Phillip George Dolezal

Phillip “Phil” George Dolezal moved to his “real” home on May 26 after a brain injury from a fall on April 10. His beloved son, Matthew, was there to welcome him home along with parents Martin and Nell Dolezal and many other brothers and sisters in Christ. Phil was born on April 19, 1946, in Victoria, Texas. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Mary Ann, son Jimmy Dolezal (Johanna) of Houston, brother Tom Dolezal (Julie) of Beeville, nephews Evan Dolezal (Desiree) of Plano and Andy Dolezal of Carrollton, grandnephew Cullen Dolezal, grandniece Elise Dolezal of Plano.

The Dolezal family was well-known for their hunting in South Texas. Phil often said he grew up eating more venison than beef. Phil and Mary Ann’s first date was in a deer stand. Phil graduated from Calhoun High School in Port Lavaca in 1964 on the vanguard of the “Baby Boomers.” He played football and baseball and was an avid golfer. As a youth, Phil was a charter member of the Joe B. Moore DeMolay Chapter and was awarded the Order of Chevalier, the highest honor for leadership and service.

Following graduation, Phil enrolled at the University of Houston in order to take advantage of the five-year Engineering Co-Operative Education program that allowed students to alternate classroom semesters while gaining work experience in industry and earning a salary. He then worked with Shell Oil in Deer Park and with Monsanto Chemical in Texas City. When on campus full-time, he oversaw the College of Engineering’s audio-visual system. A die-hard Cougar, he held football tickets for fifty years. Mary Ann and Phil enjoyed the era of Phi Slama Jama basketball in 1982-984. As a student at UH, Phil was a proud member of Theta Tau Engineering Fraternity. After graduation, Phil played first-base on Theta Tau’s Houston City-League softball team for almost 20 years. Since then, members have continued to gather once a year for a fall reunion. Phil and Mary Ann hosted informal annual spring “Geezer Group Gatherings” (Phil’s words).

As a Freshman, Phil enrolled as a cadet in The Army ROTC unit. Following completion of his six-weeks Summer Camp at Fort Bliss, Oklahoma in 1969, Phil was selected Cadet Corp Commander for the entire UH Corps of Cadets. After graduating from UH, Phil was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers and soon thereafter attended the Engineering Officer Basic Course (EOBC) at the Army Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Va.

At this time, the Vietnam conflict was winding down and active-duty positions were limited. New officers were told to return home and join a local Reserve Unit. All local units in the Houston area were full at that time. Phil applied for and was accepted into the Mobilization Designee program (to replace a regular Army officer should there be an armed conflict). As luck would have it, Phil was assigned as an instructor at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Each summer he delighted in teaching classes in Field Fortifications and in Demolitions and Explosives. Following Matthew’s birth in 1983, and after twelve years of service, Phil separated from the Army with the rank of Captain.

Following completion of his EOBC, Phil returned to Houston to work as a Systems Design Engineer with the M.W. Kellogg Co. then joined Jacobs Engineering as a Project Engineer soon promoted to Project Manager. Over the next 26 years, Phil held positions of Sr. Project Manager and Project Director with other major Engineering and Construction companies. As a Project Manager, Phil believed that each person under his direction should be able to do their job with confidence offering his support and encouragement. He often personally organized Team Building activities that brought his teams together as one cohesive unit. His proudest efforts were his teams of engineers and staff on major projects in Venezuela, and in Madrid, Spain and Beijing, China.

In 2005, Phil joined Sempra LNG as a Sr. Project Manager and represented Sempra in proposed ventures until his early retirement in 2010. He then took consulting assignments for planned Oil & Gas facilities in Mexico, Louisiana, and Bahrain. He enjoyed the travel and the challenges.

During Phil’s 47 years in Sugar Land, he served on city committees, helped begin Sunday School classes at Sugar Land Methodist Church as well as usher and serve on church committees. When Mary Ann and he joined Christ Church in 2001 he volunteered as an usher using his gift of meeting and greeting. He was active in Boy Scouts and Little League. He used his cooking skills at Cub Scout campouts, at M. D. Anderson’s Camp Star Trails and at Ft Bend County Cook Offs; he was known for his outstanding chili! He was Mary Ann’s biggest supporter in her efforts as an educator, smoke free advocate, and in all her activities. He loved using his carpentry skills. His greatest pride was their precious son, Jimmy, and his recent marriage to Johanna, who he loved dearly. He was a devoted husband and father; he “finished the race,” he “kept the faith” (2 Tim.4:7). His family looks forward to being united with him again.

The family would like to thank their friends for being the hands and feet of Christ these last 47 days and through the weeks to come.

The cremains will be interred at a later time in Port Lavaca Cemetery, Port Lavaca, Texas.

Donations can be made to The Fort Bend Boys Choir at fbbctx.org or Christ Church Music Ministry at christchurchsl.org; select GIVE, Fund-Memorials, Memo-Phil Dolezal.