Marcie Wilson Adler
February 28, 1939 - December 18, 2022
Marcie Wilson Adler, a native of Russell, Kansas, and a longtime senior aide to the late Sen. Bob Dole, died in Seattle Dec. 18 after a brief illness.
Marcie worked for Sen. Dole on Capitol Hill from 1977 to 1996, including during his time as Majority Leader. For 19 years she was responsible for looking after all things Kansas—managing relationships with officials and constituents, helping secure financing for federal projects, handling service academy nominations and hosting visitors when they came to Washington. She gave up her Senate position to work with Sen. Dole on his 1996 presidential campaign and later joined him at his law office.
Born to Grace and Loftus Wilson of Russell, Marcie graduated from Russell High School in 1957. She played the drums in the high school band and worked as an usher at the Dream theater and the drive-in. As a teenager she became a swim instructor and lifeguard at the Russell Municipal Pool, teaching adults and children to swim during hot Kansas summers.
She was a champion synchronized swimmer at the University of Oklahoma, where she graduated in 1961 with a B.S. in physical education. She earned her M.S. the following year from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and then joined the physical education faculty of Brooklyn College, quickly earning tenure. In New York, she met her husband, David Adler, a local businessman, and they had a daughter, Lauren, in 1967.
When the family moved to Washington, D.C. in 1977, Marcie accepted a position in the office of Sen. Dole, a fellow native of Russell. In her role as a senior aide she regularly met with bankers, farmers, elected officials, small business owners and economic development leaders - always keeping a finger on the pulse of issues that were important to Kansans.
Among other duties, she acted as the senator’s representative on numerous boards, including at the Kennedy Center, the Eisenhower Foundation, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. And she recommended potential judicial nominees and coordinated efforts regarding the construction of federal buildings, including helping to secure funding for the federal courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas, which is now named in honor of Dole.
Marcie was devoted to her daughter, and in 2007 she and David moved to the Seattle area to be closer to Lauren, who left her job at Amazon to create Chocolopolis, an award-winning artisan chocolate shop. Marcie joined Lauren’s team and put her constituent-relations skills to work guiding customers through the racks of craft chocolate and teaching them to appreciate the nuances of single-origin chocolate, eventually earning the nickname “the Chocolate Lady” from one young customer.
While Marcie left Kansas to pursue her career, Kansas, and Russell in particular, always held special places in her heart. She remained close with many in the Russell community and enjoyed yearly visits, including attending Prariesta in 2021. Last year, she traveled to D.C. to attend Sen. Dole’s funeral and pay her respects at his casket in the Capitol Rotunda.
Marcie’s joy in swimming persisted her whole life. She swam laps and did synchronized swimming every day at the Seattle Athletic Club. She was never happier than when she was in the water, including on recent trips to Hawaii and Tahiti.
Marcie is survived by her daughter, Lauren, and son-in-law, Mark Kotzer. She was preceded in death by her husband David, who passed away in 2010.
Celebrations of Marcie’s life will take place in the coming months in Seattle, Russell and Washington, D.C. A memorial fund has been set up in Marcie’s name to support the Russell Municipal Swimming Pool where Marcie learned to swim and in turn taught many Russell residents how to enjoy the water. Donations can be made here.
