Obituaries for the week of Dec. 1

Damien Dixon
   PRINCETON — Damien Dixon of Princeton Friday at University Medical Center at Princeton after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 29.
   A lifelong musician, he grew up in Lawrence where his musical talents were recognized early. He began piano lessons at age 5.
   He won the Baldwin National Piano Competition at age 15 and is still the only musician from New Jersey to receive the award.
   After graduating from Lawrence High School, he attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and worked several years as an electrical engineer at Sarnoff Corp. in West Windsor. He then returned to music, spending the last four years as a piano teacher and accompanist at Westminster Choir College.
   Son of the late Fredrick and Marthaliese Dixon, he is survived by his grandmother, Anneliese Sister; sisters Liese and Dee Dee Dixon; niece Lelia Dixon; and girlfriend Rebecca Holden.
   His late father was a member of the Lawrence Township Board of Education, and his late mother was secretary at Lawrence High School.
   The funeral will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, 2688 Main St., Lawrence.
   Calling hour will be 10 a.m. until time of service at the church.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Princeton HealthCare System Foundation, 253 Witherspoon St., Princeton, NJ 08540.
   Arrangements are by Hughes Funeral Home, Trenton.
Ida Erkoboni Kavchak
   PLAINSBORO — Ida Erkoboni Kavchak died Tuesday at The Pavillions at Forrestal after an extended illness. She was 88.
   Born in Lawrence, the daughter of the late Daniel and Marie Erkoboni, she was a lifelong resident.
   Ms. Kavchak was a former inspector for General Motors of Ewing and a member of the GM Retired Salary Club.
   She was a six-time past president of the Lawrence Township Senior Citizens Club One, past president of Mercer Widows and Widowers and a member of Burlington Widows and Widowers, past president of Lawrence Township American Legion Post No. 414 Ladies Auxiliary and a member of American Legion Post No. 458 of North Trenton Ladies Auxiliary. She was also a member of Hamilton Energetic Leisure People, Lawrence Township Republican Club and Italian American Heritage Club.
   An avid country-western dancer, she made appearances on The Nashville Network where she celebrated her 80th birthday.
   In 2000 she was second runner up at the New Jersey Senior America Cameo Pageant in Atlantic City and was invited to join the Cameo Club of New Jersey. She served as chairwoman of Sunshine and joined the Cameo Showcases performing at senior centers, extended care facilities and retirement centers throughout New Jersey.
   Ms. Kavchak served as a volunteer member at Capital Health System at Fuld for 43 years with more than 18,900 hours and was a recipient of several honors. She also served on the executive board of the ladies auxiliary.
   She received numerous community awards including Lawrence Senior of the Year in 1986 and certificates of appreciation from American Legion Posts 414 and 458 and RSVP.
   Ms. Kavchak was a member of the Church of Saint Ann.
   Wife of the late George Kavchak, sister of the late Daniel, Verino, Vito and Geno Erkoboni; she is survived by daughters and sons-in-law Lorraine and Paul Nurko of Winchester, Va. and Barbara and Jay Crane of Punta Gorda, Fla.; grandchildren Lynda Nurko Bly of Virginia and Jean-Paul and Skye Nurko; brothers and sisters-in-law Quinto and Grace Erkoboni of Lawrence, Neal and Alice Erkoboni of Hamilton, Ralph and Lucille Erkoboni of Lawrence, Richard and Marylou Erkoboni of Lawrence, David and Genevieve Erkoboni of Lawrence; sister-in-laws Mary Erkoboni of Toms River, Rebecca Erkoboni of Columbus; and many nieces and nephews including Paul and Betty Kavchak of Hamilton and Corinne Chaplick of Toms River; and two special friends Lillian Spencer and Tony Benevento.
   The funeral will be held 10 a.m. Saturday from Paulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors, 650 Lawrence Road.
   Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. in the Church of St. Ann. Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Hamilton.
   Friends may call Friday at the funeral home from 6 to 9 p.m.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Samuel Hamill
   TREMONT, Maine — Samuel Hamill of Tremont, Maine and Princeton, died Nov. 16 at a friend’s house in Ellsworth, Maine. He had struggled for many years with an addiction to heroin and other drugs.
   He graduated from Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass., and attended the College of the Atlantic and the Audubon Expedition Institute for one year each. Until the spring 2005, he had been a regional manager for LoveSac, Inc., a Minneapolis furniture manufacturer and retailer, in Minneapolis and Memphis, Tenn.
   In the summer of this year he formed a partnership with two friends, The Sullivan Granite Co. located in Sullivan, Maine. Its purpose is the quarrying of granite and finely crafted granite construct.
   Above all, Mr. Hamill loved and valued his many friends on Mount Desert Island, Maine and elsewhere. He was devoted to his large and close-knit families in Princeton and Wawa, Pennsylvania. He had a reputation for kindness and generosity, according to family and friends.
   He gained support from several Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups in and near Mount Desert Island and elsewhere. For recreation, he was devoted to travel, skiing, snow-boarding, and motorcycling.
   Mr. Hamill is survived his father Samuel M. Hamill Jr. and his sister Natalie Hamill, both of Lawrence. He is also survived his grandmothers, Annis Lee Townsend of Wawa, Pa. and Margaret LaFarge Hamill of Lawrence.
   His family hopes that Mr. Hamill’s death will help others to understand the devastation to families caused by alcohol and drug abuse on Mount Desert Island and elsewhere, and move others to support groups that work hard and against great odds to mitigate their effects.
   Contributions in Mr. Hamill’s memory may be made to The MDI Alcohol and Drug Group, Inc. , P.O. Box 616, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679.
   A memorial service was held in Princeton Monday at the Friends Monthly Meeting on Quakerbridge Road. Burial will be in the Lawrence Cemetery.
   Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Jordan-Fernald Funeral Home in Somesville, Maine.
Margaret B. Adams
   Margaret Baker Adams of Lawrence died Nov. 20 at University Medical Center at Princeton. She was 95.
   She resided in Princeton for 17 years while her late husband served as a professor and a dean at Princeton Theological Seminary.
   Daughter of a Presbyterian minister, she lived in Illinois, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arkansas, Ohio, New York City and Indiana before settling in Philadelphia as a teenager.
   She graduated from Teachers’ College of the University of Pennsylvania in 1931 and was a social worker in South Philadelphia during the early years of the Great Depression.
   Before moving to Princeton she was an active participant in the Presbyterian congregations her husband served as pastor in Philadelphia as well as Albany and Rochester, N.Y.
   Following her husband’s death in 1979, she moved to Lawrence where she was active in the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville and The Women’s Club of Lawrenceville.
   Mrs. Adams was especially interested in history, current events and gardening.
   Wife of the late Dr. Arthur M. Adams, she is survived by son and daughter-in-law Dr. Robert M and Dr. Marilyn McCord Adams of Oxford, England; daughter and son-in-law Janet A. and Dr. H. Dana Fearon III of Princeton; brother Daniel A. Baker of Baltimore; grandchildren Dr. James D. Fearon of Stanford, Calif. and Mary Fearon Jack of Hudson, Ohio; five great-grandchildren; and caregiver Sandra W. Gadson.
   A memorial service is scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the scholarship fund of the Princeton Theological Seminary, Department of Seminary Relations, P.O. Box 821, Princeton, NJ 08542-0803 or Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, 2688 Main St., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648.
   Arrangements are by Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.
Alexander Simpson
   Alexander Simpson of Lawrence died Nov. 21 in Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton. He was 93.
   Born in Trenton, Mr. Simpson was a resident of Hamilton for 88 years before moving to Lawrence.
   Mr. Simpson began his career as an electrician and was later employed in the sales and service division of Exxon Oil Company for 30 years. He attended Rutgers University, and in 1977, retired as an instructor of heating, electrical work and driver education from Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf in Ewing.
   He was a member of Pearson Memorial United Methodist Church and the White Horse Lions Club, a volunteer fireman for Enterprise Fire Co., member of Eastern Star Nottingham Morningstar Chapter #22, a president and member of Happy Hearts Senior Citizens of Hamilton, and a member of Gothic Lodge F& AM and Tall Cedars of Lebanon.
   Husband of the late Gretchen Lippincott Simpson and brother of the late William, Thomas and James Simpson, Jessie Lechner, Mary Lockwood and Agnes Jacobs, he is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, Janice M. and Joseph T. Tallone of Lawrence; a granddaughter, Alison B. Tallone of Hamilton; his nieces, Jean Connery of Hamilton, Jean Lingle of West Windsor, and Karen Aurand of Cranford; and two nephews, Walter Jacobs of Port Jefferson, Long Island, N.Y. and Charles Eberling of Toms River.
   The funeral was Saturday from the Saul Colonial Home, Hamilton. Burial was in North Crosswicks Cemetery, Crosswicks.
   Memorial contributions may be made in Mr. Simpson’s memory to Pearson Memorial United Methodist Church, 71 Pearson Drive, Hamilton, NJ 08610 or Linvale United Methodist Church, State Highway #31N and Linvale Road, Ringoes, NJ 08551.
Kenneth E. Turner
   PRINCETON — Kenneth E. Turner died Nov. 19 at University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 58.
   He was most recently employed by the 3M Co., where he received a perfect-attendance award.
   He attended Princeton public schools and graduated from Princeton High School in 1967.
   Son of the late Thomas T. Turner, brother of the late Thomas H. Turner and William H. Turner, he is survived by his mother, Evelyn B. Turner of Princeton; wife of 29 years Kathryn V. Turner; son Darrell B. Turner of Wilmington, Del.; daughter Allicia S. Turner of Trenton; granddaughters Nylah C. and Syniah T.; aunt Thelma Jenkins of Trenton; sister Evelyn Counts of Lawrence; brothers and sister-in-law Barry C. and Crystal Turner of Trenton and Norman H. Turner of Brians Road, Md.; sisters-in-law Dolores Varner of Ewing, Joi Morton of Lawrence, Emma Turner of Princeton and Nancy Turner of Somerset; and many nieces and nephews.
   The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Second Calvary Baptist Church, 79 Columbia Ave., Hopewell.
   Calling hours will be 9 a.m. until time of service at the church.
   Interment will be in Stoutsburg Cemetery, Hopewell.
   Arrangements are by Hughes Funeral Home, Trenton.
Carl H. Miller
   Carl Henry Miller of Lawrence died Nov. 20 at the New Jersey Veteran’s Home at Menlo Park, Edison. He was 88.
   Mr. Miller was raised and educated in Seneca, S.C. and moved to Trenton in 1952.
   He served for 20 years in the U.S. Army including tours of duty in World War II and the Korean War. He also retired from the State of New Jersey Jamesburg Reformatory for Boys as correction officer after 20 years of service.
   He was a member and co-founder of the Mt. Sinai SDA Church of Trenton where he served many roles.
   Husband of the late Alminia Jones Miller, son of the late Lieutenant Miller and Gussie Dooley Miller, brother of the late James, Judge and Willie Miller, he is survived by three daughters and sons-in-law, Ruby and Michael Byard of Lawrence, Barbara and Tommy Edwards of Trenton and Carlleen and Victor Murray of Fayetteville, Ga.; six grandchildren, Tomeka Devine, Lee Sean Byard, Tonya Miller, Veronica Byard, Victor Murray Jr. and Victoria Murray; four great-grandchildren, Nicole Miller, Rafi, Aniza and Nandi Devine; and many other relatives and friends.
   The funeral was Saturday at Mt. Sinai SDA Church, Trenton.
   Burial was Monday at Brig. Gen. William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Arneytown.
   Arrangements are by Campbell Funeral Chapel, Trenton.
Adrian daCunha
   HAMILTON — Adrian daCunha, died Nov. 24 in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He was 55.
   Born in Long Island, N.Y., Mr. daCunha was a longtime Hamilton resident. He worked for BASF-American Cyanamid and for Thermo Electron Corporation of San Jose, Calif. He was a member of the American Chemist Society and enjoyed his dog Sasha.
   Son of the late Adrian and Olga daCunha and brother of the late Patricia A. Glover, he is survived by his wife of 25 years, Denise L. daCunha; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Marion and Gary DiFilippo of Lawrence; two brothers-in-law, Joseph Pasquito of Roebling and Herbert L. Glover of Hamilton; and a niece, Lori Beth Glover of Hamilton.
   Funeral Mass was celebrated Tuesday from St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church, Hamilton. Cremation and burial were private.
   Contributions may be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Attn: JBS – Michigan Chapter, 1421 E 12 Mile Rd # A, Madison Heights, MI 48071.
Sister Gertrude McDonnell
   WATCHUNG — Sister Gertrude McDonnell, formerly Sister May Magdalen, Sister of Mercy, died after a long illness Monday at McAuley Hall Health Care Center. She was 86.
   Sister McDonnell was born in Port Reading, and entered the Sisters of Mercy in 1937. She received a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgian Court College in Lakewood and a master’s degree in library science from Rutgers University.
   She taught in Notre Dame High School in Lawrence and other Catholic schools in the state. She retired in 1995.
   She is survived by her brother Robert and his wife Peg of Hollywood, Fla., and many other relatives.
   Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Wednesday. Burial was in Holy Redeemer Cemetery, South Plainfield.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, Mount Saint Mary, 1645 Highway 22, Watchung, NJ 07069.