Dr. Jay T. Lazier

NORFOLK – Jay T. Lazier passed away after a six-month illness on November 28, 2025.

He was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., to his loving parents, Joseph and Gertrude Lazier. He was 82 years old. He was a deeply caring, warm, and kind man who devoted his professional life to helping the developmentally disabled and his personal life to his family and the local, Jewish community.

Jay was schooled at Taylor Alderdice high school in Pittsburgh, and then at the University of Michigan, Penn State University, and Michigan State University, where he earned his doctoral degree. He arrived with his wife, Nancy, in 1975 in Virginia Beach, where he was hired by the city to pioneer services for mentally retarded adults. He retired 37 years later, having created a full suite of programs of care and opportunity for the developmentally disabled from cradle to grave. In honor of his service, the mayor of the City of Virginia Beach proclaimed January 31, 2013 “Dr. Jay T. Lazier Day,” noting that he was “loved by everyone whose life he has touched.”

Throughout this time and after, he was an active and committed community member. In recent years, he took on volunteer leadership roles at Ohef Sholom Temple and sang in the OST and Sounds of Joy choirs. He was an intuitive cook with little need for recipes, moved simply by the question, “what are my taste buds telling me today?” He was an enthusiastic gardener, and created with his wife, over a span of 50 years, a living work of art beneath a cathedral of trees. He loved water and made it a point to finish every swim with a 100-yard individual-medley. Above all, he loved to connect with people and to connect people with one another.

Jay’s memory will be cherished by his wife, Nancy, by his two surviving children, Benjamin and Yona, and by extended family, friends, and fellow congregants.

A graveside service was held at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk, Va. A memorial service followed at Ohef Sholom Temple.

Memorial donations may be made in Jay’s name to the Charles Woodward Music Fund at Ohef Sholom Temple. Online condolences may be offered to the family at hdoliver.com.