Gregory S Kaiser

Mr. Gregory S. Kaiser, 73, died Saturday, September 3, 2022 in Halifax Health in Port Orange, Florida.

A memorial mass will be held on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 5:00PM in St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Linden.   He will be laid to rest with his family in Mt. Calvary Cemetery, also in Linden.  Because Greg had a love of animals and he always had a dog and several guinea pigs, the family requests that in lieu of flowers, you please consider contributions in Greg’s name to the Friends of the Linden Animal Shelter, PO Box 2151, Linden, New Jersey 07036.

Greg, the son of the late Marian T. Klutkowski Kaiser and the late William C. Kaiser, Jr., was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and he spent his formative years growing up in Linden, New Jersey.  After his military service, Greg returned to Colonia, New Jersey where he lived for many years.  He then ventured out to Longmont, Colorado for four years, before retiring to Florida.

After his military stint, Greg worked for Avis for ten years before entering the world of self-employment, doing what he loved the most, designing, building and creating beautiful home spaces.  He was destined to build, as Greg had hands of gold and an exacting eye for detail.  In his very early years, Greg built a two-story house for his beloved dog, “Bullet”.  Greg inherited this gift of working with his hands from this father and grandfathers.  He had the ability to be able to build anything and Greg was very generous in helping family and friends repair and build a variety of structures of one kind or another.  There was nothing that he couldn’t accomplish in this field. 

Greg was drafted after graduating from Linden High School in 1967.  He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War from 1968-1971 and he was honorable discharged with the rank of Corporal.  During his service, Greg was stationed in Da Nang at the DMZ in Vietnam.  There he had real life “on the job” training as a helicopter pilot because they were so much in demand and desperately needed. Greg showed a willingness and an aptitude to go above and beyond, in that he was able to both repair and fly- a very fortuitous ability.  Greg earned four air medals with valor along with the Bronze Star for his numerous acts of bravery.  He fought alongside his fellow soldiers and then retrieved those who were injured or worse on the battlefield.  These experiences were imbeded in Greg’s heart and soul and the memories would remain with him every day, even after the war was over.  Greg loved his helicopters, and he flew many missions to save his fellow soldiers any way he could.  When his first helicopter was shot down with him aboard, Greg managed to salvage a piece of it, which he sent home to his parents, so that he could keep it with him for the rest of his life for a variety of reasons.    

Besides building, Greg’s love of muscle cars, notably hot rods started early in his youth when, at age of 16, he created his 1956 Chevy and made it his own, nicknaming it “Pure Pandemonium.  Greg continued to work on classics, buying, restoring, and selling cars of a certain age and style. As with most car guys, Greg also enjoyed chatting with other car enthusiasts over the years and he belonged to several car clubs.

In addition to his parents, Greg was deceased by his Cioci’s, Jean Falda and her husband, Joe, Gertrude McTiernan and her husband, Melvin and Theresa Klutkowski; his Uncle George Klutkowski ; his Babci, Josephine Klutkowski and his paternal grandparents, William and Ann Kaiser.

Greg is survived by his two sisters, Adrienne R. Kaiser-Comito and her husband, Patrick and Alison R. Kaiser and her companion, John Venturelli; his cousins, Melanie Jo McTiernan and her husband, Michael Norbut, Dean Klutkowski, and George Klutkowski; his aunt, Anne Klutkowski; his caregiver, Donna Ericson; his lifelong friend, Eleanor Novalany and his former wife, Charlotte Kaiser.

Greg lived his life on his own terms.  He had a heart of gold and a personality that can never be duplicated.  Greg will be deeply missed, but he will never be forgotten.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.