Dorothy "Dottie" Yuke Lan Hu

It is with a heavy heart that we share the passing of Dorothy “Dottie” Y.L. Hu who passed away peacefully in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on July 17, 2025, at the age of 83.

Her life journey began 83 years ago in Honolulu Hawaii as the only child of “Bunny” Cheong Hu and Elsie Yosmiko (Ikehara) Hu who have predeceased her. In her early years she lived in an intergenerational environment surrounded by her loving parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins and often spent summers on Maui with her grandparents. Upon graduation from high school, she left the island to attend collage graduating from Marycrest Collage in Davenport Iowa where she received a bachelor’s degree in library science, with minors in Music (Piano), and Spanish. She went on to complete a master’s degree in deaf education at the University of Iowa which included an internship at the residential Iowa School for the Deaf where she lived and emersed herself in the culture and life of residents in order to strengthen her understanding of the world her future students might live in and hone her teaching skills in order to become the best teacher she could be. She also completed post graduate courses at Florida International University and the University of Miami receiving multiple certifications in special education and curriculum development and completed her Ph. D in educational administration at the University of New Mexico.

Dottie began her special education teaching career with Dade County Public Schools in Miami Florida where she worked for 14 years as a special education teacher for the deaf. When she moved to New Mexico she taught special education for 25 years at Taft Middle School. Teaching was not enough for her. Dottie’s heart was always drawn to helping others, and she dedicated much of her free time to volunteering in support of vulnerable populations -especially children and seniors in her community. If there was a gap in a community service and she could be part of the solution she was all in. Her efforts were a quiet yet powerful reflection of her kindness and compassion.

In 1981 she was recognized by the Coconut Grove Cares program in Miami, Fl, where as a volunteer she organized and directed summer camp programs for over 300 publicly housed “latch-key” elementary school age children offering their families a safe, educational, and fun place to spend their summer when schools were closed. She also received a Certificate of Appreciation from the New Mexico Commission for Community Volunteerism in 2011. In 2014, Dottie was presented with the AARP Andrus Award for Community Service for her dedication to her work for the Sandoval Country Project Linus Chapter. Her commitment to others never wavered, and in 2022, she was recognized with the Gregorita Chavarria Arts Award, as well as the Aging and Long-Term Services Special Recognition and Appreciation Award, for her extraordinary contributions during the New Mexico wildfires.

Dottie also enjoyed travel, sewing, gardening, trips to arts and crafts events, and an occasional trip to the casino. She was also known for her annual Chinese New Year parties, her love of Peanut butter cookies, and the many cans of ginger cookies and chocolate covered macadamia nut candies she gifted multitudes of people over the years. She had many talents. Her gardening skills included growing hybrid iris which she photographed and often created note cards as gifts for her friends and loved ones. Her artistic skills included crafting origami birds, flowers and dolls which she gifted to many and donated to fundraising silent auction events. Dottie was also a dog lover and rescued over a dozen across her lifespan.

Her family deeply appreciates the physicians and caregivers at Presbyterian Medical Group Atrisco Branch Clinic and Presbyterian Hospital who provided excellent care and kept her caretakers informed at every step.

Dottie’s legacy was her exceptional generosity and commitment to help others -especially children in need at their most desperate of times. She never met a stranger and if you were not careful, she would engage you to join her in her journey to help make the world a better place for children.

Services are pending.