Dorothy “Dotty” Wall

Dorothy E. Wall (nee O’Malley), age 96 of Wayne, died on Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019.  She had lived in Wayne since 1964.

Dorothy was born in Philadelphia and moved to the Bronx as a young girl.  She was the youngest of four daughters to Austin and Nellie O’Malley.  Dotty lived in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx, and she went on to graduate from St. Thomas Aquinas high school.  Shortly after high school, Dotty went to a dance at St. Helena’s Church where she met Robert Wall.  They hit it off that night, but Robert was in the U.S. Army and he had to leave for the Pacific Theatre.  They kept in touch as best as they could, and upon his return, they married at the Holy Family Church in the Bronx.  They tied the knot on September 11, 1948 and settled in Parkchester.  They were inseparable and loved each other dearly.

In 1964, they moved to Packanack Lake in Wayne, NJ.  They loved their new community right from the start, and never moved again.  They raised their daughter, Dorothy Ellen, there and made a nice life for themselves.  Each of them were devoted parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Wayne, and Dotty missed being able to go to mass in recent years.

Traveling together was something she truly enjoyed, and the whole family had visited Hawaii at least three or four times.  It was her favorite destination by far, and they have spent time on all the islands.  They were a very close and loving family, so much so that their daughter Dorothy Ellen never left home!  She made a mean Mai Tai, her signature drink, which was perhaps part of the reason she was so welcome to continue living with her parents.  Truth be told, Dorothy Ellen took great care of her parents, and without her loving care, they would not have been able to stay in their home as long as they did.  Sadly, she was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away in 2011.  This was a true heartbreaker for Dotty and her husband Bob, and losing their daughter put great strain on them both, as it would do to any parent.  Soon thereafter, Dotty lost her best friend and loving partner, when Bob died just nineteen months after their daughter.  Six years have passed since then, and there is comfort knowing that they are all reunited once again in God’s Kingdom.

Dotty will be missed by her loving niece; Geraldine Rock and her husband Barry of Durham, NH, and by her nephew; Robert Barrett of Spring, TX.