Dorothy Podlas of Riverhead, NY passed away peacefully on Oct. 26, 2024, in Riverhead. She was 92 years old.
She was born on April 22, 1932, to Leonora (nee Strezlecka) and Pawel O’Kula of Calverton, NY.
Dorothy graduated from Riverhead High School in 1950 and was employed by the N.Y. Telephone Company in the traffic department.
She married Paul Podlas at St. Isidore R.C. Church in Riverhead in 1954.
Predeceased by her husband Paul, her son, Steven, and her brothers, Joseph, Richard, Edmund, John, and Stephen O’Kula, as well as her sisters, Josephine Putzke, Sophie Truskolowski, Helen Wesolowski-Mazura, and Genevieve Graygor, Dorothy is survived by her sons, Richard (AnneMarie) of Florida and Peter (Geralyn) of Remsenburg, four grandchildren, Melinda, Katie, Lauren, and Mark, and five great-grandchildren, Abigail, Dylan, Jack, Austin and Cole.
Her deep faith and her church were very close to her. She was a member of St. Isidore R.C. Church, the Altar Rosary Society of St. Isidore R.C. Church, and the Polish Town Civic Association in Riverhead.
Dorothy was a stay-at-home mother and grandmother. She loved her children and grandchildren dearly. She loved to cook and bake, winning many blue ribbons at the Riverhead County Fair, and always had a dish to share. She was also a “planner,” organizing reunion luncheons with her former classmates and all of the family get-togethers.
The family will receive visitors on Tuesday, Oct. 29, from 4 to 7 p.m. at McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead. A funeral mass will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 30, at 10 a.m. at St. Isidore R.C. Church in Riverhead. Interment will follow at St. Isidore R.C. Cemetery in Riverhead. Memorial donations may be made to St. Isidore Altar Rosary Society, 622 Pulaski Street, Riverhead, NY 11901.
