MIRKO J. DOLAK

MIRKO JULIUS DOLAK "Mike"  
Peacefully at his apartment in Prague, Czech Republic, on January 21, 2013. He died of cancer. Born in Czechoslovakia on September 25, 1942, to Julius Apfel and Margita Hanuskova, Mike was adopted as a toddler by Adolf and Margaret Dolak. He grew up hating the communist regime and escaped in 1965 near the Austrian border. Mike was granted political asylum and emigrated to the U.S. in 1965 on a UN passport. When drafted, Mike enlisted in the Marine Corps. He fought in Vietnam as a combat engineer and was awarded the Purple Heart, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and the Navy Commendation Medal. After leaving the Marine Corps, he worked as an electrician for the City of Inglewood, CA, while pursuing his bachelor's degree at night at Los Angeles Community College and California State University Northridge. He received master's degrees in urban planning and gerontology and a PhD in urban studies from the University of Southern California. Mike joined the LA Regional Office of the U.S. General Accounting Office in 1981, transferring to GAO headquarters in Washington in 1988 where he is remembered for his "uncanny analytical talents and ability to tackle tough issues." He was a major contributor to GAO's work on Y2K. Mike retired in 2008 and wrote his autobiography as a gift to his children. Since returning to the Czech Republic last year, Mike was warmly embraced by Prague's cultural and arts community. He renewed old acquaintances, made many new friends, took up painting, and reveled in the beauty of Prague. His life story was featured in several national magazines and he was interviewed on television and radio. His experience as a hospice patient will be profiled in a Czech television documentary. Mike is survived by Sally Coberly, his wife of 34 years of Gaithersburg, MD; his beloved children, Alexandra of Lake Dallas, TX, and Peter of Philadelphia, PA; and his brother Viliam Apfel of Bratislava, SK. His family will scatter his ashes on the Vltava River in Prague in June. The family is indebted to Milada Divisova of Prague and Trail, OR, for the loving care she provided during the final months of Mike's life.