OBITUARIES, April 24, 2007

Dr. William Z. Abrams, G. Ernest Dale Jr., Jean S. Weiss

Dr. William Z. Abrams


Einstein’s dentist
   
HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Dr. William Zev Abrams, who served as Albert Einstein’s dentist for almost a decade and later fought to improve dental services for New Jersey’s poor as a state health official, died Thursday of natural causes at home. He was 93.
   Dr. Abrams took care of Einstein’s teeth from shortly after the end of World War II until the legendary physicist’s death in 1955. The two bonded over their common membership in Princeton’s small, tight-knit Jewish community.
   Dr. Abrams later left his practice and served almost 20 years as New Jersey’s director of dental public health. During his time in government, he focused on improving dental care for migrant workers and their families in South Jersey.
   Born in Trenton, Dr. Abrams graduated from Temple University in 1938 with both his bachelor’s and dental degrees. He then moved to Princeton, where he established a private dental practice.
   In August 1942, Dr. Abrams met Esther Rose Cramer. Their six-week courtship led to a 55-year marriage that lasted until Mrs. Abrams’ death in 1998.
   Shortly after getting married, Dr. Abrams joined the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant in the medical corps. He served in the South Pacific for a year during World War II and was on Okinawa when his first daughter, Deborah, was born.
   Upon completion of his service, Dr. Abrams returned to his private practice, which blossomed throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
   Despite his success, Dr. Abrams decided to leave his practice in 1963 at age 50 to pursue a career in public health. He received his master’s degree in public health from Columbia University in 1964, and then went to work as New Jersey’s assistant director of dental public health. He was promoted to director a year later.
   Dr. Abrams retired in 1983 and stayed in Princeton for another 10 years, spending much of his time cooking, playing with his grandchildren, and tending to his greenhouse and garden.
   He and his wife left Princeton in 1993 and moved to the Green Hill Condominium in Wynnewood, Pa. He moved to The Quadrangle in Haverford in 1999.
   During his time in the Philadelphia area, Dr. Abrams continued the community service work he had performed earlier in his life. He maintained contact with Children’s Home Society of New Jersey, whose board he sat on for many years.
   He also volunteered at the Inglis House wheelchair community in Philadelphia from 1993 to 2000, tending to the home’s greenhouse and spending time with Inglis House residents. He won Inglis House’s Volunteer of the Year award. He also won a Volunteer of the Year award from The Quadrangle in 1999 for his work with residents in the community’s assisted-living wing.
   Husband of the late Esther Cramer Abrams, grandfather of the late Jeremy Warnick, he is survived by his brother, Dr. Henry Abrams of Philadelphia; daughters Elizabeth Abrams-Morley of Philadelphia, Deborah Abrams Dasara of Newark, Pamela Abrams-Warnick of North Easton, Mass. and Benay Dara-Abrams of Los Altos, Calif.; and five grandchildren.
   Funeral services will be held privately today.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the Inglis Foundation, 2600 Belmont Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19131; the Children’s Home Society of New Jersey, 635 S. Clinton Ave., Trenton, NJ 08611; or the Children’s Defense Fund, 25 E St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001.
G. Ernest Dale Jr.


Rockefeller Center project manager
   
G. Ernest Dale Jr. of Princeton died Friday at home following a long struggle with pulmonary fibrosis. He was 90.
   He had a long career in construction and project management as well as related fields.
   He first worked for the W.R. Grace Co. exporting industrial equipment to South America. He subsequently moved to Princeton and worked as an assistant to the director of Project Matterhorn, an Atomic Energy Commission research program administered by Princeton University. He later joined the George H. Fuller Co. as construction manager and then became project manager for Rockefeller Center Inc. during its expansion along the Avenue of the Americas.
   He attended Prospect Hill School in Trenton, Princeton Country Day School, Kent School and graduated in 1939 from Princeton University, where he was a member of the Ivy Club.
   An enthusiastic sportsman who was happiest in the outdoors, he enjoyed skiing, hunting, shooting, fishing, tennis and western riding.
   He was a member of the Nassau Club, Pretty Brook Tennis Club, Nassau Gun Club and Princeton Club of New York.
   After his retirement, he served on the Princeton Borough Historic Preservation Review Committee and was a longtime board member of the Historical Society of Princeton.
   Son of the late Gertrude Reynard and George E. Dale, he is survived by his wife, the former Ann Dickinson, and many cousins.
   Interment will be private.
   A memorial service will be held at a later date.
   Memorial contributions may be made to the Historical Society of Princeton, 158 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ 08540.
Jean S. Weiss


College Latin teacher
   
MONTGOMERY — Jean S. Weiss died Sunday at University Medical Center at Princeton. She was 94.
   Born in Philadelphia, she was a former resident of Wyncote, Pa.
   She was a member of the faculty of Chestnut Hill College teaching Latin for many years before retirement. She was a graduate of the college.
   Wife of the late Bernard S. Weiss, she is survived by sons and daughter-in-law Jonathan Weiss of Plainfield and Steven Weiss and Linda Scott of Boonsboro, Md.; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
   The funeral and burial are private.
   Arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel, Ewing Township.