Obituary of Susan D Lopez
Susan D. Lopez, 63, passed away on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital – New Brunswick.
Susan spent most of her childhood in Pennsauken, NJ, before the family relocated to Lynchburg, VA. Following her high school graduation, she went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from the University of Virginia, then furthered her education at Virginia Tech, where she received her Master’s Degree in Mathematics and Industrial Engineering.
Following her college graduation, Susan went to work for Bell Labs, later Lucent Technologies, where she worked as a Systems Engineer. In this role, she helped design software to ensure the reliability of telecommunications networks. Of the many projects she was a part of, one of the most notable was being a member of the team that developed and implemented digital telephone area codes, enabling the many area codes we have today.
In November of 1997, Susan married her late husband, Dexter E. Lopez. In 1999, she made the decision to leave Bell Labs to raise her family, at the time two children, with one on the way. This was a role she took pride in and devoted her life to.
In Susan’s younger years, she enjoyed traveling, and as life moved on, she enjoyed being an active member of the community. With a creative spirit and a passion for arts and crafts, she often helped organize community events and running various library programs in Piscataway. Of these programs, a favorite of hers was the Origami group; an art that she fell in love with over the years. She was also an active member of the Rivercrest Pool Club in Piscataway, where she was a member of the “Shady Ladies”. Above all else, it was her family that meant the most to her. Raising her children, especially following the passing of her husband, was her job in life.
Predeceased by her husband, Dexter E. Lopez, and father, Francis K. Denham, Susan is survived by her children, Zachary Lopez, Anya Lopez, Christopher Lopez and stepson, Matthew Lopez, her mother Margaret Denham and siblings, Patricia (Paul) Howanitz, Christine (Robert Stein) Denham, Margaret Slattery, Francis H. Denham, Mary (Paul) Pierson, Paul (Mary Byrd) Denham, Carol Bertrand, and Michael Denham. She will also be missed by a host of extended relatives and friends.
Cremation services were held privately.
In lieu of flowers, the Lopez family has requested that donations be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, in Susan’s name.
