Judith Curtis Adler of Princeton dies at 84

Judith Curtis Adler of Princeton died at home on Feb. 4 after a long battle with cancer. She was 84 years old.

Judy grew up in Madison, the daughter of Harold Curtis, an engineer at Bell Labs, and Edith Curtis, a homemaker and teacher. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. After working briefly in Manhattan as an editor at Doubleday Publishing, Judy moved to Princeton with her then-husband Stephen Adler, and raised three children. In 1996, she met George Sprenger, her long-time partner, while square dancing. He was the love of her life.

Over the years, Judy worked as an editor, librarian, development officer, personal organizer, and (her favorite job) salesperson at Kitchen Kapers. She also volunteered for Community Without Walls and the Princeton Music Festival. However, she took the greatest pride in her role as a homemaker and mother of her three children. She was a joy to talk to, made everyday rituals festive, and brought playfulness and love to everything she did.

Books, ideas, music, and beauty were central to Judy’s life. A passionate reader, Judy visited the Princeton Public Library weekly, at times even daily. She loved unique and beautiful things – be it Schubert’s Lieder or an exuberantly squeezable stuffed pig – and filled her home with books and objects that expressed herself, creating a Judy-like world in which loved ones felt embraced and protected. With her wide-ranging interests and insatiable curiosity, Judy delighted friends and family with her insights, quick wit, and openness to life.

Judy spent almost every summer of her life in Drakes Island, Maine, close to where her father was born. She measured the ocean temperature each morning, swam daily in the icy water, and loved floating in the Little River and taking long walks on the beach. Following her wishes, her ashes will be scattered in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine.

She is survived by her partner George Sprenger, her children Jessica Adler Kuznick, Victoria Adler, and Anthony Adler, her grandchildren Amelia Kuznick, Isabel Kuznick, Tessa Kleinmuntz, and Julian Kleinmuntz, her sister Jean Flanders, and her ex-husband Stephen Adler.

In lieu of flowers, donations in the memory of Judy Adler can be made to the Princeton Public Library. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 11 a.m. at Trinity Church, 33 Mercer Street, in Princeton.