Stephen Roy “Steve” Dooley lived his life true to the Cadet Prayer’s urging to “Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.” He didn’t go looking for fights, but he stood his ground unswervingly because on every occasion he sought what is right. His desire for real justice led him to a career in law, in the Army and afterwards. Steve may have credited West Point for many things in his life, while, in fact, his life created real credit to the Army, West Point, and the Class of 1972.
As soon as Steve spoke a sentence, you knew he was from New England. An untrained ear might guess “Boston,” but the truth is he was born in Providence, RI. He was a son of the late Joseph F. and Ruth (Kincade) Dooley. His father served in the Army during World War II and was at the Battle of the Bulge. His uncle, Fred Dooley, was a West Pointer. Steve grew up with a big brother, Joseph M. Dooley, who graduated from West Point with the Class of 1968 a month before Steve entered the Academy.
Steve had a great sense of humor. He smiled and laughed easily. He could laugh at adversity as well. As a child, he constantly got in trouble with the nuns at school for laughing when they wanted silence.
When Steve went for his physical and PT test as a candidate for West Point, he met Mike Aldrich. Much to their surprise, they were roommates during Beast Barracks. Their friendship lasted a lifetime.
Steve was an easy-going guy in an easy-going company, Company E-4, in the Class of 1972. His devout Catholic faith led him to Catholic Chapel Choir and the Cardinal Newman Forum. Firstie year he became president of the choir. He worked on The Pointer magazine for four years and was its features editor. Likewise, he was in the French Language Club for all four years, the Mathematics Forum for three, Fine Arts Forum for two, and the sports magazine “Slum and Gravy” for plebe year. Steve was commissioned in the Signal Corps.
Steve earned his Juris Doctor at the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (1978) and served as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He furthered his education as a scholar by achieving an MBA degree at Suffolk University (1981) and an LL.M. (post J.D. degree) from George Washington University in 1987.
Steve served overseas tours in the demilitarized zone of South Korea and at the U.S. Army, Europe HQ in Heidelberg, Germany. The Army also posted him to Fort Hood, TX; Fort Devens, MA; Fort Sill, OK; Fort Gordon, GA; and several tours in the military district of Washington, DC. He retired in 1997 as a lieutenant colonel at Fort Myer, Arlington, VA.
Steve got married at the age of 37. He waited for his perfect partner. He became the beloved husband of Carolyn M. (Athey) Dooley. Their marriage produced a son, U.S. Army Captain Joseph S. Dooley ’14 (married to Shelley Starkey), and a daughter, Stephanie L. Dooley.
Following retirement from the U.S. Army, he worked as an attorney for the Department of Defense in Boston, MA. He served as the chief trial attorney in the Defense Contract Management Agency.
Steve lived in Cumberland, RI for 20 years. Typically, Steve served his community wholeheartedly. He was a member and past executive board member of the Cumberland-Lincoln Chapter of the Lions Club International. Steve served on the Pius V Church Parish Council and as a leader in the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 53.
The Dooley family became real “Gray Hogs.” Steve served as the president of the West Point Society of Rhode Island. He became the RI Field Force officer for USMA—but only after his son was appointed on his own merits.
Steve had a long, hard fight with diabetes. He fought well, until at age 68; he passed away suddenly at home on August 14, 2018. Steve was buried with military honors at St. Francis Cemetery, Pawtucket, RI.
Let it be said about Steven Roy Dooley, “Well Done.”
— Classmate