Obituary of Gary J. Kleinman

Gary J. Kleinman a long-time Wyckoff resident and a senior executive with prominent real estate development and investment firms, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his loving family on Sunday, September 24, 2017, after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 62. A native of Hartford, CT, Gary graduated in 1973 from Kingswood Oxford School, where he played on the basketball, football and baseball teams.  He also played two years of basketball at Ohio Wesleyan University, from which he graduated in 1977 with a degree in psychology. Following college, Gary worked for two years as a “diversion-of-offenders” officer with the Delaware (Ohio) County court. He spent the next two years at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he obtained a Master’s Degree in city and regional planning. He worked briefly as an economic development officer for Montgomery County, Maryland, before joining the real estate development division of Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. He moved with his wife Maureen, and two daughters, Jessica and Sarah, to Wyckoff in 1996 after being transferred to MetLife’s New York office. In September 1988, Gary joined AIG Global Real Estate, where he helped manage a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of real estate assets. He departed in 2007 to do similar work as an investment officer managing real estate properties at CV Starr Companies. Gary and family were fixtures in and around Wyckoff and Ridgewood-area schools, stores, restaurants and pubs. Gary was a long-time participant in Wyckoff Recreation’s men’s softball and basketball programs. Both of his daughters graduated from Ramapo High School. His wife Maureen has worked in the Marketing & Communications Department at The Valley Hospital for nearly 20 years. Family and friends alike will remember Gary as a fiercely loyal husband, father and friend who possessed an infectious enthusiasm and loved a good time. And no matter how he felt, on many a weekend morning, he could be found playing basketball in an area gym, or playing on his Tigers softball team, activities he continued even after knee operations and two hip replacements. Predeceased by his father Albert Kleinman, Gary is survived by his loving wife of 34 years Maureen Curran Kleinman, two cherished daughters: Jessica, her husband Michael Constantine, Sarah, her fiancé Dan Melville; his mother Frances; and a sister Jeanne Spinosa Glier, her husband Michael. Gary is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins; mother-in-law Anita Smith; two brothers-in-law: Michael Curran; John-Patrick Curran, his wife Louise and a sister-in-law Kathryn Curran. The Receiving of Friends will be held on Friday, September 29th , 2017 from 3 – 7 p.m. at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, (vpfh.com), 257 Godwin Ave., Wyckoff, NJ 07481. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, September 30th at 12:00 Noon at The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 followed by a luncheon in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Gary’s memory may be made to the Valley Hospital Foundation, 223 N. Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 *In the memo section please indicate for Valley Hospice or Oncology*