Obituaries-Nov. 13, 2008

Polly Dorman 
   LAMBERTVILLE — Polly Lothman Dorman of Lambertville died Friday, Nov. 7, at Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township.
   Formerly of Short Hills, Chatham, Madison, Princeton and Marshfield, Mass., she lived in Lambertville for the past 16 years.
   Ms. Dorman served for many years on the board of directors of the Lambertville Historical Society and the Kalmia Club of Lambertville.
   She had her own landscape and garden design business, the Perennial Gardener.
   She was a watercolor artist and her work, principally of outdoor scenes and flowers, was shown at juried exhibitions in Lambertville, Princeton and Summit, N.J.
   She attended Kent Place School in Summit and graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1956 with a bachelor of arts degree in history.
   She was active in the Junior League and studied art while living in the Summit area.
   She was director of research for acquisitions at Drew University, assistant to the director of public relations at Random House and senior copywriter for Wenzel Advertising.
   She was also a feature writer for the Star Ledger and the Trenton Times and the contributing writer for several regional magazines.
   She is survived by her husband of 24 years, William “Bill” Dorman; a sister, Sarah; two children; four stepchildren; and eight grandchildren throughout the country.
   A gathering in celebration of her life will be held Sunday, Nov. 23, at 2 p.m. at the Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home, Lambertville.
   The family plans memorial services at Nantucket, Mass., and Casey Key, Fla., in the spring.
   Memorial donations may be made to the Mercer County Wildlife Center, P.O. Box 161, Route 29, Titusville, N.J., 08560, or to any other charity.
John Gaskill 
   DELAWARE — John Pyatt Gaskill, 85, of Delaware Township died Sunday, Nov. 9, at Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township.
   Born in Frenchtown, he was the son of the late Jacob and Edith Pyatt Gaskill. He had resided in the Croton area all of his life.
   Mr. Gaskill graduated from Flemington High School in 1939 and Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., in 1947.
   He served in the Navy in the South Pacific in World War II and later served in the Naval Officers Program.
   After graduating from college, he worked in the advertising department of the Newark Star Ledger.
   He was president of Gaskill & Johnson Advertising in Newark, then of John P. Gaskill Advertising in Mountainside, N.J.
   He was a member of the Union County Auto Dealers Association and a former officer of that organization.
   Mr. Gaskill was a member of Host Lodge F&AM of High Bridge; Crescent Temple Shrine in Trenton; the Hunterdon County Shrine Club; and the Croton Rod and Gun Club.
   In 1963, he organized the Hunterdon Goldwater Association and later was county chairman of James Wallworks’s campaign for governor.
   He was a founding member of the Delaware Township Republican Club and served on the Delaware Township Board of Education.
   He also was a founding member of the Union County 200 Club, the Hunterdon Horseman and the Hunterdon County Softball League.
   He was the widower of Lucille Weidler.
   Surviving are his wife, Joan Bush Gaskill; two daughters and sons-in-law, Randi and Terry Abbott of Bath, Pa., and Lani and Doug Kimenhour of Green Lane, Pa.; two sons and a daughter-in-law, John P. Gaskill II and Cheryl of Flemington and Brett Gaskill of Essex Junction, Vt.; and eight grandchildren.
   Funeral services will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, Flemington. Burial will be in Frenchtown Cemetery.
   Calling hours will be today (Thursday) from 7 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home and from 9 a.m. until the service Friday.
   Memorial donations may be made to Hunterdon Hospice, 2100 Wescott Drive, Flemington, 08822.
   Visit www.holcombefisher.com for information or to send condolences.
Grace Croteau 
   SOLEBURY — Grace J. Croteau, 70, of Solebury died Nov. 3 at her home after a long battle with illness.
   Born in Linden, she was the daughter of the late Margaret Negres and Wilfred Croteau.
   Ms. Croteau started Riverrun Gallery in 1993, a Soho-type gallery that gave non-traditional artists a place to show their work.
   She sponsored an art show in which fourth-graders took black-and-white photographs of their families and surroundings. She framed artwork for free for the Lambertville Education Foundation.
   She was involved with the art scholarships program funded by the Shad Festival poster auction, sponsored by the Lambertville Area Chamber of Commerce.
   She was a main founder and supporter of Artsbridge.
   She was the widow of Peter Skirka, who died in August 2008.
   Surviving are two daughters and a son-in-law, Lauren and Alfredo Elizondo of Stockton and Karen Skirka of Lopatcong Township; two sons and a daughter-in-law, Peter Skirka of Aspen, Colo., and David and Nadine Siwy Skirka of Ewing; a granddaughter, Lillian Siwy Skirka of Ewing; two sisters, Jeanette Fritsche of Annandale and Elizabeth Sowden of Merritt Island, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews.
   A celebration of her life will be held at Prallsville Mills on Route 29 in Stockton on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m.
   Memorial donations may be made to the Lambertville Area Chamber of Commerce Shad Festival scholarship fund, 60 Wilson St., Lambertville, 08530, or to hospice at Doylestown Hospital, 595 W. State St., Doylestown, Pa., 18901.
   Arrangements are under the direction of the Van Horn-McDonough Funeral Home, Lambertville.
Eugene Witkowski 
   PRINCETON — Eugene R. Witkowski, 70, died Wednesday, Nov. 5, at Princeton Medical Center.
   He was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and had lived in Princeton for several years. He was the son of the late Eugene A. and Ann Marie Mereck Witkowski.
   Mr. Witkowski was a project manager with AT&T in Bedminister.
   His first wife, Ruth B. Miller Witkowski, died in 1983.
   He was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Clinton.
   Survivors include his wife of 26 years, Minnie Williams Witkowski; one son, David B. of San Diego, Calif.; one stepson, Karl Lehnhardt of Jersey City; three stepdaughters, Susan Lehnhardt of Princeton, Melissa Lehnhardt of Stockton and Abigail Weidel of Lambertville; one sister, Sandy Werbaugh of Pahrump, Nev.; six grandchildren; and one great-grandson.
   Memorial services will be 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 54 Route 513, Clinton.
   Arrangements are under the direction of Scarponi-Bright Funeral Home, Lebanon.