Alan Greiner

GREINER - Alan., 89 of Cedar Grove, NJ passed away on April 20, 2026 in Livingston, NJ. Born in 1937 in Oradell and was a long-time resident of Cedar Grove, NJ. Alan was a retired Aerospace Engineer. He worked at Kearfott Guidance & Navigation for 42 years. Highlights of his career are working on the navigation systems for the Space Shuttle and the two Voyager spacecraft that visited the planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Alan is survived by his son Glenn Greiner with his wife Ruth Ann, daughter Lynn Foley with her husband Mark, and four grandchildren, Michael Greiner, Kristen Greiner Ouellet with her husband Jacob, David Foley, Elena Foley. Alan was predeceased by his beloved wife Gail L. Greiner who passed away in 2003. Alan’s hobby was gardening. He had magnificent flower gardens at his home in Cedar Grove and his former weekend home in the Poconos. He traveled to all 50 states and several European countries. Traveling to all 50 states was a bucket list item for Alan. He enjoyed having lunch monthly with his former co-workers from Kearfott Guidance & Navigation. He always looked forward to the last Thursday of the month for his "meeting" with his friends. Visitation hours will be on Monday, April 27, 2026, 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM at VAN TASSEL FUNERAL HOME, 337 Belleville Ave, Bloomfield, NJ 07003. Funeral Service will be on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 10:30 AM in St. John's Lutheran Church, 216 Liberty Street, Bloomfield, NJ 07003 followed by Interment in Hollywood Memorial Park & Cemetery, 1500 Stuyvesant Ave., Union NJ 07083. . Memories of Alan Greiner from Lynn Foley One of the biggest things Dad gave me was a love of the outdoors and the mountains, in particular. Some of my earliest memories are of vacations swimming and sailing at Lake Dunmore in Vermont. In 1974, Dad had a small vacation home built for us in the Pocono Mountains. Every Friday night during the school year, we religiously piled into the car for the 90-minute drive, listening to radio shows and 8-track tapes, my brother and I playing travel bingo and occasionally being forced to sit on our hands when fights broke out. Dad was so determined to make it to his retreat, regardless of the weather, that there was a time or two that the car had to be abandoned at the side of the unplowed road, around the corner from our house, and everyone had to trudge back and forth through the snow, lugging everything packed for the weekend. Once the car was unloaded, though, we got to building snowmen, ice skating or sledding. My mom would hold onto Dad’s hand for dear life while skating, and my parents would share a sled where they flew down a series of streets that were not heavily used in the winter and often not completely plowed. If conditions were perfect and our neighbor iced the corner by his house (unknown to the adults), an up to half-mile ride ensued, culminating at the bottom of what Dad called “Whoops Hill.” Summers were spent swimming; taking long walks; sailing; fishing; picking blueberries for cakes and pies; or playing badminton, bocce or a wonky game of croquet in a backyard covered with shale. Dad also loved to spend his time gardening. He was proud of his green thumb, and everything had to be “just so”. He kept both homes’ gardens full of flowers, and an array of colors in the Poconos literally slowed traffic. Well into his ‘80s, he could be seen in his yard, hand watering his precious plants with a wand on his hose when Mother Nature was not cooperating. Dad also instilled in my brother and me the importance of working hard and doing a job the right way. He graduated as a salutatorian from Irvington High School. He earned a full scholarship to Steven’s Institute of Technology in Hoboken, where he studied engineering and graduated as a valedictorian. While in college, he started what became a lifelong career at Kearfott Guidance and Navigation, where he was proud of the precision of his gyroscopes, which determine direction and orientation. He handpicked the gyroscopes used in the Space Shuttles and Voyager spacecraft. Years later my brother met astronaut Scott Kelly, who said those gyroscopes always reliably did their jobs. Dad loved to travel. When we were kids, there were many road trips, the bulk of them teaching us some aspect of American history. Once we were grown and the house in the Poconos was sold, he and Mom began to travel farther afield — Hawaii, a canyon loop drive, and San Francisco were among the destinations they visited. After Mom died, he continued to be bitten by the travel bug and went on many tours in the US and abroad, taking hundreds of pictures along the way. Always a frugal man, it was his one indulgence. Dad was happy that he accomplished his bucket list of visiting all 50 states during his lifetime. Dad had a legendary sweet tooth, which for better or worse, seems to pass to each generation. He always said he ate the main meal to get to the dessert. Mom baked regularly when we were growing up, and after she died in 2003, he learned to make Christmas cookie and pie recipes rather than to go without. My parents also taught us that marriage was something you don’t give up on without a good fight. They were married for 43 years when Mom died suddenly on New Year’s Eve 2003. Though shocked and heartbroken, he was always one to carry on. His love for her was probably most evident by taking a look inside the house, where he would change the many decorations she bought with the seasons. He even put all the Christmas ornaments on the tree every year by following photos of the tree Mom decorated during her last holiday season. Last but not least, church was always an important part of Dad’s life. During our time in the Poconos, we spent many hours in youth group activities, vacation bible school, Sunday Services and potlucks. In his final years, despite it being hard to walk and it taking him three hours to get ready, my brother Glenn still took Dad to St. John’s once a month. On the other Sundays, he took time out for a tele-ministry service. Rest in peace, Dad. We’ll miss you but take comfort knowing you are in a better place back with Mom.

Alan Greiner

February 2, 1937 - April 20, 2026