Robert "Mike" Michael Doran

Robert “Mike” Michael Doran, 77, passed away on Monday, January 3, 2022 due to heart related issues.  A celebration in honor of Mike will be held later this summer.

 Mike is survived by his wife Colleen (McDonald) Doran, son Casey Doran (TanDee) of Great Falls, daughters Heather Rohlf (Tim) of Great Falls and Hallie Schumaker (Rob) of Charlton, MA.; 6 grandchildren Alexandra, Conor, Jackson, Cayden, Jerik and Madelyn; sisters Jan Hagen (Jerry) and Kathleen Doran-Kuntz (Doug) of Great Falls; brother Daniel Doran (Julie) of Great Falls, sister-in-law Sally Beedle of Great Falls and numerous nieces and nephews.

 Mike was born on March 1, 1944 in Helena, Montana to Dr. Michael “Pat” Patrick Doran and Joyce Marie (Bowcutt) Doran.  His younger brother, David, was born four years later and the family lived in Fort Collins, Colorado and then moved to Great Falls, MT in 1953.  His mom passed away later that year. Mike attended and graduated from Great Falls High School in 1962.  Mike later attended the College of Great Falls and the University of Montana and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors Degree in English from the University of Montana.

 After teaching English for two years in Roy, MT, Mike went on to start his own business in Great Falls.  The company, Agrivet, sold Purina Feeds and hay.  Shortly thereafter, he started another business, Doran Hay Company, where he enjoyed many decades in the hay and trucking industry.  Mike also did sod installation, which consisted of installing enormous round rolls of sod.  He worked more recently for Missouri River Trucking & Excavating and was immensely proud of the automatic truck assigned to him by Joe Horner.  His favorite job, however, was snow plowing.  The job consisted of long hours and precision depending on the location yet it was a job that Mike truly enjoyed.

 He married his first wife, Donna (Larson) VanHeel in December of 1966 and from that marriage they had two daughters, Heather Rohlf and Hallie Schumaker, and one son, Casey Doran.  Mike and Donna later divorced and on July 24, 1982, Mike married the love of his life, Colleen (McDonald) Doran and they became a blended family of 6.  Mike and Colleen went on to be husband and wife, dance partners and best friends for the next 39 years.

 Mike had a passion for many things in life and he shared many of those with his wife.  They were members of a local square-dancing group, Dudes And Dolls, and traveled to places all around the state to participate in square dance festivals.  Mike loved classic cars and had a particular fondness for Mercedes and Volkswagens.  He was a proud member of the Skunk Wagon Car Club and the Altered Classics Car Club.

 Motorcycles were another passion of Mike’s in addition to model trains.  On his bucket list of things to-do, he always dreamt of taking a train from the west coast out to Boston.  Mike was a ‘garage’ mechanic and could fix almost anything on any type of vehicle.  He was a lover of baseball and ice hockey and often attended local games in Great Falls.  He was a board member of the Sun Prairie County Water District and volunteered for the K Bar S Boy Scout ATV Training and gave 19 years as a volunteer to the Danny Berg Christmas Dinner.

 Mike also had a love for animals and his children recall growing up with skunks, goats, cows and even raccoons in addition to dogs and cats.  His two beloved dogs, Kevin and Boss, and his cat, Gray One, were also a light in Mike’s life and you would often see Mike around town with Kevin in the truck.  The remainder of the animals were lovingly known as Colleen’s.

 Mike and Colleen were frequent visitors to the family land in Logging Creek, Montana.  They poured their heart and soul into a beautiful cabin where many a weekend was enjoyed by them both and with their children and grandchildren.  The cabin remains a source of pride that is indicative of the fierce work ethic that Mike had up until his remaining days.

 Mike’s remaining years and days were happy and he spent those days in the company of his wife, his children and his grandchildren.  He got the opportunity to travel to Massachusetts and spend time with grandchildren there, attending graduations and simply enjoying family time with all six of his grandchildren.  Mike and Colleen attended countless football, basketball and other sporting events where Mike’s joy and pride in his grandchildren was evident to all around them.  Without question, Mike will be remembered as a father and a grandfather that truly loved and was honored being known by those two titles - father and grandfather.

 Mike was especially grateful to his son, Casey, whom he got the opportunity to learn from and spend time getting to know his business in the latter part of 2021.  He was very proud of the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren and was not shy about saying so.

 A heartfelt thank you to the medical staff, the family and friends that were there for Mike in his final days.  A special thank you to his nephew, Jonathan Hagen, who was there with Mike until the end, gifting him with the love and support that was so needed at that time.  His presence not only meant the world to Mike but also to Colleen and his children and remaining family and gave them immeasurable comfort knowing that Mike was not alone.

 Mike was preceded in death by his father Dr. Pat Doran, his mother Joyce Doran, brother David Doran, stepson Stacy Micheletti and grandson Colton Rohlf.

 In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Dudes And Dolls Square Dancing Club, 2 Shamrock Lane, Great Falls, MT  59405.

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