Welborn Griffin "Wes" Dolvin Jr.

DOLVIN, Welborn Griffin Jr., 57, known as Wes, died of brain cancer on December 30, 2009 at his home in Caroline County. Wes devoted himself to counseling and treating substance abuse and addiction. He actively participated in Alcoholics Anonymous for the past 25 years, organized and served as first president of SAARA (Substance Abuse Addiction and Recovery Alliance) of the Bay counties, and later served as president of SAARA of Virginia. Wes was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) who worked as a therapist with the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University, receiving his BSW, Magna Cum Laude, in 1997 and his MSW in 2004, and subsequently became certified as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker while working at the Family Counseling Center for Recovery in Richmond. Much of his career focused on substance abuse treatment, and while working with a jail-based therapeutic community, he became an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist. Prior to becoming a therapist, Wes received an associate's degree in Forestry from Dabney Lancaster Community College and worked for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, beginning as a laborer and moving into management. He grew up in an Army family who traveled throughout the world while considering Northern Virginia home. Wes attended St. Stephen's School and Episcopal High School in Alexandria before graduating from Heidelberg American High School in Germany in 1970. An enthusiastic outdoorsman, golfer, tree farmer, hunter and fisherman, Wes was a long-standing member of the King and Queen Rod & Gun Club in Stevensville, Va. A devoted father, Wes enjoyed fishing with his son, Daniel, and participating in community theater productions with his daughter, Lydia. Wes faced multiple health challenges, including successful battles against Hepatitis C and liver cancer, and received a liver transplant in 2007. In spite of these health obstacles, he continued to work, advancing his career in mental health and substance abuse counseling, and actively pursued his passion for the outdoors. Wes' blog, Rancho Dolvin, created to connect his family and friends around the world, caught the imagination of everyone who read it because of its whimsical nature and creative content. Wes was preceded in death by his father, LTG Welborn "Tom" Griffin Dolvin Sr., U.S. Army, ret. He is survived by his wife, Karen Tompkins Dolvin; and two children, Lydia and Daniel of Caroline County, Va.; his mother, Cynthia Burress Dolvin of Arlington, Va.; his brother, Charlie Dolvin (Sue) of Oakton, Va.; his sister, Ginger Dolvin Peabody (David) of Alexandria, Va.; and five nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 2 p.m. at Wrights Chapel United Methodist Church, 8063 Ladysmith Rd., Ruther Glen, Va. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to SAARA of Virginia, 306 Turner Road, Suite P, Richmond, Va. 23225, www.saara.org, or the Cullather Brain Tumor Quality of Life Center, 5875 Bremo Road, St. Mary's Hospital, Medical Office Building South, Suite 108, Richmond, Va. 23226, www.braintumorqol.org. Sign register book online at www.storkefuneralhome.com


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.