Patricia Veronica Dolan

Patricia Dolan, 73, of Bowie, Maryland, died of bile duct cancer on March 13, 2016 at home in the care of her beloved husband and family.  Patricia, born May 2, 1942, in Worcester, Massachusetts, was the youngest of four children born to the late Veronica and Ralph Ballentine.  She was preceded in death by her sister Joan (in infancy) and her brother Michael Ballentine.  Beloved wife of 47 years of Dr. Ronald Dolan; mother of Douglass (Holly) Dolan and Kathleen (Charles) Seipel; grandmother of Charles, Maya, Harper, Mairenn, and Deaglan; sister of Marylou Ballentine. Patricia grew up in a very close-knit family.  Some of her fondest memories were of time spent with her parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Patricia’s cousin Susan remembered, “We were the luckiest of families in that we had mothers who loved each other, had great senses of humor, and passed all that joy onto us.” Patricia attended St. Paul’s Grammar School in Worcester.  School friends and teachers still fondly remember her as a good student who “never caused a problem.”  In 1958, Patricia accompanied her parents when they moved to Maryland after her father got a job at the Government Printing Office in Washington, DC.  She graduated from Northwestern High School in 1960.  Patricia enrolled in Frostburg State Teachers College in the fall of 1960.  At Frostburg, she was active in campus life as a yearbook photographer and member of the Alpha Xi Delta Sorority, where she made many life-long friendships.  She graduated from Frostburg in 1964 and began a 37 year career as a Social Studies teacher in Prince George’s County Schools. Patricia met the love of her life, Ron Dolan, at a party thrown by her co-worker and Ron’s hometown friend and roommate.  The couple immediately recognized in each other a common faith, a desire for family, and a passion for public service.  On the way to their first date, Pat and Ron witnessed the train carrying Robert Kennedy’s casket on its way to Washington, D.C. in June of 1968.  They were quickly engaged.  Ron wanted to get married right away; however, allowing for some time to plan the wedding, the couple was married on December 21, 1968.  Patricia’s father-in-law, Ken Dolan, Postmaster of Albany, Illinois at the time, liked to tease the couple about scheduling their wedding at the busiest time of year for the post office. In early 1970, Patricia joined Ron in the Philippines where he was stationed with the U.S. Navy.  Douglass Michael was born in the Philippines in November of that year.   Pat, Ron, and Doug returned to Maryland in 1971 and lived with Patricia’s parents in Bowie until construction was completed on their townhouse in Crofton.  Patricia gave birth to Kathleen Anne in April of 1974.  With the new addition, the family determined they needed a bigger house, and, in 1976, they moved into their home on Narrows Lane in Bowie where Ron still resides. During her teaching career, Patricia was active in the Prince George’s County and Maryland Councils for the Social Studies.  She was recognized for her leadership in developing creative programs for students and teachers, coordinating teacher tours of several embassies in Washington, and designing interdisciplinary projects for students to learn about world cultures.  In addition, she worked on a student-teacher project that allowed students to learn about the history of the Holocaust and guide tours at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.  The Holocaust Museum sent her to Israel to share her experience with Muslim students and teachers.  In retirement, she continued her active interest in education by serving on the City of Bowie Education Committee. Patricia’s desire to learn and teach about history and cultures led her to become a world traveler early on when she and a friend traveled through Europe after college.  They visited Norway, Germany, and Greece among other countries.  Pat and Ron taught their children to love learning and to explore the world.  Every family vacation was a unique learning adventure.  In 1984, the family traveled to China and was able to visit some of Ron’s colleagues in Shanghai.  In 1986, the family traveled by houseboat along the Mississippi River with their Grandma Evelyn Dolan.  In 1988, the Dolans traveled to Ireland and stayed in a beautiful home outside Dublin where Pat’s brother Michael had gone to write. In retirement, Pat and Ron snuggled with sled dogs in Alaska, went on a photographic safari in Africa, traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia, cruised among the islands of Greece, and went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  They celebrated their 40th Anniversary with their children and grandchildren in Maui, Hawaii.  In the summer of 2014, Pat and Ron visited Assisi and joined their daughter and her family on a cruise from Venice to Greece.  Patricia was very active in many ministries of her church, including the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Cursillo, and the ministry to the homebound in the St. Edward’s parish community and residents of Woodward Estates Assisted Living. Well before Kathleen married Chuck Seipel, Patricia embraced her future son-in-law and welcomed him into the family.  Patricia was also thrilled to welcome daughter-in-law Holly Folsom into the Dolan family.  She had a special connection with Holly as a fellow educator.  Most importantly, Patricia recognized that this was the woman who would love and take care of her boy.  The role Patricia relished most in her life was that of being a Grandma.  In 2002, she first achieved that title with the birth of her grandson, Charlie.  Then, shortly after, Patricia helped coach Kathleen in the delivery room as her first granddaughter, Maya, was born.  Later, Holly and Doug delighted her with the addition of two more granddaughters, Harper June in 2011 and Mairenn Veronica in 2014.  Patricia was always a cheerleader for the many endeavors that her children and grandchildren took on.  She attended countless band and chorus concerts, sporting events, dance recitals, and plays.  In the final stages of her illness, with joyful expectation, she awaited the birth of her youngest grandson, Deaglan Patrick, whom Patricia held after his arrival in January of 2016. On Saturday, March 19, 2016, we will celebrate Patricia’s full and abundantly generous life and her birth into eternal life, with a wake at 10 o’clock am and the Mass of Resurrection at 11 o’clock at St. Edward, the Confessor, Catholic Church, 1940 Mitchellville Road, Bowie, Maryland 20716, followed by a repast at Killarney House, 584 W Central Avenue, Davidsonville, MD 21035. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to one of the following organizations:  Nazareth Home, 77 Mulberry Street, Leicester, MA 01524 http://nazareth-home.org/; Catholic Relief Services, PO Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21297 http://www.crs.org/; or the Frostburg State University Foundation (please specify that donations should go to the Sloop Leadership Institute), 101 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD 21532, http://www.frostburg.edu/foundation/.