Obituary of Arthur Gartenlaub

Arthur Grant Gartenlaub of Brick, New Jersey formerly of Maplewood, New Jersey passed away at home on Sunday July 8, 2018 after a long fought battle with an illness.. Mr Gartenlaub was born in Staten Island, New York. He lived in Maplewood for 70 years before moving to Brick three years ago. Art was raised on Midland Boulevard and graduated Columbia High School in 1961. He attended American University and graduated from Georgetown University. His first love was his music. Unfortunately, Art was fired by his Piano teacher at the age of 6, being told it was ” no use, he’d never be able to play an instrument”. He proceeded to teach himself how to read music, play guitar, keyboards and saxophone. Between his junior and senior year of college he travelled across the country where he met and played on an album for Johnny Cash in Nashville, Tenn., Mr Cash didn’t like the “ tone” of Arts guitar for his songs so he gave Art some money, sent him ” to the music store down the street” to pick the best guitar for the sound Mr. Cash wanted. Art did and when the recording was finished Mr.Cash gave him the Fender 12 String that he chose. That guitar still hangs on our wall today. Art entered Fort Bragg, Army, 519 MI Battalion, 1963-1969 as a Green Beret and was sent to take instruction at the Monterey School of Languages in California where he received his Masters Degree by learning 8 languages in 9 months. (Not only did Art learn languages at this time, this is when he met up and coming folk singer Joan Baez at a sing along on the beach and she personally wrote a request to the language school to release him on weekends so he could accompany her on tour as her lead guitar player! ) at completion of language school Art was sent overseas, as Translator in/for Turkey and in was 1964 sent to Cambodia to communicate with the Nato Forces and as an active Green Beret, his tour ending in 1969. He received the Good Conduct Medal and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Music was really his love. He played lead Saxophone in 1965 with the American pop group “the Viscounts.” The 1965 group remade one song, from the original Viscounts (1958) called Harlem Nocturne and they split up as the song climbed the charts. Yes, that is Art leading off with that sexy sax in the beginning.!! He then became a one man band. playing local rooms throughout NJ. In 1976 he formed a duo, known as Amazing Art and Wonderful Willie”, the Amazing Art and Wonderful Willie appeared together for the first time first in January 1977 at Victors Restaurant (The Cellar Dwellers ) in So.Orange, NJ.( It was in this room that his parents brought his first grade Piano teacher yes, the one who fired him, to see what he had accomplished. She was shocked! Art and Willie were the first band to play at Cryan's Beef and Ale, in South Orange NJ. when Cryan's opened the newly finished big back room. They performed there from 1982 to 1984 and were called back by Jimmy Cryan to be the band to play at Cryan's 30 year celebration in August 2012. JC saying it was only fitting that they were the band that started it all and they should be there for the celebration. What a night of memories and faces!! Just like the "Old Days". For many years following the duo worked in dinner and dance rooms throughout Essex, Union, Somerset and Morris Counties. During the summers, the Jersey Shore, on the road to Texas and Indiana. Their music ( as a 2 piece band would replace the previous 5,6 person band before them, jamming rooms with 200-250 people every weekend and were told by room owners that their reputation had become that of the highest paid and hardest working duo in the State of New Jersey. Playing music from 1900 to disco, you requested it they played it, you walked in the room, they automatically played your favorite song.... Never Never was there a planned set...they let the room set the mood. Retiring in the late 80’s when the kids became to old for babysitters but to young to be left alone! Performing for special events as the years have passed. Again, Art, all self taught, became a professor of Computer Sciences at Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ from 1980-1983. He planned and established the first hands on computer laboratory at SHU, putting computers on top of boxes as they arrived for lack of tables! In 1984 and for the next 20 years, Art worked in the technology departments of AT&T, Lucent and Avaya. He could write computer programs, in any language faster than you could take a breath. “Downsizing's” were big in those days. Art survived 20 downsizing's, always another group grabbing him up as soon as he was available and 1992 became salesman of the year. A lifelong dream of Arts was to have his own cafe. And so opened “Here’s Two the Arts”, a room for artsy crafty talented people to be highlighted every night, Located on Baker St. in Maplewood, it hosted Music nights, Open mike nights, Poetry nights, Comedy nights, Art work displayed by town folk, young people's nights, parties, dancing,...... some incredible happenings occurred there. Art is 6 year Post Commander of the Maplewood VFW Post 10120; Member and 6 year past President of the Maplewood Glee Club, creating and directing the Maplewood Doo Wop Association; Musical Director with the Maplewood Strollers and yes he even dared to run on the Republican ticket for the Township Committee in Maplewood; and for the past 8 or so years he has been working as Dog Trainer for Petsmart stores in Millburn, Livingston, Edison and of late Neptune, NJ . Every Petsmart employee knew who Art Gartenlaub was. His love, kindness, understanding and expertise with the Dogs and their owners was well recognized and acknowledged and rewarded by the company. He just had a natural talent for the puppies. It would be amiss, if we didn’t mention his latest accomplishment and one other dream he had. He always wanted to go to school to become a Rabbi. For him it became a Rabbi of the Internet. He didn’t take it lightly. He studied and studied, practiced and practiced, had a mentor, performed Weddings and baby namings for couples who just adored him. His next wedding always came from someone sitting in the audience at the last one. It was a joy to watch him, and he was so happy doing it. Art is survived by his beloved wife Margaret “Willie’, children Andrew and Lawrence and step children Matthew Joost and Patricia Stenzel, granddaughter Abigail Stenzel and sister Barbara Wolin.