Richard Joseph Dolack Sr

Richard Joseph Dolack (“Dick”) was born on February 25th 1924 in Tacoma Washington, the youngest of 11 children. Growing up in Tacoma, he attended Rogers Elementary, Holy Rosary and Bellarmine High School where he played baseball and football. On graduation, he attended Gonzaga University, the first member of his family to go to college. In 1944, he volunteered to serve in the Army, qualifying for the Army Air Corp He went on to become a B-17 pilot and was stationed in Foggia in southern Italy. There, 2 years after graduating from high school, he flew missions over Germany and Eastern Europe. After completing 25 missions, he volunteered for additional service to help fill the need for qualified pilots. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Army Air Corps’ highest honor for bravery in combat.

After the war, he returned to Tacoma where he was introduced to Marguerite McDougall, the sister of a high school friend. They were married on June 8th, 1946. He returned to Gonzaga where he received his law degree. As a young lawyer in Tacoma, he also worked graveyard shifts at Fick foundry, pouring steel, to make ends meet. Ultimately, he had a long and successful career practicing law for close to 70 years. In the course of his professional career, he served on the Public Utility Board of the city of Tacoma and represented Bellarmine High School, his alma mater. In his free time, he was an avid tennis player and member of the Tacoma Lawn Tennis club where he competed for the senior men’s championship on several occasions. In later year, he took up golf and played regularly with Marguerite at the Tacoma Country Club.

A devoted Catholic, he was a founding member of St.Charles Borromeo parish where he regularly attended mass and taught catechism classes.

He is survived by his wife of 74 years Marguerite and their 3 children, Marie, Richard and Lee Dolack and 4 grandchildren- Kerstyn, Lauren, George and Joseph Dolack.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Charles Borromeo on January 6, 2021.