Alan Dooley passed away on Saturday, February 25, at his home in Moab, Utah.
Alan was born in Ajo, Arizona, on January 4, 1958, to Patsy and HC Dooley. He was one of eight children, and grew up moving across southern Arizona. His father worked for the railroad.
Alan came to Moab in the late 1970s while working on drilling rigs when he returned back to the States after his military deployment to Germany. After he spent a couple months here, he is said to have declared he would make this valley his home.
Alan was a hardworking and kind man. He loved a good adventure and was always there to lend a hand to anyone that needed it. He had many good times.
He spent a lot of time Dave’s Corner Market, his favorite place in Moab, where had many friends and they drank coffee and talked.
He told me that few men ever got the golden ticket. When I asked him what the golden ticket was, Alan proclaimed in his loud booming voice, “Well boy, that is when you go to bed happy after a good day and you just don’t wake up … you don’t live in pain … you don’t lose your independence … you just go to bed happy and you don’t wake up.” And that is what Alan received – the “Golden Ticket” – just way sooner than we wanted him to though.
Alan was a great man to have on your side, and made friends anywhere he went. He had a kind soul and could get along with anyone. He was never scared to get his hands dirty and spent most of his adult years working on drilling rigs.
He expected nothing he didn’t earn and was happy with the simple things in life. He had an amazing way of looking at the world and always found something to be positive about and was always grateful for what he had. He would always say, “Just hang in there and shake and rattle, it will all work out.”
Alan is survived by his mother, Patsy Dooley; other-half, Betty Freeman; sons, Caleb and Sloan Dooley; daughter, Matte (Dooley) Johnston; step-daughters, Lisa Pacheco and Sheryl Webster; seven beautiful granddaughters; brothers, David and Michael Dooley; and numerous other close relatives and friends.
The services will be held this Saturday, March 4, at the Moab Valley Inn Conference Center at 1 p.m. This is where we will hold the service before we drive out to the graveside, where he will be buried at approximately 1:45 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made.
The family wishes to extend their gratitude to all of the friends and family for the outpouring of kindness in this difficult time.
