Eugene R. Gladston, 91, of New Hope, formerly of New York City, passed away Wednesday morning, Feb. 19, following a brief illness.
Eugene was born Oct. 8, 1928, to Emanuel and Anna Goldstein, and is survived by his loving wife, Wendy S. Clafin, two sons: Gerald Gladston and his wife Marisin, and their children Daniel and Isabela of Oradell, N.J., and Lewis Gladston and his wife Fran of New York City; two daughters: Melissa Oktay, and her husband Turker, and their children Adam and Julia, and Barbara Bartos, and her husband Bernie, of South Carolina, and their children Benjamin, and Beth Ann, and her husband Kevin.
He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Barbara Rita, and his ex-wife, mother of his children, Martha Frazier Gladston.
Eugene grew up in the Bronx, and attended the Bronx High School of Science, and went on to study business and art at New York University. A talented and accomplished artist, Eugene was very passionate about his work, and showed a flair for the abstract. His paintings and sculptures were exhibited in galleries in New York and New Hope.
Eugene was an avid naturalist from an early age, and as a camp counselor in his teens, he enthusiastically taught young campers about wildlife and the environment, lessons he would later teach his children, and then his grandchildren. With an interest in ornithology as a true nature enthusiast, Eugene was quite the birdwatcher. He took great joy in his trips with the Audubon Society, and could identify many species, and was very knowledgeable of their habits, diet, and migration.
Following the entrepreneurial footsteps of his father and grandfather, Eugene had a long and successful career in retail and investments. Eugene helped raise his four children, and imparted to them his love for nature, the environment, culture, business and much more. Though divorced, Eugene never ceased nurturing and guiding his children, through their adulthood, always with reverence for understanding of the ways of the world and their place in it. He instilled in them honesty and virtue, the importance of higher education, and a sense of history of family, and their New York City, southern, and Eastern European roots.
Eugene Gladston enjoyed the past 25 years as the loving husband of Wendy, surrounded by wonderful friends and the natural beauty of New Hope, and time spent beautifully with his children, their spouses, and his grandchildren.
Some live a long life, others may be well loved, and still others may be fulfilled, but seldom is a person fortunate enough to be blessed with all three, as was Eugene Roland Gladston.
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