Olawale Ayodeji was born in Nigeria on December 22, 1958 to late Samuel O. Ayodeji and Emily O. Ayodeji.He was the 5th of seven children.
He started his elementary education at St. Peter’s Anglican School, Minna, and began his Secondary school at Loyola College in Ibadan.
He Graduated from University of Ife in 1981 with a B.S. in Geology with major in Geological Engineering after which he did his Youth Corps Service at Texaco Overseas Petroleum Company and shortly after proceeded to work with the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute as a Research Officer.
Desiring to further his education, he came to the United States in 1983 for Graduate Studies at the University of Maryland where he earned an M.S. in Civil Engineering with major in Geotechnical Engineering in 1986. He joined the Fairfax County Department of Environmental Management (now Department of Public of Public Works and Environmental Services) in 1986 as an intern. He served as the Chief Geotechnical Engineer from 1989 to 2008. Subsequently he joined the County’s Department of Transportation as a Project Manager. During his tenure with the County he obtained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree at the George Mason University. “Wally” as everybody called him was a firm believer in Public Service and was very liked by the engineering and development community for his fairness and reasonable approach to solving problems.
He had a profound love for the outdoors and enjoyed working on projects around the house. Running and walking were his outdoor hobbies. He particularly enjoyed participating in local fundraising races for various charities in the Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia area. His 3 ½ year battle with cancer was very inspiring as he continued to spend time running and walking outdoors despite his physical limitations.
“Wally” is survived by his wife Carolyn McDonald-Ayodeji; children Laide and Biola; sisters, Chief (Mrs.) Funmi Ogundoyin,
Mrs. Florence Titi Laseinde, Dr. Ola Ayodeji, Mrs. Abodunde Asemota, Mr. Olumuyiwa Ayodeji. He was preceded in death by
his parents and a sister Dr. Sade Oyegbile.