Susan Dorfman (nee Rothman), 73, of West Orange passed away peacefully, with her family, by her side on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
She was born in Cincinnati, OH on August 2, 1950 to the late Alfred and Rose Rothman. She was married to Howard Dorfman for 51 years. They raised their daughters Jessica and Alison in Lawrenceville before relocating to West Orange 13 years ago.
Susan was selfless and generous with everyone she loved. As a child, she took great pride in her relationships with her brother David and all of her cousins. She made a bold move to leave Cincinnati for New York City at just 19 years old. While attending Stern College, majoring in Education and English Lit, she met her future husband, Howard. He was blown away by her beauty, intelligence, warmth, and humor; leading him to propose to her only three months later.
They built a beautiful life together. Their home was always full of love, support, and joy. Susan was the greatest mother to her girls. She was there for them with unwavering support every day of her life. Her daughters came home everyday after school to endless amounts of hugs, kisses, and conversations about the day. She spent over a decade as a teacher and then the Principal at the Har Sinai Temple in Trenton, NJ. She believed so fiercely in Jewish education and worked so hard to create a loving learning environment for all of her students.
Susan was so many things to so many people. She was an amazing friend, beloved wife, and the best mother and grandmother. She was known to her family affectionately as Susie Mommy and then Susie Grammie. She was a voracious reader always seeking out new recommendations. She considered herself a lifelong learner with a passion for art, history, politics, and of course Jewish life. She found joy in the small things like root beer floats and Beatles songs. She loved to watch baseball games and rooted for the Reds, Mets, and Yankees: A Cincinnati girl who loved her home team but embraced her husband and daughter’s east coast allegiances.
Susan lived her life boldly and smiled every single day even after being confined to a wheelchair in 2005. Her auto accident never broke her spirit or passion for a life well lived. Her greatest thrill in life was to see her family happy. She cultivated traditions like baking challah and hamantaschen together, but also knew to treasure every small moment spent together. She loved her family so fiercely. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend. To know her was to love her and be loved by her. She touched so many lives and the world was a better place for having her in it.
She is survived by her husband Howard, her daughters Jessica (Fineburg) and Alison, her brother David Rothman of Chicago, IL, her son-in-law Brian Fineburg, and her two cherished grandsons, Benjamin and Daniel. She is also survived by her nephews: Michael Rothman of Los Angeles, his wife Celia and their daughters Charlotte and Claire; and Marc Rothman of Chicago, his wife Sara Mersinger-Rothman and their children Aaron, Samantha and Lydia. Susan is also survived by many cousins and close friends. She is predeceased by her nephew Matthew Rothman and sister-in-law, Susan Rothman.
A funeral service will take place at Orland’s Ewing Memorial Chapel at 1534 Pennington Road in Ewing
Township on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 2 PM.
The family will sit shiva on Thursday evening from 6 to 8 PM at the family home in West Orange, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to either the Anti-Defamation League or The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning.