Stanley Pilshaw, a former real estate developer, beloved father, stepfather, grandfather, uncle, and long-time resident of Princeton, died on March 18. He was 95.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Middleborough, Massachusetts, Stanley was the second of two children. He graduated from the public high school in Middleborough and then the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Stanley developed real estate and housing communities in the Princeton area and designed both the first home in which he lived in Princeton and the home in which he and his wife Elaine later lived in town.
Beyond his real estate work, Stanley was a poet, a musician, and an athlete. As an undergraduate, he played saxophone in a professional big band. In the 1960s, he enrolled in poetry classes at New York University and traveled to Manhattan to enjoy poetry readings and jazz performances; he also relished jazz performances at McCarter Theater. On weekends, Stanley was usually found on the tennis court in competition with others in the community.
After he retired, Stanley audited courses on history and literature at Princeton University. He was particularly interested in the Civil War and toured Civil War battlefields with an expert who studied, taught, and published on the war.
Friends and relatives remember Stanley for his kindness and engagement with others. Many have commented on the unusual degree to which he focused on their interests and retained details of their studies, work, and passions.
Stanley was predeceased by his sister, Sybil Gladstone, and her husband, Dick. He is survived by Elaine Pilshaw, his beloved wife of over 50 years; his sons, Peter (Deb), Elliot, and Bob; his stepchildren, Buddy Miller (Julie); Nina Miller; Dana Miller (Malcolm MacKenzie); Bob Miller (Deborah Eyde); his grandchildren, Zev Pilshaw, Alasdair and Lachlan MacKenzie, and Sofie and Eden Miller; his nephews, Bob Gladstone (Jackie), Jerry Gladstone (Sally); and his niece, Susie Schub (Barry).
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