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CHOCK. Mrs. Florence Chock died April 24, 2010, at Leisure Chateau, Lakewood. She was 92.

Born in Poland, Florence came to America as a teen in 1930, lived in Newark, then the Bronx, and came to Lakewood 23 years ago. She met her beloved husband, Eli, in 1940 and they were married in 1945. She enjoyed a love-filled life as a wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her husband of 58 years, Eli, died in 2003.

Mrs. Chock is survived by her daughter, Sharyn Silberstein of Lakewood; brother, Sam Meister of Ariz.; grandsons and their wives, David and Amanda, and Jonathan and Robyn; granddaughter, Melissa; and great-granddaughter, Gillian. Interment at Beth Israel Cemetery, Woodbridge. Arrangements by Belkoff-Goldstein Funeral Chapel. Memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 1 Union St., #301, Robbinsville, N.J. 08691-4183.

FREEDMAN. Mr. David Freedman died April 24, 2010 in Franklin. He was 89.

Born in New York City to Jewish-immigrant parents and raised in the anarchist colony in the Stelton section of Piscataway, Mr. Freedman discovered his mechanical talents while attending the colony's experimental, ungraded Modern School. Before he was 10 years old he was operating a printing press that turned out copies of the Modern School's student newspaper, "Voice of the Children." While attending New Brunswick High School, he assembled miniature stage settings, right down to a working swivel chair the size of a salt shaker. His formal education ended with graduation from New Brunswick High. He learned to be a tool-and-die maker in the National Youth Administration, a New Deal program. With those skills, he set out initially to become a machinist. Early in his machine shop's operation, professors from the microbiology department at Rutgers University -- which included Selman Waksman, the discoverer of antibiotics -- hired him to repair a broken machine that agitated lab beakers. He, in turn, invented a better shaker, a model that earned him his first patent and was the first staple of New Brunswick Scientific's product line.

For the past 57 years, Mr. Freedman lived in Highland Park. As co-founder, president, CEO, and board chairman of New Brunswick Scientific Co. of Edison, he helped to design, manufacture, and sell apparatus that enabled the growth, detection, and storage of cells. The machinery was used in fields from cancer research to pollution abatement and sold from the United States to the former Soviet Union, from England to Israel to China. He held more than 20 patents. He started New Brunswick Scientific as a machine shop in downtown New Brunswick in 1946. His brother and co-founder, Sigmund, supplied $1,000 in seed money from his winnings at poker while sailing home on a troop ship from World War II. Over the succeeding decades, the company expanded to 400 employees and $75 million in annual sales. In 1972 it went public on the NASDAQ exchange. The German company Eppendorf bought New Brunswick Scientific for $110 million in 2007, ending Mr. Freedman's six decades at the helm of the company. In recognition of the company's innovative products, he was invited by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to participate in one of the region's first trade missions to the People's Republic of China. As a result of that visit in 1979 he established both commercial and personal ties to China, befriending and collaborating with many scientists who had been punished during the Cultural Revolution for their expertise in Western sciences.

Mr. Freedman is survived by his wife, Phyllis, of Highland Park; sons, Samuel of New York and Ken of Hoboken; daughter, Carol of Highland Park; stepchildren, Beth Wyman and Ben Halsted of Denver, and Diane Halsted of Edison; sister-in-law, Jacqueline Freedman of Shaker Heights, Ohio; nephews, Stuart Freedman of Saddle Brook, and Raymond Solomon of Queens; niece, Rebecca Freedman of Philadelphia; and 10 grandchildren. Interment at Beth Israel Memorial Park, Woodbridge. Arrangements by Rezem Funeral Home, East Brunswick. Memorial donations may be made to Planned Parenthood, the Southern Poverty Law Center, or the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers University.

HERZOG. Mr. Sumner A. Herzog died peacefully at home April 21, 2010, after a long battle with cancer. He was 66.

The eldest son of the late Harry and Muriel Herzog, Mr. Herzog grew up in Plainfield, and remained a New Jersey resident throughout his life. He graduated from Rider University and always was a great fan and supporter of Rutgers athletics. From an early age it was evident he possessed an uncanny business sense. He went on to create and develop many successful businesses, from manufacturing to banking and real estate. In recent years, he continued to manage his latest ventures, Herzog Associates and Agard Investments.

Mr. Herzog is survived by his son, Jeffrey of Scottsdale, Ariz.; daughter, Amy Herzog Woods of West Windsor; grandchildren, Peyton, Samantha, Hudson, Christopher, and Jessica; partner, Cheryl Moyer; former wife, Syma Herzog; brother, David of Newton, Mass.; sisters, Barbara Stone of Weston, Mass., Jere Mitzner of Watchung, and Joy Eber-Sachs of Boca Raton, Fla.; and many nieces and nephews. Memorial donations may be made to The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, 195 Little Albany St., New Brunswick, N.J. 08903 or to The Chabad Jewish Center of SE Morris County, 42 Park Ave., Madison, N.J. 07940.

LERNER. Mrs. Beverly Morse Lerner of Ocean died April 23, 2010, after a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer. She was at home, in no discomfort or pain, and she was in the company of those who loved her most. She was 59.

Mrs. Lerner died as she lived, with strength, dignity, and grace. Although her life was tragically cut short, she made the most of every minute of her 59 years. She traveled the globe and lived abroad. Her love of good food and wine took her to the best restaurants, and also turned her kitchen into a place where fine dining was a regular occurrence. Her appreciation for the arts included everything from visiting museums, to seeing shows on Broadway, to going to the movies, to curling up with a good book, to watching one of her shows on TV. Her work as an elder care coordinator exemplified the selfless manner with which she always placed others ahead of herself. She was known to strike up conversations with complete strangers and within minutes find some common thread. She was kind and loving and had a smile and a laugh that could light up a room. Quite simply, she made this world a better place. She is gone, but she will never be forgotten.

Mrs. Lerner is survived by her husband Bill; sons, Jason and Alex; father, Al; brother, Kenny; dog, Ruby; and the countless number of relatives and friends whose lives were made infinitely better because she was a part of it. Interment at Temple Beth Miriam Cemetery, Neptune. Arrangments by Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels, Ocean. Memorial donations may be made to The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research and The Temple Beth Miriam Religious School Renovation Fund.

MESSER. Mr. Sidney Messer died April 24, 2010, at Sunrise Assisted Living, East Brunswick. He was 93.

Born in Weehawken, Mr. Messer lived in Perth Amboy, South River, and Florida, before moving to New Brunswick. A veteran of World War II, he served in the Army, and was assigned to the 80th Infantry Division, 305th combat engineers. He began working at the Abbe Lumber Company, Avenel, in 1945, retiring after more than 30 years. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias Friendship Lodge, and chancellor commander for many years. He was predeceased by his wife of 62 years, Molly; his parents, Isidor and Sadie Messer; and sister, Rose Messer Sitzer.

Mr. Messer is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Ira and Sheri Messer of Somerset; daughters and son-in-law, Ellen Messer of Kingston, N.Y., and Wendy and Bruce Schaeffer of East Brunswick; grandchildren, Jake Phillips and Jonathan Schaeffer; sister, Rita Sagen; and several nieces and nephews. Interment at Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Iselin. Arrangements by Mount Sinai Memorial Chapels, East Brunswick.

PINSKY. Mrs. Ceil Pinsky died April 20, 2010, at King Manor Nursing Home, Neptune. She was 77.

Born in Brooklyn, Mrs. Pinsky lived for many years in Hazlet before moving to Del Ray, Fla., for 10 years, and then to Tinton Falls two years ago. Her husband, Bernard, died in July 1984.

Mrs. Pinsky is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Alan and Judith Pinsky of Tinton Falls; daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Michael Gross of Franklin, Tenn.; and grandchildren, Lauren Pinsky, Brandon Gross, and Bryan Pinsky. Arrangements by Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels, Ocean. Interment at Beth David Cemetery, Elmont.

SPIEGEL. Mrs. Yael Spiegel died March 30, 2010 at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch.

Born in Israel in 1947, Yael met her husband, Fred, when she was 21, married him at 22, and left her homeland to come to the United States and start her new life. She pursued her passion of teaching Hebrew to children as well as preparing students for their bar or bat mitzvahs for more than 35 years. She taught in Temple Beth El in Ocean for 20 years. She was a beloved wife, mother, teacher, educator, and friend, and will be missed by all who knew her.

Mrs. Spiegel is survived by her beloved husband of 40 years, Fred; sons, Omri and Yuval; daughter, Avital; and grandchildren, Natalie and Gabriel. Interment at Freehold Hebrew Benefit Society Cemetery, Freehold. Arrangements by Belkoff-Goldstein Funeral Chapel, Lakewood. Memorial donations may be made to the Weiss Holocaust Memorial Fund through Congregation Ahavat Olam in Howell.