Marie Oakley Johnson
July 26, 1942 – May 31, 2025
Marie Johnson, a woman of boundless enthusiasm and energy, passed away on Saturday, May 31, 2025, after a long and fulfilling life. Born prematurely July 26, 1942, during World War II to Leonard Charles Frederick Oakley and Doris May Woollen Oakley in Gloucester, England, Marie defied expectations from the start, demonstrating a feisty determination that would define her throughout her remarkable life…
Margaret “Peggy” Smith
February 20, 1939 – April 29, 2025
Margaret “Peggy” Jane Smith (nee Ford), of Mountainside, New Jersey, passed away peacefully at home on April 29, 2025. Peggy was born on February 20, 1939, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to William Woodbury Ford and Jane Elizabeth Ford (nee Croyle). She is survived by her husband, Dean; an older brother, Robert William (and wife Karen) Ford, MD, of Allison Park, Pennsylvania; her children, Milton (and wife Diane) of Burlington, New Jersey, and Julia “Julie” (and husband Murray Thompson) of Colchester, Vermont; and grandson, Ethan Thompson. Peggy grew up in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, was a 1957 graduate of Shaler High School, a 1961 graduate of Carnegie Institute of Technology with a BFA in art education, and a 1962 graduate of University of Michigan with an MA in art. In 1986, she attained an MBA from Rutgers Newark…
Dr. Varudeyam Ponnusamy “VP” Veluswamy
August 28, 1939 – May 8, 2025
Dr. Varudeyam Ponnusamy Veluswamy, affectionately known as V P, passed away peacefully on May 8, 2025 at the age of 85. His life was a remarkable journey from rural southern India to the leadership of psychiatric care in Michigan – guided always by intellect, humility, and a devotion to service – and a testament to the power of education.
Born in the small village of Varudeyam Palayam just outside Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India…
William David Jarrett
January 30, 1962 – May 5, 2025
William David Jarrett, affectionately known as David, was born to William Richard Jarrett and Doris Elaine Jarrett on January 30, 1962, in Morgantown, WV. He graduated from Albert Gallatin High School in 1979 and attended Penn State University. David retired from the Pentagon after 20 years of service serving as a Budget Analyst for the branch of the US Army. In his later years, David moved to St. Petersburg and never looked back…