Harold John Dolato

1929 ~ 2018

Our Dad was born of Polish heritage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 19, 1929. He spent his childhood years in the beautiful northern woods of Wisconsin, living on the family farm in the Crivitz/Beaver area. He attended grade school in the Woodrow Wilson one room schoolhouse, and when he was 12 years old, his family moved back to Milwaukee/West Allis, Wisconsin. He graduated from Horace Mann Jr. High and then after graduating from West Allis High school, enlisted in the U.S. Army. He attended Engineer training at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, for 2 months, before being deployed to Japan for a total of 3 years (July 1947 through July 1950) in The Army of Occupation. The voyage on the ship to Japan was something he never forgot, and his hiking to the top of Mount Fuji twice, was always a favorite memory. He was on loan to the U.S. Air Force at this time and was a staff accountant. This experience left him with a lifetime love and respect for the military and the advantages and blessings of living in the United States of America. He returned home andmarried Carole Mae Bethke on February 6, 1954, and they had 6 children together.In June of 1954, Dad graduated from Marquette University with a B.S. cum laude in Business Administration. He was the first person in his family to attend college. By July of 1955, he started working for the Internal Revenue Service, while attending night school at Marquette to receive his Masters of Business Administration by June of 1961. In 1967, he received his CPA designation. He was the instructor for the evening CPA preparation class at Marquette for 5 years. Heworked at the IRS for 30 years, moving up quickly through the ranks due to his high competence and managerial skills, retiring in 1985. For the next 33 years, he had his own tax preparation business, where he always felt his clients were his friends.

Dad's love of nature started in his childhood, as he worked and lived alongside his many uncles, aunts and cousins on the family\s small farm. Many happy memories include picking wild berries, helping in the garden, and hunting and fishing. Deer hunting with his father and uncles was a yearly event. He participated in the BSA scouting program as a boy, and as a scoutmaster in Wisconsin in his adult years. Throughout his life, he spent countless hours planting, weeding and harvesting crops in his many gardens. Later in life he especially enjoyed working alongside many family members in a large tomato garden in Utah. This kind of work seemed to fill a need of being in the great outdoors and the enjoyment of what good, hard physical labor brings. Dad was a very active person. He loved skiing at Alta, and was happy to ski for free after he turned 70! He was part of a winning IRS bowling team in his younger years, and enjoyed many years of golf with family and friends. He led fishing expeditions to Canada for family over a dozen times, that left him with many fond memories. He was grateful to experience some world travel, including visits to Alaska with his son Dennison, England, Scotland, and the Czech Republic, and almost every state in the U.S. For a number of years he participated in the yearly Huntsman Senior Games held in St, George, Utah. Dad was a \"people person\" and his family jokingly referred to him as Mr. Friendly. He was quick to notice and support people in any accomplishment or achievement that would better their life. He was a fan of the University of Utah Women\s volleyball team for many years. He made many friends and gained many insights in the Impact Trainings program, and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from the age of 40. But most of all, Dad had a deep and abiding love for his family. He spent his lifetime, not without troubles, serving his family and others in countless ways, large and small. He was grateful for the opportunity to be involved in the lives of his grandchildren, in ways he missed out on when his older children were young, due to his constant effort to attain a higher education in order to be a better provider. Any and every way he could be a support was offered. We want to acknowledge the love and support of so many, including those who in Dad\s later years and days, were there for him in his happy and sad times. We are humbly grateful for your loving, caring and thoughtful contributions to his life. He is survived by his children Diana (Geoffrey) Jones, Daphne (Craig) Bruner, Dennison Dolato (Jana Brody), DeeDee (Eddie) Shipley, Doreyne (Robert) Douglas, and Donnovan (Samantha) Dolato, and his 25 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, October 27th at 2:00 PM at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Rd. (10600 S.), Sandy. Interment to follow at Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery.