Robert Charles Klein — or Bob Klein — has died at age 90. Klein was a 1948 graduate of Columbia High School where he was was captain of the gymnastics team and an awarded athlete in track and field. Klein served 20 years on the Maplewood Township Committee — including as Vice Mayor. He was also president of the Maplewood Chamber of Commerce, and served on the Maplewood Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, the Maplewood 4th of July Committee and the Maplewood Pool Committee, as well as the board of the South Mountain YMCA. According to his obituary, “He was especially proud of his involvement in establishing the local After School Program.”
Bob was the second-generation president of The Chas. J. Klein Real Estate and Insurance Co. located in Maplewood Village.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Memorial Service at Morrow Memorial Church, 600 Ridgewood Rd., Maplewood, N.J., on Sunday, June 30, at 1 p.m.
Read Klein’s full obituary below from The Jacob A. Holle Funeral Home:
Robert Charles Klein
Realtor, Air Force veteran, committed to Maplewood community
Robert Charles Klein died May 24, 2019, at the age of 90, following complications after hip surgery. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Memorial Service at Morrow Memorial Church, 600 Ridgewood Rd., Maplewood, N.J., on Sunday, June 30, at 1 p.m.
Bob lived a full and productive life in which he gave of himself freely and brought joy to many.
Born in 1929, Bob’s family moved from Newark, N.J., to Maplewood when he was in sixth grade. He attended the local public schools and graduated Colombia High School in 1948. At Columbia, Bob was captain of the gymnastics team and an awarded athlete in track and field.
After leaving Springfield College in Massachusetts, Bob enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed at Craig Air Force Base in Selma, Ala., as a flight chief. It was here he met his wife Eileen. After the Air Force Bob and his bride returned to Maplewood, where he raised two children, Ginny and Greg. He went on to become the second-generation president of The Chas. J. Klein Real Estate and Insurance Co. located in Maplewood Village.
As a realtor Bob served on dozens of committees over the years, including the NJ Real Estate Commission and as president of the local Board of Realtors. Some of his awards included Realtor of the Year Award, Distinguished Service, Man of the Year and Volunteer of the Year Award.
Bob’s commitment to public affairs in his beloved town of Maplewood was long and extraordinary: 20 years on the Maplewood Township Committee, president of the Chamber of Commerce, Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, YMCA, 4th of July Committee, Pool Committee, and so on. He was especially proud of his involvement in establishing the local After School Program.
He leaves behind his wife, Eileen; son, Gregory; daughter, Virginia Spiegel; son-in-law, Paul Spiegel; and grandchildren, Leah and Hannah. Bob was truly a special person and will be remembered fondly by many.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Parenting Center of South Orange Maplewood, 525 Academy St., Maplewood, N.J. 07040 or Rent Party Pantry Inc., 69 Courter Ave., Maplewood, N.J. 07040 would be appreciated.
Arrangements by The Jacob A. Holle Funeral Home, Maplewood.
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