Steven Dola

Steven Dola passed away peacefully at his home in Arlington, Virginia, on January 17, 2025, at the age of 90. Marian Rhea Dola, his wife of 67 years, was by his side.
He was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 8, 1934, to Stefan and Mary Dola, each of whom had fled the grinding poverty, political instability and never-ending wars in Ukraine during the early part of the 20th century for the promise of America. Such family history was the foundation of his life-long passion for political discourse, philosophy, public policy; and a rigorous, steadfast dedication to public service, democracy, and the greater good.
While Newark left long memories of swimming in the Passaic River, and eating ice cream from freight cars at the Breyer's ice cream plant, the family moved from Newark to rural New Jersey near Middlebush, in Franklin Township. At that time, it was an area of small villages and truck farms. In seventh grade, at Middlebush Elementary School, he met Marian Rhea Wade whom he later married in 1957.
Steven graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He later attended the University of Iowa where he graduated with a M.S. in Hydraulic Engineering and the Harvard Kennedy School where he graduated with a M.S. in Public Administration. Prior to attending Harvard, he worked for the State of New Jersey on water policy. The family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1963, where he worked for the Bureau of the Budget in the Old Executive Office Building, beside the White House.
In 1966, he began working for the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. He spent many fraught decades preparing budget analyses and testifying before Congressional committees, caught in the crossfire between pork barrel politicians, proselytizing colonels and generals, Presidential appointees, and advocating for the public's best interest. His impersonations and parodies of towering political figures of the day were a delight.
He developed an abiding love for the American landscape. Not only did pastoral New Jersey, the Jersey shore, and the Pine Barrens' Batsto River fill his heart, but also America's national parks and the western landscape. Following a summer working for Boeing in Seattle, he and a friend took the long way back to school, camping in national parks and forests along the way. He made two more cross-country trips through America's national parks and forests; with Rhea for their honeymoon and again in 1972 with his family. Involved in major, and vast, water projects all over the United States, he made many trips around the country, and traveled to China and Brazil for talks about possible cooperation on water projects.
A loving and generous husband, father and grandfather, he enjoyed traveling with Rhea to visit friends and family across the country. He is survived by his wife, Rhea; two sons, Mark Dola (Carla de la Pava) of Arlington, Virginia; and Kenneth Dola (Jill Bassett) of Lewiston, Idaho; and three beloved grandsons, Christopher Dola (Molly Lammert), Michael Dola (Pilar Bennett) and Peter Dola (Megan Koch).
The family would like to thank kind neighbors, and especially family friends for many years of companionship, humor, support, advice and encouragement. A special thanks to the first responders in Arlington for the assistance they provided to our family.