Celebration of life set for beloved Tri-Cities coach and teacher who died early in pandemic

When Randy Dolven died in March 2020, no one got the chance to mourn together. The pandemic saw to that.

The former Kamiakin High School teacher, coach and athletic director did end up having the school’s gymnasium renamed in his honor earlier this year. It’s now called the Randy Dolven Gymnasium.

Before Dolven died he had always told his family he didn’t want a funeral service.

Most of the time, though, those events are for the survivors.

And so, this Saturday, May 21, at 2 p.m., at his gym at Kamiakin High School, Dolven’s family is hosting a celebration of his life. It’ll allow some closure for a lot of people.

It’s not expected to be a sad affair.

Dolven’s widow, Cheeta, wants it to be an uplifting event, with people sharing their funny and positive stories.

This story was originally published May 16, 2022 at 12:47 PM.