Dolezal honored at Relay

Family and friends of the late Susie Dolezal will always remember her as a loving mother and dedicated school teacher.

Though she lost her battle with cancer nearly three years ago, those closest to her recall her tender and caring spirit as if they just held hands yesterday.

And on Friday night they, along with hundreds of others, her family and friends will participate in the sharing of remembrance known as the Relay For Life.

Dolezal was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010, and succumbed to the disease just two years later.

“By the time Susie got sick, it was too late to do anything about it,” said Dolezal’s husband Victor.

“We didn’t discuss it much because we knew what it was and what was going to happen. There was no reason to think something was going to drop out of the sky and cure it. So we just did what we wanted to do - we continued to travel during that two-year period.”

“With this particular form of cancer, there’s no tests you can run to find out whether or not you’ve got it,” Victor said. “And you don’t have any symptoms until it’s too late.”

Dolezal taught English I and II and GHS for 39 years, coached spelling and literary criticism teams and taught swimming for 27 years. She also loved to travel.

She was a member of the First United Methodist Church and sang in the choir. She was also a member of the Retired Teachers, and loved her family and being a Christian.

She left behind a legacy including her son Chad Denman, grandkids Julia Ruth and Donald Ross, stepson Craig Dolezal, stepdaughter Lisa Henry, son-in-law Tim Henry and granddaughter Ashley Daniel.

For Victor, the best part of Relay is that it brings people together and helps make them aware of the disease. But he also feels the need to share some ideas of his own that he believes can make a crucial impact on a more local and practical level.

“I realize all the money goes to the American Cancer Society, and that’s a good thing,” he said. “But I also wish some of it could go toward transportation, you know? Maybe a van, a driver, something like that. Some of these elderly people don’t have anyone to take them out of town for treatment, making it really difficult. Maybe just get somebody local they could give gas money to get them back and forth.”

The Relay For Life will begin at 6 p.m. Friday at the JB Wells arena.