Image: Deacon Tim Dolan

Tim served as our beloved Chaplain for the Lunch Bunch gatherings for many years. His quiet, kind nature allowed Jesus' message to shine forth in everything he said and did.

Fortified with the sacraments of Holy Mother Church, Tim was called Home on the 1st of October, 2024 at the age of 84.

Beloved husband for 61 years to Kathleen (Westermann) Dolan. Dear son of the late Robert and Lucille (Stanley) Dolan. Loving father to Daniel (Kara) Dolan and Julie (Jim) Atwell and late infant son, Timothy. Dearest PawPaw of Kendall (Garrett) Howard, Quincy and Drew Dolan and Casey, Noah, Hannah, Kaden and Matthew Atwell. Dear brother of Robert (Susan) Dolan and Dennis (Maritza) Dolan. Cherished friend to his CBC brothers. Dear uncle, cousin and friend to so many.

Tim was a Permanent Deacon for the Archdiocese of St. Louis for 35 years. He graduated from Christian Brothers College high school and served as a Pharmacist for 50 years after graduating from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy (1962). A faith-filled soul, Tim lived his life for Christ and repeated these words in his final hours: “Know Him. Love Him. Serve Him.”

His time was filled with serving others, studying, teaching, and spending time with family and friends. He worked in Pastoral Care at Missouri Baptist Hospital, Saint Clare Hospital and Des Peres Hospital. He also served as an advocate for the Marriage Tribunal and on the Diaconate Personnel Board.

He loved playing and teaching chess, especially when it involved his grandkids.He had a good sense of humor and always made his grandkids laugh with a joke or a pun.

Golfing was a big part of his life. He also loved traveling with family and friends and creating countless memories over the years. As a truly cherished part of our family circle, he leaves behind numerous other family members, friends and neighbors who will remember him fondly and miss him dearly. We will carry him close to our hearts always. May he rest in peace.

The family held a Visitation and Funeral Mass on Saturday October 19, 2024 at St. Gerard Majella Church, 1971 Dougherty Ferry Rd. (Kirkwood, 63122).. Visitation wass 10am followed by a Funeral Mass at 11am and burial at Resurrection Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, Masses preferred or a donation to one of his favorite charities: Caritas Connections or Ronald McDonald House of St. Louis.

Image: Larry Dahl

Lawrence Montrey “Larry” Dahl, 84, of Columbia, Mo., passed away on Thursday, September 12, 2024.

Born on July 19, 1940, in Hannibal, Mo., to Oliver Francis Dahl and Pearl Teresa Aubuchon Dahl, Larry grew up in Vinita Park and Ferguson, Mo., where he cherished memories of his two brothers’ return from World War II.

Survivors include his first wife, Mary Margaret “Peggy” Stretch and their four children: Kimberly Ann Medsker, Kelly Ann Maloney, Lawrence Montrey Dahl, Jr., and Lisa Marie Weaver. He is also survived by his second wife, Cynthia “Cindy” Pyszka and their two children: Aaron Joseph Dahl and Katherine Rose “Katie” Dahl. Larry was a man of deep love and commitment to his family. In addition to his six children, Larry is survived by 12 grandchildren: Christina “Chrissy” Mayberry, Elizabeth “Beth” Lockwood, Angela “Angie” Venezia, Madeline “Maddie” teWinkel, Lawrence “Trey” Dahl III, Victoria “Tori” Dahl, Matthew “Matt” Maloney, Lauren Otto, Kayla Shaw, Kayden Streumph, Rose Dahl, and Albert Dahl; 11 great-grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Robert “Eugene “Bob” and Thomas Oliver “Ted” Dahl; one grandchild, Sarah Weaver; and one great-grandchild, David Mayberry. Larry’s lifelong love of learning coupled with his diverse interests led to a fascinating career.

After graduating from Christian Brothers College High School in 1958, he studied at The Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy and soon after married his high school sweetheart, Mary Margaret “Peggy” Stretch in 1959.

It was at this time that Larry transferred to the University of Missouri’s Business School in Columbia. With the birth of their first child, Larry left school to support his family, beginning his career at McDonnell Douglas.

From 1962 to 1970 at McDonnell, Larry worked in the Astronautics Division supporting the Gemini, Heat Shield Qualification (HSQ), and Skylab projects. He was excited to represent the procurement division on the Gemini Configuration Change Board. His work led to promotions, transferring him to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and later to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

As they settled into their home in Santa Maria, Larry completed his undergraduate college work, earning a BA in Business Administration offered through an on-site program available from Chapman College, headquartered in Orange, Calif.

Upon his father’s death in 1969, the family returned to Missouri and took a marketing role at IBM. After his marriage to Peggy ended in 1973, he married Cynthia “Cindy” Pyszka (1979-2016). Together, they built a life on a small farm in Russellville, Mo., when his career pivoted to a focus on public service and emergency medical services (EMS), which became his lifelong passion.

In 1981, Larry founded the Missouri EMS Association (MEMSA), a pioneering organization dedicated to advocating for and supporting EMS programs across the state. Under his leadership, MEMSA grew to over 1,500 members by 1984 and remains an enduring legacy in the field. In 1984, Larry founded Alliance Medical, a national distributor of EMS equipment and supplies. Over the next 25 years, the company flourished, eventually employing over 50 people and generating more than $25 million in annual sales. Alliance Medical and its retail store, AllMed, became a respected name in the industry before the company was sold in 2011. Larry always considered his creation of MEMSA and AllMed among his greatest professional accomplishments.

A fan of collecting and art, later in life Larry explored the world of acrylic painting, creating a trove of colorful and inspired pieces on canvas and using non-traditional materials for unique, abstract, environmentally friendly pieces.

Beyond his career achievements and other interests, Larry will be remembered for the deep love he had for his family and the lasting bonds he fostered. A Celebration of Life is being planned to honor Larry’s legacy of kindness, dedication, and wisdom, which will live on in the generations that follow.

Image: Bob Altemeyer

Bob Altemeyer, known fondly as Dr. Bob to family, friends and thousands of University of Manitoba students, died on Wednesday, February 7, 2024. He battled various health issues with fortitude, stamina, creative problem-solving and humour, until he could go no further.

ImageL Cadet Bob AltemeyerLike all of us, he was a complicated person and impossible to capture completely. The only child in a working-class family in St. Louis, he was the first in his family to go to university when he earned a full scholarship to Yale. During his graduate studies at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, he met the love of his life, Jean Renaud. His studies completed, he and Jean moved to Nebraska where he taught at Doane College for two years. They then came to Winnipeg to the University of Manitoba Department of Psychology. Dr. Bob likely was the world expert on Right-Wing Authoritarianism, a dangerous psychological trait about which he did rigorous research to a high standard. Always the empiricist, if his or others’ work could not be proven or replicated, he remained unconvinced, until the research satisfied his requirements.

He began publishing his research in the 1980’s in books geared for academics, mostly focused on his authoritarian research. His last book was co-authored for general readership. As with his previous writing, it focused on the rise and risks of Donald Trump. Dr. Bob identified and demonstrated why we all should have deep concerns about Donald Trump, the even-more-dangerous potential of Trump’s followers, and the many current threats to democracy.

In addition to his crucial research, he was passionate about teaching. His lectures over his 40 plus years were memorable, often funny, and clearly communicated to the students. As were his exams, minus the humour. One example is the word, “hippocampus”, a code word based on the memory centre of the brain. He taught all his students to use that word if his and their paths should cross after graduation – one of many ways he connected concepts and made them personal. In another class, as an inoculation to fuzzy thinking, he pulled-off a manipulation that convinced his students that he had ESP—then, he debriefed them, stressing the importance of critical thinking.

He is survived by his wife, Jean, whom he loved beyond all understanding—at least, she does not understand it. Also, he is survived by his children, their partners, and his grandchildren. He was an avid music and movie collector, who was unphased when an entire collection became obsolete—he just merely started collecting the latest technology. His prodigious memory included names of childhood friends and addresses, all the lyrics to “The Mikado”, and St. Louis Cardinal trivia (to us, trivia – to him, crucial), to name just a few.

As his children commented: After seven decades or more of agnosticism and spirituality-spurning, he is now finally perhaps able to get to the bottom of it all - won’t he be surprised if he has discovered he still exists after all? Perhaps he is happily debating the existence of the afterlife with his good friend Bruce Hunsberger, and possibly Epicurus. Dr. Bob’s sense of humour was pervasive even on the subject of death.

He indicated in his Health Care Directive: “I wish to be cremated… I would like to be definitely and completely dead when this happens. No electrical activity whatsoever in the cerebral cortex will do as a criterion. If, however I say I’d like to take a walk, as I am being delivered to the crematorium, please indulge me.”

Bob did not like being the centre of attention, but family and friends will gather to remember him at a time close to his birth date this coming June.

In lieu of flowers, Dr. Bob would be delighted if his memory inspired others to devote more of their time, money, and expertise to making the world a better place.