John Dolan Obituary

Rev. John Richard Dolan

Born: October 29, 1942

Died: October 8, 2016

The Rev. John Richard Dolan, 73, of Western Springs, Illinois, passed away peacefully at home on October 8, 2016, after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.

John was born October 29, 1942, in Oxford, England, the son of Walter and Joan Dolan. He married Karen Berg on July 5, 1975 in East Lynn, Illinois.

John is survived by Karen; his children, Michelle (Chris) Rorvick and David (Betty) Dolan; sister, Elizabeth (Allan) Skingley; grandchildren, Elizabeth, Alex, Michael, and Matthew; and numerous nieces and nephews.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Joan and Walter.

John spent most of his young childhood in London, England, with some time spent as a very young boy with his grandparents in the coastal town of Portsmouth during World War II. He often recounted seeing the Allies' planes heading south to France in such close formation that they seemed like a black cloud covering the sky. At the age of 12, John moved with his family to Cardiff, Wales. Thereafter, he always considered Wales his home. He returned to London to attend university and became a Chartered Accountant. After he completed his training, he worked in London for a few years at Deloitte, where he enjoyed causing a bit of mischief with his fellow new accountants. In 1970 John moved to Chicago for "just one year"...which turned into 46. In September 1974 he met his soulmate, Karen, at their mutual employer. They were engaged three months later and married the next July. They spent 41 wonderful years together, most of them living in Western Springs, Illinois. John worked for various healthcare companies, eventually starting his own consulting firm.

In February 1996, John was ordained as a Deacon in the Episcopal Church. He spent a total of twenty years as a Deacon, serving first at Emmanuel Church in LaGrange, then All Saints in Western Springs, and Trinity Church in Aurora. John found his work as a Deacon to be the most fulfilling. In later years, he translated his ministry as a Deacon to paper by authoring several books on spiritual guidance and inspiration.

John will be remembered for his humor, his ability to tell a good story, and his love of God and his family.

There will be two services to remember John:

On Thursday, October 27 at 4:00 pm, there will be a Memorial Service and Celebration of Life at Trinity Episcopal Church, Aurora, Illinois.

On Saturday, October 29 at 10:00 am there will be a Funeral Service and Reception at Emmanuel Episcopal Church of La Grange, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, John requested that donations be sent to: Trinity Episcopal Church, 218 E. Benton St., Aurora, IL 60505 (Note "Memorial Fund")