Lidia Vitalina Cruz, 98, of Farmingdale, NJ, passed away peacefully at CareOne at Wall, NJ on Saturday, October 28th, surrounded by her loving family. Mrs. Cruz was born in Camarneira, Portugal and emigrated from there to the United States in 1950, where she first settled with her family in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ. The family moved to Union, NJ in 1957, and ultimately settled in Farmingdale in 1970. Throughout her life Mrs. Cruz was dedicated to caring for her family and helping her Portuguese homeland and her Portuguese-American and local communities in the U.S. She was instrumental in helping her husband, Evaristo Cruz Sr., grow his public works construction company, Cruz Construction Corp. (est. 1951) and later build a public golf course on their homestead, Cruz Farm, now known as Cruz Golf Country Club (est. 1976). Mrs. Cruz was devoted to her family, loyal to her friends and generous to those in need. So beloved and respected was she that many in her communities looked upon her as a “second mother”. She was an exemplary role model for all that is good in a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She was pre-deceased by her husband in 1997 and her son Edward Cruz in 2015. Surviving are her children, Licinio “Lee” Cruz and his wife Dory, Palm Beach, FL; Maria D. Verduce and her husband Mel Cottone, Boca Raton, FL; Maria G. “Jean” Clemente, Farmingdale; Evaristo Cruz, Jr. and his wife Joyce, Lincroft; and her daughter-in-law, Sharon Cruz, Bay Head; 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be Wednesday, Nov. 1st, 2-4 and 7-9 pm at the Holmdel Funeral Home, 26 South Holmdel Road, Holmdel, NJ. A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Thursday, Nov. 2nd, 11 am at St. Catherine of Siena RC Church, 31 Asbury Road, Farmingdale, NJ, followed by entombment in the Cruz Family Mausoleum at the Holmdel Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Mrs. Cruz may be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children at www.shrinershospitalforchildren.org. To share a favorite memory or messages of condolence, please visit Mrs. Cruz’s Page of Tributes at www.holmdelfuneralhome.com.