Updated: 2 hours ago
He Loved, and Was Loved
May 10, 1946 - May 28, 2026
Michael Edward Hollander died peacefully at home in Skillman, NJ, surrounded by family on May 28, 2026. He had lived on Mountain View Road for more than 46 years.
He was born on May 10, 1946, and grew up in East Patterson (Elmwood Park), the child of Holocaust survivors Irmgard (Brandeis) and Stephen Hollander. Together, with his older sister Marion Rizza, Michael writes "we were raised in a loving home darkened by memories of unspeakable horrors. My life was a journey to find light amidst all those shadows."
Michael earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Princeton University in 1968, and soon formed Hollander Horizon International (HHI), an executive search firm specializing in the technical sector of the food and consumer products industry and worked there for 40 years.
Later in life, in 2002, he pursued a master's degree in social work at Bryn Mawr College, which he earned in 2004. He then went to work for The New Jersey Coalition to End Homelessness — a statewide, social impact organization based in Princeton with one goal: to eradicate homelessness in New Jersey. The organization partners with providers, policymakers, people with lived experience, and other key stakeholders to strengthen New Jersey’s response to homelessness.
In 2023, Michael established a fellowship for Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs graduate students to work at the NJ Coalition to End Homelessness. They work to change policy and are mentored by Michael's longtime friend, Connie Mercer. Connie founded HomeFrontNJ and is CEO of the NJCEH.
Michael wrote the following words that he wanted to be included in his obituary. The Montgomery News received them in an email from his widow on August 9.
"I was loved and I loved.
"I have been blessed with the love of two remarkable women.
"Carol Lee Martinelli was my high school sweetheart and we would be husband and wife for 53 years. She never stopped loving me until her death in 2021. With her, I helped raise Jason Michael Hollander, whom I have had the great joy to watch grow into a fine husband, father, and intrepid good man. Along with his wife, Sarah Werbel, he has brought into this world the wondrous joys of our two grandchildren, Alex and Jesse.
"I am also survived by my second wife, Robin Ann Buckingham, the miracle of my later years. I am ever immensely grateful for every moment we shared."
"Let it be said:
I am deeply thankful for the life I have been given.
I have pursued my dreams and been haunted by my nightmares.
I have been gifted with meeting remarkable people who blessed me with their presence,
kindness, and wisdom.
I have climbed mountains real and imagined, and tumbled into and climbed out of deep dark crevices that would cut and shape me in unimaginable ways.
I have surprised myself in moments of creativity and have cowered for what seemed like eternities as waves of fear and doubt kept me motionless.
I have loved more than I have hated, cried often, laughed, and danced like a wide-eyed child.
I have come to stand in awe and hold in reverence the natural world, which has becomenmy most trusted guide and teacher.
I have grown and been broken many times, always picking up the pieces as if to solve an impossible puzzle until finally cultivating a place of peace and acceptance.
In the end, I understood the blessing of remaining in a state of wonder. I now make space for another to be blessed by the gift of life."
Michael is also survived by Robin’s children: Teo Fleming, Lucy Fleming (husband Attila Yaman), and one grandchild, Charlie.
A celebration of Michael’s life will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to The NJ Coalition to End Homelessness (10 Mercer St. Princeton NJ 08540) or to the Sourland Conservancy (PO Box 197, Skillman NJ 08558).
