Gustav Rhein, 85, of Middletown, passed away Aug. 5. Born March 22, 1935, Gus grew up on Staten Island and, after graduating from Port Richmond High School, served as a radio communicator in the U.S. Navy for three years. He attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and worked as a professional graphic design artist. He later switched careers and became a successful stockbroker at Merrill Lynch, Dean Witter, and then for 25-plus years at Morgan Stanley in Manhattan.
Gus was a longtime member of the Navesink Country Club. He also enjoyed nearly 50 years as a member of the Monmouth Beach Bath & Tennis Club. Gus was passionate about his hobbies and interests, which included golf, jogging, fishing, antique cars, pen and ink sketching, and his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra. He enjoyed a good party, a funny story and vacations at Cranberry Lake with his family. He was a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather. Later in life, he enjoyed writing country and patriotic songs and published a recorded CD.
Gus is survived by his wife of 62 years Ann (Delaney) Rhein; daughter Leigh (Rhein) Carleu of Chatham; son Doug Rhein and partner Heather Bell of Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts; son Neil Rhein and wife Theresa (Melchionna) Rhein of Mansfield, Massachusetts; and granddaughters Monica and Olivia. He is also survived by his sisters, Betty Milne, Helen Ryblewski and Edith Gomez.
Gus was predeceased by his brother Carl Rhein, sister Grace (Rhein) Ezell, and son-in-law Steven Carleu.
According to his wishes, Gus’s family held a private burial. A remembrance for extended family and friends will be held locally at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gus’s memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at michaeljfox.org.
As Gus wrote in one of his favorite songs, “We’ll see you at the tavern at the end of the road.”
The article originally appeared in the August 20 – 26, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
