Lillian Dorothy Gnau, who co-owned and operated a trucking firm, died June 2 of complications from dementia at the ManorCare Ruxton nursing home.
She was 87 and had lived in Northeast Baltimore.
Born Lillian Dorothy Niemczyk in Baltimore and raised on Eastern Avenue in Fells Point, she was the daughter of John and Mary Niemczyk.
She attended Holy Rosary School and was a 1946 graduate of Patterson Park High School.
As a young woman, she worked as a secretary.
In 1950, she married Robert A. Gnau, who along with his brother, Howard Gnau, owned and operated a trucking business. Their green trucks of Gnau Bros. Inc. were a familiar sight around the harbor's docks, where they transferred goods from ships.
The firm, on Batavia Farm Road in Rosedale, had contracts with companies including Bata Shoes in Harford County, the Two Guys department stores, D. Myers shoes, Tots Wear children's clothes and Hoover vacuum cleaners.
Gnau Bros. was a family business. Mrs. Gnau worked with her husband, brother-in-law, a son who drove for the firm and a daughter.
In 1985, her husband died at age 58.
By that time, Mr. Gnau's brother had left the firm. Mrs. Gnau, who had worked alongside her husband in a two-person office, was determined to keep the business operating.
"It was that or shut the doors," said her daughter, Cheryl Millhausen, who also helped run the business beginning in 1985. "We had eight truck drivers and warehousemen on a payroll.
"My mother knew all the clients and she knew the books," he daughter said. "And the clients were loyal to my parents."
Mrs. Gnau typically came to work with her miniature schnauzer, Kelly. The dog sat on a chair beneath a window where the truck drivers submitted their manifests.
"My mother was an organized and personable person," said her daughter, who lives in the Towson area..
After three years of running the business with her daughter, Mrs. Gnau decided to retire. She supervised selling the trucks and the warehouse.
"At that point, she was perfectly content to stay at home and look after her grandchildren," her daughter said. "She kept everything meticulous. I bet all the all Gnau Bros. paperwork is still in the attic."
Her daughter said her mother was a spotless housekeeper. Her grass and shrubbery were clipped, and she kept a small, well-tended garden.
"She was great at organization," said her daughter. "You asked for something, and she had it. She categorized and labeled everything."
A funeral Mass for Mrs. Gnau will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Friday at the Church of the Nativity, 20 E. Ridgely Road, Timonium. She was a former member of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Overlea.
In addition to her daughter, survivors include her son, Robert J. Gnau of Baltimore; a sister, Helen Iwancio of Baltimore; and four grandchildren.