Rich Dolezal was born and raised in St. Paul, MN. He was an only child, happy that he did not have to learn to share. His mother died when he was ten; his father died when he was sixteen. At his father’s funeral he learned from his parish priest that he had been adopted. It was a jolt. At age sixteen he was completely on his own. Eventually he was placed into a foster home.
After graduating from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in English, he was commissioned an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He had a Top Secret clearance during his service in Vietnam, Okinawa and South Korea. He left the Marine Corps with the rank of captain.
He attended William Mitchell Law School in St. Paul, became a trial lawyer, worked in the Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Minnesota, and finished his legal career as General Counsel of a healthcare corporation headquartered in Minneapolis.
He and his wife live outside of Phoenix, Arizona, with the dog they rescued, a mastiff-bloodhound, All-American dog named Buddy. Two adult children live in Minneapolis and one lives in Nashville.