Dorothy R. Zavada's Obituary
Dorothy (“Dot”) R. Zavada (née Wassil) passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 15, 2026, with her family by her side. She was 87 years old.
Born in Pittston, PA to John and Dorothy Wassil, Dot was a longtime resident of Edgewater Park, NJ from 1965 to 2023.
Dot celebrated 60 years of marriage with her beloved husband, Jerry Zavada, who passed away on February 6, 2022. She was preceded in death by her parents and her three siblings: John, Barbara, and Christine.
Dot was the devoted mother of Joseph and Luminita Zavada; Cheryl (Zavada) and James Lutz; Robert and Susan Zavada; and Debra (Zavada) and Christopher Hope.
She deeply cherished her role as “Mom Mom” to her nine grandchildren and their partners: Alina and her husband Alex; Nicholas and his wife Ashley; Ryan and his fiancée Justina; Alexander and his fiancée Neasa; Christopher II; Michael; Alyssa; Madelyn; and Ava. She was also blessed with three great-grandchildren: Benjamin, Juliette, and Olivia.
Dot was employed for many years as an executive assistant for DGM&S/Ulticom in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey.
Dot and Jerry loved the holidays and were the center of every family gathering. They rarely missed any of their grandchildren’s games or activities; and always were the first to reward all of their many achievements. Daily and Sunday Mass were part of their regular routine and they loved putting FAMILY and FAITH above all else. Dot shared many special memories with her siblings and Jerry’s family in the Wilkes-Barre area that became annual family traditions.
Anyone who knew Dot and had to pick one word to describe her, that word would be “SWEET”. She would do anything for anyone and not think twice about it. When cell phones became a thing, Dot became proficient in texting, especially with the grandkids, and would use at least 20 emojis at a minimum at the end of her texts. She always knew what everyone in the family was up to and was the first to check in on everyone. The glass was always half full as she had such a positive outlook on everything. Dot gave us so many wonderful memories and traditions; Sunday dinners which started around lunchtime and ended well after dinner time and included multiple entrees – enough to feed an army, sleepovers with the grandkids and her famous pear pancakes, sending cards for every event to everyone she knew and never missing anyone’s birthday, and always taking copious notes and making lists to document every event. She loved her gardening; growing beautiful flowers and planting her annual “crop” of tomatoes, cucumbers (for her famous pickles), peppers and lettuce with Jerry and later in her garden bed at Azalea. Dot had a way of making everyone she met feel special and was everyone’s cheerleader. She was beautiful inside and out, selfless, classy, nurturing, compassionate and was quite the conversationalist! Always leading by example, she gave her entire family the gift of how to lead with love and kindness.
After the passing of her dear husband Jerry, Dot started another chapter of her life at Azalea Senior Living in Cinnaminson in 2023. There she adopted a whole new family which she adored. She loved attending weekly craft sessions, chair yoga and workouts, meditation sessions, Sunday masses and Bible readings and most especially having dinner with her girlfriends.
We are so thankful and blessed for having her in our lives and for all the values she has instilled in all of us as she will be missed immensely.
A gathering of family and friends will be held Saturday, February 28th from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Corpus Christi Church in Willingboro NJ. Dorothy’s Memorial Mass will follow at 10:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association heart.org or the Arthritis Foundation arthritis.org/
What’s your fondest memory of Dorothy?
What’s a lesson you learned from Dorothy?
Share a story where Dorothy's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Dorothy you’ll never forget.
How did Dorothy make you smile?