Dorothy Jane Lau of Spring Lake passed away June 28,2022 at Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune. Dorothy was born in Jersey City on August 16, 1934 to William and Marie Collins Lau and was joined later by her sister Patricia and brothers Bill and Jack. She graduated from St. Aloysius High School in 1951 at age 16 and began her career at New York Telephone Company. She worked her way up from Records Clerk and retired as Associate Director of the NYNEX Service Co which later became Verizon. She taught classes, supervised and managed many employees in the Business Office during her years and played a major part in the Bell System Divestiture methods and the redesign of new billing for the company. Along with her work, she was a Girl Scout Leader for St. Aloysius in Jersey City for nine years.

After her retirement, she moved to Spring Lake, became very involved in the Spring Lake Historical Society in many roles, from Trustee to President. Her newsletters won numerous awards from the League of Historical Societies from the State of New Jersey. In 2002, she assisted in the book, “A Centennial History of St. Catharine Church” by research and writing the history of the clergy. Dorothy also served as Education Chair of the Spring Lake Women’s Club, and became quite involved with the Spring Lake Garden Club and Women of Irish Heritage. She loved spending time with her sister and friends at the South End saltwater pool in Spring Lake, fighting to preserve it over the years. She spent several years as co-historian of Spring Lake and her tireless efforts to preserve history had a great impact to her community. She was the recipient of the Preservation Alliance of Spring Lake’s President’s Award for her dedication in preserving the history of Spring Lake.

Dorothy’s love of history led her to trace her family’s roots. She became an amateur genealogist tirelessly researching and publishing her findings. In 2001, she found and reunited with her maternal grandfather’s family in County Cork, Ireland. She traveled to Ireland to visit them all in 2003. This was a major joy in her life and she never lost touch with them. Through the years, she also kept in touch with her classmates and helped organize class reunions. St. Aloysius High School inducted her into their Hall of Fame for her life accomplishments in 2013.

She also had an active social life, many friends, and traveled frequently. She was extremely close to her family and cared for both her mother and father until their deaths. Dorothy was always surrounded with family and friends. She was predeceased by her parents, Marie (Collins) and William Lau, her maternal grandparents Jane (Lannon) and John Collins, paternal grandparents Catherine (O’Connell) and George Lau. She was also predeceased by her sister-in-law Opal Lau and close cousin Mary Jane (Meehan)Dolan and cousins on the Lau side: Agnes Weidner, Catherine Taninies, Florence Southerton, and Margaret Richard.

She is survived by her sister Patricia Cappadoccia with who she lived, brother William and his wife Eileen of West Belmar, brother John in Lakewood, niece Patricia Cappadoccia and her husband John Danzak of Garfield, NJ, niece Nancy and her husband Jim Murphy of Bethlehem, PA, nephew John Cappadoccia and his wife Chris of Raleigh, NC, nephew Timothy Lau of East Norriton, PA and great nieces, Celest Cappadoccia, Bridget and Molly Lau, Quinn Murphy, great nephews David and Derek Cappadoccia, Charlie Harrison, and Casey Murphy. She is also survived by her loving cousins in Honesdale, PA, County Cork Ireland, and Merrimac, MA, her best friends, Nancy Fahy in North Carolina and Virginia Nelson in Centennial, Colorado.

Visitation on Wednesday, July 6, 2022 from 3:00pm to 7:00pm at the O’Brien Funeral Home, 2028 Hwy 35 at New Bedford Rd., Wall Twp. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Thursday, July 7, 2022 at 9:00am in St. Catharine’s Church, 215 Essex Ave., Spring Lake. Please go directly to the Church on Thursday as there will not be a procession from the funeral home. Entombment St. Anne’s Cemetery, Wall Twp.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties (FULFILL) 3300 Rt. 66, Neptune, NJ 07753. Donation envelopes will be provided at funeral home.