Leslie "Les" Raymond Dolejs

Leslie “Les” Raymond Dolejs, 89, a resident of Jamestown, passed away on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at Moses H. Cone Hospital. He was born May 14, 1934 in Brookfield, IL, to the late Anton Alois and Lillian Kubicek Dolejs.

Les graduated from the University of Illinois in 1956 with a degree in Accountancy and Marketing. In addition to being a member of the Illini Christian Fellowship, Accountancy Club and Marketing Club, he was a member of the Rifle and Pistol Club. After getting a job with Western Electric in Cicero, IL, he went to night school while working full time, and attained his Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University in 1963.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, training at the Signal School at Fort Monmouth, NJ, and the Ordnance Guided Missile School in Huntsville, AL as an internal guidance repairman (NIKE). He finished serving his two years at Fort Lewis, WA, in 1958.

Introduced to each other by mutual friends, Les met the love of his life, JoAnn Lewis. After dating and courtship, the pair married in 1959. In 1964, Les and JoAnn adopted a baby boy from the Cradle Society in Evanston, IL, and named him Mark Raymond. Just two and a half years later, they added a baby girl (also from the Cradle Society) to the family and adopted Susan Lynn.

After several years of living in the Chicago suburbs, Les was transferred with his job as an accountant with Western Electric to Greensboro, NC. The family settled in Jamestown in 1975 and Les has lived at that same residence ever since. He retired from Lucent Technologies in 1989.

Just two months after arriving in Jamestown, Les took his family to Sanibel Island, FL for a family vacation. This became a traditional and favorite vacation spot for many years.

Also, after moving to Jamestown the family joined First Baptist Church of Jamestown. The whole family was very active for years in the church. Les served in several ways, including as deacon, treasurer and Sunday school teacher.

Les enjoyed collecting things through the years. Among his collections were BB guns, cap pistols, toy tanks, and most recently he started collecting root beer bottles. He was also an avid train enthusiast. In addition to having an O Gauge train room, he enjoyed visiting the Illinois Railway Museum with his nephews Norman and Raymond, when he was still able to travel.

During the most recent years, Les loved to eat good food. His home helpers would often make recipes that he requested, and he enjoyed going out to eat when he could. He even got adventurous, and tried places like Penny’s Restaurant and Mayberry, where he had not eaten since the 1980s.

Surviving are his son, Mark Dolejs and wife Pam of Durham; his daughter, Susan Dolejs Blair of High Point; three grandchildren, Ian Dolejs, Abby McMahon, and Matthew Blair; niece and nephews, Norman Dolejs, Raymond Dolejs, Jamie Glass, and John Lewis, all of Illinois.

Preceding Les in death are, his beloved wife of 45 years, JoAnn Lewis Dolejs; parents, Anton Alois and Lillian Dolejs; and his brother Anton A. Dolejs Jr.

Graveside services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday July 14, 2023 at Guilford Memorial Park with visitation at the graveside following the service.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in Les’s memory to: The Joel Fund or a charity of your choice. The Joel Fund reconnects veterans to life at home by using the power of community to engage, educate and encourage veterans and their families. You can donate by check to: The Joel Fund, 822 S. White Street, Suite 106, Wake Forest, NC 27587 or on their website, www.thejoelfund.org.