Dorothy Lopata Novaco, 83, of Bethlehem, passed away peacefully on July 18, 2026. A loving wife, mother, and beloved grandmother, she was born September 29, 1942, in Newark, New Jersey.

Dorothy earned her B.A. degree from Caldwell College and her Master's degree from Montclair State University, both in music education. She was a talented multi-instrumentalist who played the mandolin, piano, violin, viola, and banjo-mandolin. During her long career, she conducted the Bloomfield Mandolin Orchestra, played viola with the Lafayette College Chamber Orchestra, and taught generations of music students both privately and in public schools. She was a proud member of the National Association for Music Education and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, remaining a devoted musician throughout her life. She taught her grandchildren to love music as she did and one of her greatest joys in later years was playing duets with her grandchildren, Nathan and Kathryn. She was also an avid gardener. Dorothy was passionately dedicated to civic education, chairing the education committee of the League of Women Voters in Easton and volunteering generously at her children's schools.

Dorothy is survived by her husband, Anthony D. Novaco; her daughter, Kara Novaco Brockmeyer, her husband Paul, and their children, Nathan and Kathryn; and her son, Jonathan Novaco, his wife Jacquelyn, and their children, Karalyn and Ryan Zolotsky. She was preceded in death by her parents, Alexander and Helen (Ferdo) Lopata.

Services : Services will be private. Dorothy's arrangements have been entrusted to Cantelmi Long Funeral Home, Bethlehem. A memory tribute may be placed at cantelmifuneralhome.com.

Contributions : In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Dorothy's memory to the Good Samaritan Fund at Moravian Village of Bethlehem, https://www.moravianvillage.com/donate.