It is with great sadness that the family of Dorothy “Dot” Ruber announces her passing at the age of 93 on September 15, 2025. Dot was a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to love her.
Dot was born and raised in North Jersey by parents Dorothy and William Mayrer. After graduating from Weehawken High School, she attended Katherine Gibbs Business School. Throughout her life Dot embraced many roles, including secretary, homemaker and educator. She had a lifelong love of learning and creativity, keeping her mind active through ceramics, jigsaw puzzles, aquatic fitness and coloring. She also cared deeply about her community, volunteering at a battered women’s shelter in retirement.
Her love for her children and grandchildren was legendary. Though she spent the first half of her life in New Jersey, Dot never hesitated to pick up and move to be near her family — first to California, then Florida and finally Vermont — to be close to her granddaughters, Kelsey and Dana. She cherished sharing everyday moments with them, from sewing special outfits to attending school field trips. The only time she left their side was to return to New Jersey for a year to help her son Michael care for her youngest granddaughter, Rebecca.
Dot was never alone — her daughters, Dawn and Valerie, were always by her side. She was delighted to be able to attend the graduations and weddings of her granddaughters, and in the last months of her life, her greatest joy came from the birth of her first great-grandchild, Sullivan. Dot’s devotion to her family was the heart of who she was, and the bond she shared with them will be cherished forever.
A celebration of life will be held on October 12, 2025, 2:30 p.m., at the Pines Senior Living Community in South Burlington.
This article appears in Sept 24-30 2025.