Gustav “Gus” Fleischmann III

Gustav "Gus" Fleischmann III passed away peacefully on September 23rd at Massachusetts General Hospital, just weeks shy of his 100th birthday. He was born on November 9, 1926 in Peekskill, New York, the child of Gustav Fleischmann Jr. and Marion (Timmons) Fleischmann, and grew up in the home his parents built there in 1927, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He attended St. Peter's School, in Peekskill, and the Hotchkiss School, graduating a year early in 1944. That fall Gus enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and served as a quartermaster on minesweepers in the Pacific, including at Japan and Bikini Atoll. He graduated from Princeton University in 1950.

Gus met the love of his life Una Hayes at a wedding in the summer of 1949, two years later, on June 2, 1951 the two were dancing together at their own wedding. Like his father, who ran the Fleischmann Company's Peekskill plant and rose to First Vice President of Standard Brands, Gus went to work for Standard Brands, the maker of Fleischmann's Yeast, Fleischmann's Gin, Chase & Sanborn coffee and Planters nuts, where he spent his early career in sales. After two years in Minneapolis, MN, Gus and Una settled in Weston, MA in 1954, where they raised their family, apart from two years in Fayetteville, NY when Gus was transferred to Syracuse. After returning to Massachusetts in 1967, he covered the Boston and New York markets for Standard Brands before becoming Comptroller and Assistant Dean of Administration at Bunker Hill Community College, where he served for twenty-five years until his retirement.

Gus was a member of St. Peter's Church in Weston, serving on the Vestry three times and twice as Junior Warden. He served for eight years on the Weston Conservation Commission. He was a longtime volunteer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Weston Council on Aging, where he most enjoyed delivering Meals on Wheels, which he did until the age of 90. He was also a past chairman of the Finance Committee of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Gus loved hiking with his family to all of the AMC huts in the White Mountains, and played tennis with his Weston friends for many years. He was very proud of the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren.

Gus was predeceased by his beloved wife of 68 years, Una Hayes Fleischmann, in 2019, and by his parents, Marion Timmons Fleischmann and Gustav Fleischmann Jr. He is survived by his three children, five grandchildren, and three great grandchildren: his daughter, Susan and her husband, Bill Erickson, and their children Timmons and his wife, Kaila: and their son and daughter, and Bennett and his wife Nicole: and their daughter; his daughter Dr. Katharine Hayes Fleischmann and her children, Kayla Bruce and her husband, Dr. Adam Kline, and Christian Bruce; Gustav "Chip" Fleischmann IV and his wife, Sandy, and their son Patrick. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Weston Council on Aging, 20 Alphabet Lane, Weston, MA 02493.

A private family service will be held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Weston on Saturday, November 7th, the day the family had planned to gather to celebrate his 100th birthday, followed by a private burial beside Una at Linwood Cemetery.