Doran Richard Lee

Doran Richard Lee

June 2, 1945 – June 6, 2024

Doran Lee, born on June 2, 1945, in Jackson, Michigan, to Helen and Bill Lee, passed away after a valiant battle against Parkinson’s Disease. The tremendous support and innovation from the Barrow Neurological Center and the Muhammad Ali Center in Phoenix, Arizona, provided Doran with the strategies to embrace his ever-changing limitations and continue living fully.

Doran was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, a favorite uncle, and a cherished friend. Anyone who knew Doran could attest to his warmth and kindness. He was a man of many interests, rarely passing up an opportunity to play cards, go fishing, trapping, hunting, golfing, or simply watch the hummingbirds. His creativity shone through in his hobbies, which included tooling leather wallets and belts, painting, macrame, woodworking, tying flies, and building fishing rods.

It would be hard to find a person who knew Doran and didn’t love him. Doran had a gift for storytelling, whether recounting tales of "the one that got away" or boasting about his granddaughters. He told everyone who would listen that he “has six granddaughters and he wouldn’t trade them for anything.” His positive influence with children was evident during his over 20 years working in schools, where he served as a positive male role model. He will be fondly remembered as a baseball and basketball coach, from little league through high school, and as a mentor to many young people.

Shortly after moving to Alaska in 1969, Doran met and married the love of his life, Gloria. Together, they built a home and raised their three children, instilling in them a deep love for nature and family. Doran lived in Alaska for over 50 years before becoming a snowbird, wintering in Arizona.

Doran’s life was a testament to love, resilience, and creativity. He was a man who knew the true meaning of living life to the fullest, who found joy in the simple pleasures of nature, and whose memory will forever cast a long, fond shadow over the fishing holes and hunting grounds he so adored. May he rest in peace, and may his fishing lines always be tight and his skies forever clear.

Doran is survived by his beloved wife Gloria, sister Linda, brother Gil K (Shary), his children, Jessica (Esera), Amber (Michael), Scott (Heather), and his six granddaughters: Mykennan, Jamesyn, Lindsey, Emma, Anna, and Allison.

“Fair winds and following seas”, was Doran’s way of greeting all the fishermen on the ramp.