Obituary of Dorothea Thelma Gaal

Tewksbury Twp. - Dorothea Thelma "Dotty" Gaal died on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at Hunterdon Care Center in Raritan after a short illness. She was 76. Born in Dunellen, NJ on October 1, 1935 to the late Raymond Donald Polhemus and Thelma Philips Polhemus, she was a resident of Tewksbury for many years. She was a graduate of the University of Delaware, and received a Masters degree in Microbiology from Rutgers University. Mrs. Gaal was a 7th and 8th grade Science teacher, and worked for both the Chancellor Avenue School in Irvington, and later the High Bridge Middle School. She retired in 1997 after 35 years. She was a member of the Woman's Club of Tewksbury and the Tewksbury Historical Society. She enjoyed oil painting, art class at the Wildwood Studio in Basking Ridge, and workouts at the Hunterdon Wellness Center in Whitehouse. She was a member of the Woman's Club of Tewksbury Daytime and Evening Gourmet, and also served on the Board of Directors of the Whittamore Wildlife Sanctuary in Tewksbury. Dotty found great pleasure in gardening, flea marketing with her adoring husband, and playing bridge with the ladies of the Woman's Club of Tewksbury. Mrs. Gaal is survived by her husband of 52 years, Dr. Albert Frederick Gaal, Jr. OD; her son William Patrick Gaal, her daughter Marcie Elizabeth Metzler; four grandchildren, Antoinette, Albert, Taylor, and Katherine; and many nieces and nephews. Arrangements are by the Bailey Funeral Home, 176 Main Street, Peapack, NJ 07977 (908) 234-0590 www.baileyfuneralhomes.com Visitation will be at the funeral home on Friday, April 13, 2012 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. A funeral service to celebrate Dotty's colorful life will be at the funeral home on Saturday, April 14, 2012 at 10:00 AM. A private cremation will follow. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Woman's Club of Tewksbury marked: Dotty Gaal Memorial Scholarship Fund, PO Box 407 Oldwick, NJ 08858-0407.