Alice Tobey Redder, 74, passed away peacefully on 21 October, 2026 after a long illness. She was a resident at the Brandywine Assisted Living home in Pennington NJ.
A long time resident of Lawrenceville NJ, Alice was born in the Bronx in April of 1952, the daughter of Eva and Al Redder and sister to Leslie and Sheldon.
The Redders moved to Queens NY where Alice distinguished herself as a student, eventually attending Queens College where she earned a Phi Beta Kappa Key and honors at graduation.
Alice then attended the University of Maryland, studying the emerging science of Speech Pathology. She then started a career in the field, first working with children in Maryland and then moving to Milwaukee WI and broadened her expertise to include adults who needed help in recovering their speech after accidents and other trauma.
Always full of energy, she traveled to Europe and developed a love of camping and the outdoors, enjoying cross country skiing and other activities.
She moved again, this time to Lawrenceville NJ , and became one of the original group of Speech and Language Pathologists at the newly constructed St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Hospital. There she joined other practice experts in the first rehabilitation specific hospital in the area. In that role she spent the next years working with adults recovering from strokes and accidents, becoming a mentor to students studying the discipline at what was then Trenton State College.
While in Lawrenceville Alice met her soon-to-be husband John Gillespie, and they married in 1988, building a home in town.
Alice remained an adventurous soul, sharing her knowledge of the area’s many special attractions with John. Eventually she would travel as far as China, Argentina, many locations in the USA, and several trips to England and France.
After an eventful career Alice retired from St. Lawrence but remained active in the field, working as a child speech development expert at several local school districts, returning to her original inspiration in following Speech Pathology as a career, helping children. She also developed several hobbies and interests, explored local travel again, and found a new home at Tabby’s Place, a sanctuary for cats.
Alice moved to Brandywine Assisted Living and created a new circle of friends, enjoying the activities and events offered there with regular excursions in the Lawrenceville/Pennington area.
She was predeceased by her mother, Eva, and father, Al, and two beloved cats. Alice is survived by her husband, John Gillespie, and a sister, Leslie Marcus(Ronald) and brother Sheldon.
Per her request she will be interred locally. A celebration of life will be scheduled in the near future where her friends and family can swap stories and share memories of this extraordinary woman.
In lieu of flowers can we suggest donations to the National Brain Tumor Society.
Funeral arrangements are by Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel.