Charles E. St. John

Good government advocate
    Charles E. St. John of Princeton died Thursday at University Medical Center at Princeton. He was 82.
   Born in Pullman, Wash., he had been a resident of Princeton for 52 years.
   He retired in 1995 from DeLaval Turbine Co. of Trenton as a mechanical engineer, where he also wrote instruction manuals for large turbines.
   He was a graduate of the University of Hawaii with a bachelor’s degree in history. He also received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.
   He had been a member of the Princeton Borough Zoning Board of Adjustment for 40 years. He also served on the Historic Sites Commission in Princeton. He unsuccessfully ran for Princeton Borough Council in the 1970s.
   An advocate of good government, he and his wife were closely involved in Princeton Borough government and for the past 50 years were regular attendees of local meetings, including the Princeton Regional Planning Board and in particular, the Princeton Borough Council, attending well over 3,000 meetings.
   He was a former member of the Pretty Brook Tennis Club in Princeton.
   He was an avid reader and user of Princeton Public Library, an active bicyclist and skier. He continued to ski in Italy into his 80s. He was fond of antique cars and also maintained his own cars.
   A World War II Army veteran, he was a member of the honor guard for Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
   Son of the late Harold and Elizabeth St. John and brother of the late Robert, he is survived by his wife Christine D.; daughter and son-in-law Elizabeth and Greg Sykes of West Grove, Pa.; sisters Mary Zemach of Arizona, and Martha Martin of Maui, Hawaii; and grandchildren Rachel B. Sykes of Florham Park, Rebecca D. Sykes of Boston and Sarah E. Sykes of West Grove, Pa.
   A memorial service will be held in the spring.
   Private burial will be held in Princeton Cemetery.
   In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Princeton Public Library, 65 Witherspoon St., Princeton, NJ 08542.
   Arrangements are by Mather-Hodge Funeral Home, Princeton.