August Thomas Lembo

August ("Agostino," "Augie," "Gus") Thomas Lembo, 78, died peacefully at his home in Morristown, New Jersey on February 1, 2026, the anniversary of his father and uncle's deaths. He was surrounded by friends and family, after a courageous years-long battle with Lewy body dementia.

On June 2, 1947, in Paterson, New Jersey, Augie was born into a large and loving Italian family. His parents, Theresa Chiariello and Amedeo Lembo, and grandparents, Sebastiano and Maria Chiariello, raised Augie in a home in which family came above all else. His Uncle Paul, Uncle Willie and Aunt Mary, cousins Paulina, Mario and Carol, godparents Betty and Italo Catania and so many more cousins and friends regularly convened around the dinner table at 151 Lincoln Avenue for laughter, espresso and boundless pasta. Gus was an exceptional and adoring big brother to his sister, Mary Jane. There aren't enough words on a page to describe their bond, and their relationship of shared love and support was deep and profound.

For 45 beautiful years, Gus was the beloved husband of Karen ("K" or "Kayster" to Gus) Kleppe Lembo, with whom he shared a great love story, one that began slowly and persistently. Karen likes to say that she ran after Gus for five years, until he finally caught her. Gus loved K tremendously, demonstrating it through everyday gestures - he started every day by making K's coffee, always managed the parallel parking, and kept her laughing with his quirky behavior. He always came home from work with a kiss for Karen, and was the first on the dance floor when he had the opportunity to sweep her off her feet. From then on, they built a life rooted in faith, family, and laughter.

Gus loved being a dad. He was the proud father of Marguerite ("Meg"), Daniel ("Dan"), and Elisabeth ("Liz"). He approached parenting with devotion and anxiety in equal measure, often supporting his children's choices even when he didn't understand them ("It's stupid, but let them do it!"). He adored his son-in-law, John, and his grandchildren: Liliana, Oliver, and Ayla.

In addition to being a dad and grandpa, Augie considered Mary Jane's three children, Theresa ("Terri"), Joseph ("Joey") and Deanna ("De") as close to his own as possible, and treasured his friendship with their father, Tom, and their spouses Patrick, Kirsten, and Eric.

Gus embraced K's family as his own. He loved her parents, Arthur and Elsie Kleppe, and siblings, Art, Ken, Kevin, Kathi and Keith, their spouses Barbara, Debbie, Lori, Jamie, Rachel and Leslie and his 18 nieces and nephews. He cherished his entire family across the U.S., in Montecorice, Italy, and in Wales, all of whom he loved deeply.

Augie's immigrant parents instilled in their children a love of and commitment to education and learning. He attended St. Anthony's Grammar School in Hawthorne, NJ, where he met his lifelong friends, "The Big Five" (Jay, Joe, Greg, John and Augie). They served together as altar boys and invented elaborate games of "parish," complete with homemade vestments made by his father (a professional tailor) and bulletins. He graduated as salutatorian at Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey, where fellow "Bosco Boys" Ted, Mike and Tom joined Gus's cherished pool of friends. From there, Gus headed to Georgetown University, where he met his dear friends Steve (later his best man, and Dan's godfather), Mario, Wayne and Jim. Gus later earned his law degree from Rutgers Law School, where he proudly took a course with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Gus loved his work, and dedicated himself to the law and public service. He clerked for Judge Brendan T. Byrne, worked with the Honorable Edwin Stern, and served as an Assistant Counsel in the Governor's Office under Governor Byrne. Gus became Deputy Director of Consumer Affairs for New Jersey, and enjoyed tremendously his work with New Jersey's professional boards, especially the Board of Nursing. He practiced law at Carella Byrne Bain & Gilfillan and later as the in-house counsel at Alitalia Airlines. In the late 1980s, Gus opened a private practice in Caldwell and Fair Lawn. He served in the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, Division of Law, and later became an assistant counsel at St. Michael's Medical Center, one of the professional experiences he cherished most. Stu, Brian, Nick, Nancy, Mary Beth, and Maria were colleagues who over time became dear friends.

Gus was also a deeply committed member of his community. He served proudly as a Caldwell Town Councilman, throwing himself into consecutive campaigns so wholeheartedly that he contracted pneumonia twice while knocking on doors alongside Tom, Jack, Susan, George, and Paul. His commitment turned out to be more than the "only one, maybe two nights a week" initially promised, but he loved making his town a better place. Gus was also active in the Kiwanis Club, a board member of both Eva's Sheltering Program in Paterson and LifeWay Network in New York City, and - with K - a longtime pre-cana counselor, supporting couples as they prepared for marriage. Gus and K interviewed prospective students for their beloved alma mater, Georgetown University, for over 20 years. He was instrumental in bringing a Spanish mass to St. Aloysius and helped start First Night, a New Years celebration, in Caldwell.

Gus was goofy, gentle, generous, and famously thrifty. He loved simple things: swimming at Chadwick Beach, the Dollar Store, Shop Rite chocolate chips, Corrado's, Yankees baseball (which made him so nervous he often watched with his back turned to the TV), The Big Bang Theory, the family cats (especially Stripes and Oscar), cutting down the annual Christmas tree, turkey sandwiches from Wawa, Casablanca and It's a Wonderful Life. He was perpetually cold and always brought extra jackets whenever he traveled, just in case someone else might need one, too. He filled his shelves with old coffee containers, each with an assortment of odds and ends he was certain would one day find their use. He stuffed his kids' Christmas stockings with other cheap but practical treasures (the three-prong hose connector may have been his finest gift!). He was a man of letters, writing regularly to friends and family. He ended every phone call with "drive safely," even after you declared you were just heading out for a walk.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the extraordinary staff at Atlantic Visiting Nurse Hospice, especially Karen, Kirsten, Diana, David, Dario, Raquel, Albert, and Kristen, for their care and compassion over these last months. The family also extends their love to Dr. Elena Clar, Dr. George Guariglia (godson), and Dr. Lopez de Castro for their care, professionalism, and kindness, which meant so much to Gus and to all who loved him. We thank Mount Sinai for helping Gus make his contribution to science through the donation of his brain for Lewy body research.

We also extend our love to three close friends, Dr. Mike Yudd, Giuseppe Zaccagnini and Ted Czauski, for their constant support during these last difficult years.

A Celebration of Life mass in Gus's honor will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Aloysius Church (Caldwell, NJ).Please reach out to Gus's family for details. The family will dedicate a memorial bench at his beloved Jersey Shore later this year.

Gus did not do flowers (ask K). If you feel moved to make a donation to celebrate his life, we ask that you contribute to LifeWay Network (https://lifewaynetwork.org/) or an organization of your choice supporting immigrants to the United States, in honor of his own parents who came here to create a better life for themselves and their children.

Here's looking at you, Gus. "Luv ya."