A Big Dreamer

Once upon a time, a little boy in a small Louisiana town grew up to see his biggest dream come true: When Steven Dugal left this world in February, it was a better place for him having been in it.

He left the world a better place for his family – his wife, Lisa, children Katy and Nicholas and their spouses, Shelby and Christina, and four grandchildren, plus numerous family, friends, and colleagues at Northwestern Mutual, where he recently retired as managing partner for Louisiana and Mississippi. He also left his Mary, Queen of Peace family a better place for his generosity of heart, for his service on the Stewardship and Pastoral Councils, and for the legacy he leaves of big dreams and profound faith.
“How fitting,” Lisa said, “that he spent his last weekend on earth inviting people to be with the Lord.”

On the weekend of January 25-26, 2025, Steven spoke at the end of every Mass, encouraging men to take part in the parish Welcome retreat, a powerful weekend that invites men to grow closer to the heart of Jesus.
Steven was delighted with the response he got but worried about one thing. His son Nicholas described a conversation he had with Steven that Sunday afternoon. “He said, ‘Man, I don’t know what happened at the 11:30 Mass, but I didn’t get any applause – nobody clapped for me!’  … Nick, you don’t understand – I gave a great speech! They clapped for me at 4, they clapped for me at 9:30 – I don’t know what I did wrong!’” Sure enough, Steven gave it his all at 6 pm Mass and got the response he wanted. He didn’t want the applause for himself; Steven Dugal was fired up about bringing men to love the Lord. That night, Steven was joyful.

The next morning, everything changed. The big heart that loved so generously stopped. Steven slipped from this world, leaving those he loved so deeply to keep his legacy alive. It’s a legacy that challenges others to keep going, keep moving, and be the best you can be so as to leave this world a better place. “He was man of action,” Lisa said. As Nick put it in the eulogy he delivered on February 10 at Mary, Queen of Peace:  “Every letter or note I received from my dad, from the first to the last, was signed, ‘Dream Big –Dad.’ He was a visionary.”

Steven’s dreams live on. Lisa had gone back to school recently to get her college degree. “Steven was my biggest cheerleader,” she said.

This summer, preparing for a trip, Lisa went into Steven’s study and found a document from University of Louisiana Lafayette that made no sense to her. It was something about a Lisa Romero Dugal foundation with a balance due. She called the school and was told they’d get back to her.

What the ULL person did was call Nick and tell him, “You need to let your mom know the story.” And so Nick and Katy told her: In December, Steven had contacted ULL about setting up a foundation in Lisa’s name to help others go back to school. It was to be her graduation gift in August. “Who does that?” Lisa said. “Who thinks that far ahead and gives a gift like that?” But she knows the answer: Steven did those things. He dreamed big. He loved bigger.

“That’s just who he was,” Lisa said. “He did this not just for me but so that this foundation may spark something in others to dream big.” He planted seeds that will continue to grow.

Steven Dugal leaves a legacy of big dreams for his family, friends, and colleagues. At a summer Northwestern Mutual conference, Steven was remembered as a “Hall of Famer,” someone who reminded others to align their actions with their words. Instead of a moment of silence, the keynote speaker invited everyone to “make some noise” in memory of Steven, and the stadium erupted in applause. He would have loved that, but only if he thought the noise makers would follow his lead in following Christ. “Spreading the love of the Lord is his legacy,” Lisa said, adding that he was on the board of the Christian Fellowship Community for Northwestern from 2018-2025. He was proud to hold the record of  filling 7 tables at the annual breakfast; his daughter, Katy, beat him with 10 this summer. Lisa knows he would have loved that. 

“I have had the realization that Steven was prepared for death; Christ was part of his daily life,” Lisa said. “Every morning, he would sit with the Bible in his lap, letting God speak before the world interfered. “Grown men admired him for that.”

We should all admire him for that. Mary, Queen of Peace was blessed by the presence of the little boy from a little town who grew up to see his big dreams come true. Let’s keep his legacy alive.