Burton L. Geltzeiler

Burton L Geltzeiler passed away peacefully on August 1st, 2017 at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, NJ surrounded by his family. He was the beloved husband of Barbara Geltzeiler Nee Levy of West Orange, NJ for 62 years. She was the great love of his life. He was the dear son of the late Abe H. (Giddy) Geltzeiler and the late Annette Geltzeiler. He was the loving brother of the late Lewis Geltzeiler. He was the beloved father of Bruce Geltzeiler of Monroe Township, NJ, Barry Geltzeiler of West Orange, NJ, and Brian Geltzeiler of Livingston, NJ and their wives Susan, Sayre, and Jamie. He was the beloved grandfather of Montana, Hunter, Amber, Lexi, Meadow, and Jason Geltzeiler. Services will be held at Bernheim Apter Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel at 68 Old Short Hills Road in Livingston, NJ at 10:30 AM. Shiva will be observed at the residence of Jamie and Brian Geltzeiler at 9 Morningside Dr in Livingston NJ Thursday August 3rd from 3-9 PM and on Friday August 4th from 1-6 PM. Should friends and family desire, any contributions in his memory should made to the charity of the donor's choice.

Burt lived in Essex County, NJ his entire life. He was born in Newark and grew up in Hillside and Newark and then settled in West Orange, NJ with Barbara and his boys. He graduated Weequahic High School in Newark in 1945. He played college basketball at Rutgers University in Newark from 1945-1950. He was 3rd in the nation in scoring in 1950. He was drafted by the Tri-City (now Atlanta) Hawks in 1950 by hall of famer Red Auerbach. He was the first player in Rutgers history to score over 1000 points in a career. He is a member of the Rutgers Newark Athletic Hall of Fame. He's also a member of the Newark Athletic Hall of Fame and the JCC Metrowest Sports Hall of Fame. He served in the US Army state side in the Korean War in Fort Eustis, Virginia.

Burt was the president and CEO of Auto Body and Service in Newark and ABS Appraisal Service in West Orange. He also was a founding member of Auto Body Distributing Co in Irvington, NJ. He served as president of Auto Body Distributing for many years.

Burt created as close knit a family as one can imagine. Although his family's hearts are broken to lose him, the legacy of love he leaves to his family, colleagues, and friends will endure for all future generations.