CLEVELAND, June 2 Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen are in mourning following the tragic death of veteran New Jersey Transit hostler Gregory G. Kastner.
According to preliminary reports, Brother Kastner had just finished fueling his engine and was walking back to another locomotive when he was struck around 3:30 a.m. on May 31 at NJ Transits Meadows Maintenance Complex in Kearny, N.J.
Tragically, Brother Kastner, 63, was just 20 days from retirement when the fatality occurred. According to his friend and Brother Fred Mattison of Division 373, Brother Kastner chose not to retire as soon as he was eligible. Instead, the devoted father and husband decided to continue working a few extra years to provide for his family. He and his wife, Grace, were looking forward to retirement and had just purchased a retirement home in Florida.
This tragedy is a deep shock for the family of Greg Kastner as well as our New Jersey Transit Brothers and Sisters, BLET National President Paul Sorrow said. On behalf of the BLET National Division, I extend deepest condolences to the Kastner family. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Brother Kastner was a member of BLET Division 272 in Dover, N.J., and he joined the Brotherhood on April 2, 2004.
He is survived by his wife, Grace (Moran) Kastner, his three children, Cristin Farney and her husband, Steven, Kimberly McCloskey and her husband, William, and Ryan Kastner, as well as his granddaughter, Micaela Kastner.
The familys grief, anger, frustration must be overwhelming, said NJ Transit General Chairman Rich Darcy. We go to work day in and out. We do our job day in and out. We come home raise our families, cash our check, pay the bills. Now it is all over for Brother Greg Kastner. Our words are weak and not effective enough to express our condolences as coworkers to his loving family, friends and neighbors.
He worked out of the Maintenance Complex in Kearny since 2003. Prior to that, he worked for APA Transport of North Bergen for 19 years. Mr. Kastner served with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.
NJ Transit and the Federal Railroad Administration are investigating the accident.
A viewing will be held from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on Friday, June 4, at the Ferguson Vernon Funeral Home (241 State Route 94, Vernon, NJ 07462, (973) 827-6600). A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, at the St. Francis de Sales R.C. Church (614 Route 517, Vernon, N.J. 07462). Private cremation will follow.
Please keep our Brother Greg Kastner in your prayers for his passing from this place on earth, General Chairman Darcy said. Try to focus on the life each one of us has been blessed with to continue living each day and the responsibility we have to our families, friends and coworkers in order to continue doing our jobs safely.
The BLET has established a memorial fund to help the family through this difficult time. BLET officers are accepting donations at all NJ Transit terminals. BLET Brothers and Sisters from other parts of the country who would like to make a donation should contact Fred Mattison by email: fredmattison@yahoo.com. Brother Mattison is Vice Local Chairman of Division 373 and Vice Chairman of the New Jersey Legislative Board.
