Alan E. Stein

Alan E. Stein, of East Brunswick, passed away Friday, December 10, 2021 after many hard-fought battles with cancer and heart disease. Alan was 83, but his humor, strength and spirit kept him young at heart.

Born in Flushing, Queens, he spent his youth in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), Africa where he attended Guinea Fowl School in Gwelo, Rhodesia and then served and fulfilled an apprenticeship at Dooley Auto in Bulawayo. After graduation, he lived in England and enjoyed many travel adventures before coming back to the United States in 1962. He resided in East Brunswick where he and his wife, Betty, raised their family for the past 54 years.

For work, Alan's love of automobiles made his extensive career in auto sales very fulfilling. He made longtime friends wherever he was. Before retiring in 2014, he was a salesman for Open Road BMW in Edison for 15 years. Previously he was a General Manager for Freehold Volkswagen and Handy Motors.

In his earlier years, Alan served in Her Majesty's Royal Rhodesian Regiment and the US Army National Guard. He enjoyed motorcycle racing, piloting, skiing, rollerblading, biking, ziplining (despite his fear of heights), and traveling with his wife and any other activity he could convince a friend to join him in. His time as a ski instructor helped prepare him for teaching his kids and grandkids how to ski and he treasured many annual family vacations to Sutton, Quebec. Though he was a towering 6' 1", he was effortless and graceful on the slopes. His quieter pastimes were World War II movies, long drives with his wife in their convertible and spending time with his beloved Golden Retrievers. In his older age, Alan's favorite activity was spending time with his grandkids who he loved fully and in return was adored as Poppy.

As a charismatic storyteller, he could captivate a group, sharing stories of his unique experiences and in turn, enjoyed hearing the stories of others. Always looking to keep busy in retirement, Alan volunteered with Meals-on-Wheels and worked as a polling booth attendant.
Alan often spoke of his life well-lived and his family well-loved. He will be missed immensely but we all have our nicknames and memories to treasure.
Alan was a parishioner of St. Paul's Church and was a Free & Accepted Mason.


He is predeceased by his parents Edward and Louise Stein and his sister Eloise Kosnar. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Betty (Crawford) Stein; his son Brad Stein (Patrice Flynn) of Portland, OR; his daughters Laura Pelszynski (Steven) of North Brunswick and Maggie Vera (Henry) of Portland, OR; and his five grandchildren Allison, Brian and Megan Pelszynski, and Sophie and Elise Vera.

A Memorial Gathering will be held for friends and family on Thursday, December 16th, from 4:00 – 8:00 pm at The Crabiel Home for Funerals, 170 N Main St.-at Riva Avenue, Milltown. A Memorial Service will be Friday 10:30 am, at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Van Liew Cemetery, North Brunswick.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, www.stjude.org. You may sign the online condolence "guestbook" at www.crabiel.com