corps during World War II, when he earned a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross Medal while serving in campaigns in the European Theater and over Normandy.
   Mr. Smith graduated from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, with a bachelor’s degree in business.
   He was an active parishioner of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church in Princeton, where he coached in the youth basketball program of St. Paul’s School.
   Son of the late Margaret Gallagher Smith and Peter F. Smith, he was the youngest of 10 children, and was predeceased by eight of his brothers and sisters. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Mary Glenn Smith; son Timothy Smith of New Brunswick; daughters and sons-in-law Leslie and Dennis Taulbee of Westchester, Ohio, Pamela and Douglas Farr of Hopewell, Kathleen and Gerard Lynch of Princeton, and Maureen and Scot Shuck of Garrett Park, Md.; sister Helen Smoll of Pennsylvania; 15 grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
   A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, 214 Nassau St., Princeton.
   Entombment will follow in Holy Cross Burial Park, Jamesburg.
   Calling hours are 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Kimble Funeral Home, 1 Hamilton Ave., Princeton.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hospice Memorial Fund, 208 Bunn Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.
Dorothy M. McNelis
Former Florida resident
   
MONTGOMERY — Dorothy M. McNelis died Saturday after a long illness with cancer. She was 76.
   Born in Jersey City, she lived in San Francisco and Colonia before moving to Naples, Fla., 16 years ago and, later, to Montgomery.
   She played tennis, wrote poetry and was an avid bridge player and world traveler, journeying to Japan, China, Hong Kong, Greece and the United Kingdom.
   Wife of the late James J. McNelis, mother of the late Kerry McNelis, mother-in-law of the late Suzan McNelis, she is survived by sons and daughters-in-law Kevin and Patricia McNelis, Greg and Susanne McNelis, and Brian McNelis; daughter and son-in-law Lory and Gary Greene; sisters June Payne and Marie Pierce; brother Frank Lawton; and grandchildren Alexander Vatis, Ashleigh Vatis, Gregg McNelis Jr., Diana McNelis, Brandon McNelis, Johanna McNelis, Tyler Greene, Riley Green and Hayes McNelis.
   A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church, Skillman Road, Montgomery.
   Cremation will be private.
   Visiting hours are 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Hillsborough Funeral Home, 796 Route 206, Hillsborough.
   Memorial contributions may be made to Eternal Word Television Network, 5817 Old Leeds Road, Irondale, AL 35210.