Gary Straub

Gary G. Straub, age 80, formerly of Paramus and Teaneck, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

Born in Englewood on March 25, 1940, Gary was one of four children of the late Frank Matthew Straub and the late Norma Julia Straub (née Harms).  Gary and his siblings were raised in Teaneck, and Gary attended Teaneck High School.

Throughout his life Gary faced various mental and physical challenges, but he never felt limited by them.  He told jokes, had opinions, was blessed with a joyous smile and adored his mother, siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews. Gary was a true blessing to his entire family and will be sincerely missed.                      

When Gary was diagnosed with severe epilepsy as a child in 1947, there weren’t many treatment options available and his doctors suggested that institutionalizing Gary would be the easiest path forward for his family.  His mother Norma absolutely refused, and she spent her life as Gary’s greatest advocate and a model of unconditional love and uncompromising determination.  Instead of focusing on the things Gary couldn’t do, he and his family embraced and enjoyed the many things he could do.  

One of those things was getting into mischief!  As kids, Gary was much bigger than his younger brother Ray and was always beating up on Ray and playing tricks on him. One time Gary meticulously set five mouse traps outside the bathroom door, then poured a bucket of ice cold water on Ray (who was in the bathtub) and sprinted away. Naturally, Ray jumped out of the tub and ran after Gary, only to step on and spring the mouse traps while in pursuit.

Because his family lived on a cul-de-sac, Gary and his siblings were allowed to move the cars in and out of the driveway….until Gary ran one of the cars off an embankment and into the muddy banks of the stream across the street (which was a real problem because his brother Ray had to be at church at 7:30 the next morning for his Confirmation).  His brothers and the other Glenwood Park kids banded together, working all night to get the car safely back into the driveway, which they eventually did.  Ray made it to his Confirmation, but that was the last time Gary got to drive the car!

In his teen years, Gary loved to go to the monthly church sponsored dances with his girlfriend. He always carried a picture of her, and his mom was glad to drop him off and pick him up after each dance.  His mother and siblings weren’t so thrilled with Gary’s brief experimentation with trumpet lessons though — he was encouraged to practice outside and at least 50 feet away from home.  His brothers were kind enough to set up a milk carton seat near the infamous muddy stream.  

Gary also developed a joy of reading and learning during his teen years that lasted well into adulthood. He especially loved history and reading about Native Americans. He also loved looking up information in The Book of Knowledge – a monthly publication that he subscribed to. It’s amazing what Gary learned from his reading and absolutely incredible that he could recall so much of it later in life.

Gary really enjoyed watching television. He gained a lot of knowledge from his TV time, although Westerns were definitely his favorite  – The Rifleman, Gun Smoke, Bonanza, and Maverick.

When his brother Ray blessed Gary with his first nephew, he was thrilled! Other nieces and nephews followed, and Gary adored them all and doted on each of them as much as he could. He’d even share his television (of which he was extremely protective) to watch their “silly” shows.

As an adult, Gary took great pride in his work at Easter Seals.  He was motivated, focused and content at the end of his workdays, and his family appreciated the independence he experienced and his sense of accomplishment.

More than anything, Gary loved spending time with his family and partaking in all the delicious meals his sister Renee cooked up.  He was quick to joke and loved to laugh; he had a great booming laugh that caused everyone around him to smile and laugh along, whether you were in on the joke or not.  When sitting around the dinner table, surrounded by his family, his face radiated pure joy.

Gary is survived by his loving siblings, brother Raymond Straub and his wife Marilyn of Spring Hill, FL, and sister Irene (Renee) Straub Baxter of Wayne, NJ; and his four adoring nieces and nephews, Raymond Straub, Jr. of Asheville, NC, Timothy Straub of Tampa, FL, Jessie Baxter of New York, NY, and Meghan Baxley of Glen Rock, NJ.  Gary was predeceased by his brother Frank Straub of Paramus, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Gary’s name are asked to consider making a donation to Epilepsy Services of New Jersey