OBITUARIES, Dec. 19, 2006

Josephine Moretti, Gloria Trumbo, Jean M. Ellison, Eleanor Hancock

Josephine Moretti


Admissions office worker
   
Josephine "Dolly" Moretti of Princeton died Thursday. She was 80.
   Born in Staten Island, N.Y., she was a resident of Bridgewater before moving to Princeton 22 years ago.
   She worked in the admissions office of Wagner College in New York and later worked for Takara Belmont in Somerset.
   She was a longtime member of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church.
   She was an active supporter of the arts and education in Princeton, especially at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Westminster Choir College and Princeton High School and its choir.
   She enjoyed music, animals, cooking, gardening and reading books.
   Daughter of the late Bernardino and Christina Moretti, she is survived by daughters Debora Michaels and Deirdre Westergren; sisters Armida Galasso, Adele Gambardella, Ida Miranda and Mary DeSario; sisters-in-law Rose Moretti, Margie Moretti and Anabell Moretti; granddaughter Holly Westergren; and many nieces and nephews.
   A memorial Mass will be celebrated 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, Princeton. Interment will be 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Peter’s Cemetery, Staten Island.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Princeton High School Choir, attention Charles Sundquist, 151 Moore St., Princeton, NJ 08540.
   Arrangements are by Poulson & Van Hise Funeral Directors, Lawrence.
Gloria Trumbo


Advocate for those in need
   
PLAINSBORO — Gloria Trumbo died Dec. 6 at St. Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston. She was 57.
   A strong supporter of people in need, she cared for a patient ill with AIDS, serving as her advocate, driver, helper to her children and provider of financial assistance. She was a volunteer with HomeFront, which assists homeless families, and provided holiday gifts and Hanukkah and Christmas toys for ill and needy children.
   She was an accomplished home decorator, gardener, clothing and jewelry connoisseur and makeup artist.
   Daughter of the late Edwin Eisenstein, she is survived by her mother, Esther Eisenstein of Montville; husband Tim Trumbo of Plainsboro; son Ray Trumbo of Belle Mead; and brother Steven Eisenstein of Newton.
   Burial was Dec. 10 in Mount Freedom Cemetery, Randolph.
   Memorial contributions may be made to M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for Children, P. O. Box 4486, Houston, TX 77210-4486.
Jean M. Ellison


Longtime West Windsor resident
   
WEST WINDSOR — Jean Marie Ellison died Friday at University Medical Center at Princeton. She was 86.
   Formerly of Ridgewood, she resided in West Windsor more than 55 years.
   Mrs. Ellison retired after many years of service as a secretary at RCA Corp. of West Windsor.
   She was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck and West Windsor Senior Citizens.
   She is survived by her husband, Joseph F. Ellison of West Windsor; three nieces; two nephews; and 10 grandnieces and nephews.
   The funeral will be 10 a.m. today at The Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, 40 Vandeventer Ave., Princeton, with the Rev Floyd W. Churn, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, officiating.
   Burial will be in George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus.
   Calling hour will be 9 to 10 a.m. today at the funeral home.
Eleanor Hancock


Daughter lives in Princeton
   
NEW YORK — Eleanor Hancock died Dec.12 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of leukemia. She was 77.
   She was a performing pianist and piano teacher and had given her last piano lesson on Dec. 8.
   Ms. Hancock taught privately in New York City and also as an adjunct faculty member at State University of New York at Purchase, Columbia University Teachers College and The New School.
   She provided instruction to many injured musicians, helping them eliminate problems of pain and fatigue, through an innovative approach developed by Dorothy Taubman. Having studied with Ms. Taubman for many years, Ms. Hancock was a co-founder and faculty member of the Taubman Institute.
   Those who studied with Ms. Hancock included jazz pianists Bill Charlap and Michael Wolff, and composer-pianist Timothy Andres. Her students have performed around the world and soloed in major New York concert halls including Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall.
   As a performing artist, she specialized primarily in chamber music. She and Caroline Norwood pioneered a one-piano four-hands partnership. She also performed with a number of other chamber combinations, most often with violinists, and made numerous recordings, including pieces by Strauss and Respighi on the Nonesuch label.
   She was a graduate of the Juilliard School and New York University.
   Wife of the late David Hancock, she is survived by her daughter, Caroline Hancock of Princeton; son Stuart Hancock of Monrovia, Md.; and five grandchildren.