Gloria Reinish, 93, of Emerson, NJ, died on Tuesday, January 29. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Gloria was an electrical engineer, graduate of Columbia University, and professor of Electrical Engineering at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She was an avid lifetime tennis player and puzzle solver. In 1945, Gloria was the first woman to receive an engineering degree from Columbia University and went on to earn both a Masters Degree and a Doctorate in Bioengineering. While working at Sperry Gyroscope just after World War II, Gloria received a patent relating to range finding munitions. She was a member of Tau Beta Pi (the engineering honor society) and a life member of the Society of Women Engineers and IEEE. Gloria taught at Fairleigh Dickinson for over 50 years, until her death, during which time she served a stint as the Electrical Engineering department chair and introduced Bioengineering into the curriculum.
Gloria is survived by her children Nancy and Mike Passow, Julie and Rich Askins, and Jim and Lisa Reinish, and her grandchildren Kate Passow, Sam Passow, Ian Askins, Daniel Reinish and Marisol Thomer, and Ariel and Dmitriy Migdalovich. She was predeceased by her beloved husband of 70 years, Martin, and her granddaughter Shelby Reinish. The funeral will be Sunday, February 3, at 11AM, at Gutterman Musicant, 402 Park Street, Hackensack, NJ, with burial following at Cedar Park Cemetery, Paramus, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Congregation B’nai Israel, PO Box 345, Emerson, NJ.
