Gordon Reinold, 85, of Matawan, New Jersey, passed away on September 10, 2026. He was born on May 12, 1941, in Brightwaters, New York, to Bernard and Margaret Reinold.

Gordon was a deeply spiritual man who approached life with curiosity, purpose, and an engineer’s instinct for solving problems. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Union College, his Master of Management Services from The Johns Hopkins University, and his Master of Science in Engineering Mechanics from New York University. Gordon went on to build a career as an engineer with AT&T. Among his professional accomplishments, he was the Project Manager in the design of the SCARAB submarine which was used to install the first transatlantic fiber optic cable system.

He and his wife, Hilare Reinold, shared a deep commitment to helping others. Together, they founded the Gennesaret retreat in New Jersey, creating a community where terminally ill patients could step away from the circumstances of their illness and experience fellowship, connection, and dignity. Their work reflected a belief that people should be cared for not simply as patients, but as members of a community.

Following his retirement, Gordon continued that commitment to service. He spent many years with the Monmouth County chapter of St. Vincent de Paul, serving as president, and later became treasurer of the Trenton Diocesan Council of St. Vincent de Paul. He brought the same qualities to his service that he had brought to his professional life: careful planning, dependability, integrity, and an ability to take complicated challenges and break them down into manageable pieces.

Those qualities were familiar to everyone who knew Gordon. He was a hard worker and a meticulous planner who had a remarkable ability to look at a large problem and figure out how to tackle it one piece at a time. Gordon was completely devoted to his family and was prouder of their accomplishments than he was of his own. He also thoroughly enjoyed his annual pilgrimage to the Jersey Shore with his family.

But perhaps no quality was more uniquely Gordon than his love of the pun. He had an extraordinary appreciation for wordplay and was always ready with a perfectly timed, and sometimes gloriously terrible, pun.

One of his classic moments came when his daughter asked one of Gordon’s best friends if he could row her out to the sandbar. Gordon immediately recognized that the situation called for a legal opinion. Without missing a beat, he declared, “You’ve got a momentous decision here: Roe v. Wade.”

It was quintessential Gordon: quick, clever, completely unexpected, and just the right amount of terrible. His family will undoubtedly continue to hear his voice whenever an opportunity for a pun presents itself.

Music was another important part of Gordon’s life. An avid musician, he played for many years with the church folk group at St. Benedict’s, but his love of music extended well beyond the church. He would play for family and friends, bringing people together through music wherever he could. No Reinold get-together was complete without a family singalong. Music gave Gordon another way to connect with people, and it remained an important expression of his creativity, generosity, and joy.

Above all, Gordon was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. He is survived by his wife, Hilare; his 9 children, Krista and her husband, Marty; Kira and her husband, Mike; Kevin and his wife, Karen; Erik and his wife, Meghan; Rebecca and her husband, Matt; Stefan and his wife, Vicky; Todd and his wife, Dianne; Andrew and his wife, Sarah; and Sarah and her husband, Mark; and his sister, Elaine Josepson and her husband, Jay.

He is also survived by his 16 grandchildren: Carolena, Signe, James, Tyler, Colin, Lexi, Carissa, Miles, Ben, Avery, Elinor, Jon, Reid, Sabrina, Louisa, and Theo; and 2 great-grandchildren, Norah and Jack.

Gordon leaves behind the memories that cannot be measured: the lessons he taught, the problems he solved, the songs he played, terrible puns, the laughter he created, the people he helped, and the countless moments shared with the family he loved so deeply. His life was one of purpose, service, curiosity, and joy—and his family will carry those gifts with them.