Olive Lorraine Dolby died on Dec. 28. The eldest of a very large and raucous Irish family, she was born July 31, 1925 in Fintona, Country Tyrone, Northern Ireland. As fate would have it, George Irving Dolby Jr. was stationed in her village with the U.S. Army prior to the second wave of the Normandy Invasion. They met, courted, fell in love and were engaged prior to his deployment to Normandy. He later returned to Fintona, where they married on June 13, 1944.

Mrs. Dolby was considered a war bride and was required to stay in Liverpool, England, with other war brides until 1945, where she was schooled in the many intricacies of American life. She then rejoined George and settled in Vineyard Haven where she eventually gave birth to two children.

She was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and friend, filled with the Irish spirit of humor and warmth, and she was fiercely supportive of her family.

Her children’s many thanks go out to the friends and neighbors who understood what she was going through, particularly the Visiting Nurses of Martha’s Vineyard who were so caring and supportive throughout her journey, and to the staff of the Royal Nursing Home in Falmouth.

Mrs. Dolby leaves a son, Thomas Brian Dolby and his wife, Marjorie (Coutinho) Dolby, of Marston’s Mills; a daughter, Roxanne Dolby of Virginia Beach, Va.; a sister in law, Marjorie Rita Dolby of Vineyard Haven; a granddaughter, Jayna Dolby of Watertown; and a grandson, Thomas George Dolby, of San Francisco, Calif., in addition to many siblings and relatives in Ireland, England and Wales.

The family asks that all please be supportive of a family member, neighbor or friend who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. Know that their behavior is driven totally by this disease. Deep down inside they are still the very same person that you knew and loved. We honor her life and will miss her very, very much.

Services are unplanned at this time.