Dennis M. Goretsky, 84

Dennis M. Goretsky

Dennis M. Goretsky, 84

A healer, a character, and a truly remarkable man

January 1936 — May 2020

Dr. Dennis Michael Goretsky, 84, a long-time Princeton resident, died on May 1 after a short battle with COVID-19. He was a devoted father to his two daughters: Cary Dawson of Rocky Hill and Alexis Goretsky of San Diego, CA.

Dennis was a resident of the Bridgeway Care and Rehabilitation Center in Hillsborough at the time of his death.

Born in Kulpmont, PA in 1936, he first moved to Tampa, FL to be close to his sister Jean Meadows. He served as deputy sheriff for the Lakeland Police Department then moved to Philadelphia to study at Temple University. He moved to New York City in 1963 and collaborated on the charter of the Institute of Personality Study and Psychoanalytic Study Center.

In 1971, Dennis moved to Princeton, where he raised a family, and stayed in the area for the next 40-plus years. He was an esteemed psychologist, with offices in Greenwich Village, Center City Philadelphia, and Princeton. He retired in the late 1990s only to begin what may have been his most beloved occupation — produce purchaser and on-site counselor for his daughter’s Belle Mead restaurant, the Harlingen Corner Cafe.

Dennis was a dedicated cruciverbalist, often working on multiple competitive level crossword puzzles at once. He never met a puzzle he could not finish. He also had a passion for music. He loved every genre from country to classical. He pulled his ukulele out often and sang for friends and family. A proud accomplishment was his radio show, “Frank Talk” on WDVR-FM in Sergeantsville, where he exclusively played the music of Frank Sinatra, shared jokes, and chatted with callers on every topic under the sun.

Dennis was driven by his generous spirit, not only for his family and friends but for those in need. He was involved with the Association for Cruelty Against Children and Looking Into the Future Together (an organization that supported unwed teenage mothers in Trenton), and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. He was a member of the Vestry of Trinity Church in Princeton, where was a lay Eucharistic minister, bringing the sacrament to the homebound.

Dennis is predeceased by his parents, Nicholas and Mary Goretski; Brother and sister-in-law, Nicholas (II) & Helen Goretski, Sister and brother-in-law, Dr. Jeff & Jean Meadows.

Dennis was a loving grandfather to William, Miles, and Mary Dawson of Rocky Hill. He also is survived by his son-in-law Billy Dawson; many nieces and nephews; and his former wife Eve Yancy of Princeton.

Due to the pandemic, there will be a service at a later time. ■