Willis Clifford “Will” Doran, age 79, of Hudson WI and former longtime resident of Bloomington MN, passed away in the early morning hours of Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at the Hudson Hospital. He was born the son of Clifford and Astrid (Anderson) Doran on July 3, 1931 in Minneapolis. He was raised by his grandparents, Hannah and Arthur Anderson, until he was five years old – which led to a noticeable Swedish accent in his youth.

Will graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1949; he would often help in planning their class reunions. As a young many he was active in DeMolay, earning the rank of Master Counselor, and then he became a Mason with the Minnehaha Lodge #165 in 1953. He was still a standing member.

On February 23, 1951 Will was united in marriage to Marlene A. Graftaas. They were blessed with three daughters. He honorably served in the US Navy from 1956-1960, and went on to serve in the naval reserves for 22 years. In the 1950’s Will was also a pilot with the Civil Air Patrol, auxiliary of the US Air Force.

A good steward of the earth, Will enjoyed all outdoor activities: hunting, fishing, camping, gardening, tending his lawn, and traveling. He had a good sense of humor, and his smile will be missed by all who knew him.

Will is survived by his wife of 60 years Marlene; three daughters, Carolyn (Larry) Sorenson of Spring Valley WI, Kathy Simon (Glen Peterson) of Stillwater MN and Sharon (Pat) Miller of Cloquet MN; five grandchildren: Phillip (Suzanne) Simon, Adam Simon, Melissa Kreminski, Heather Hardy, and Jennifer (Tom) Swanson; great-grandchildren, Isabella & Alison Kreminski and soon-to-be Grant Swanson; sister, Joni (Mac) McVeigh of Tucson AZ and brothers, Jerry (Kathi) Doran of Florida & Duane (Claudia) Doran of Shoreview MN; nieces, nephews, and extended family.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Clifford and Astrid Doran; nephew Kraig Lindahl; and his beloved black toy-poodle, Suzette.

A private family interment will take place at Fort Snelling National Cemetery. In celebration of Will’s life, a memorial service will be held at 12:30 on Friday, August 27th at Atonement Lutheran Church, corner of 98th and Portland Ave. in Bloomington, MN. There will be a time to greet the family one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred. Arrangements were entrusted to the O’Connell Family Funeral Home and Countryside Crematory, 715-386-3725.