Doran W. Ingrham

1946 - 2022

Doran W. Ingrham was born to Wade R. Ingrham and Irmalee Newton Ingrham on June 24, 1946 in Del Rio, Texas. Wade and Irmalee met in Del Rio, Texas when Wade Ingrham was stationed at Laughlin Air Base during World War II. Irmalee Newton graduated from high school in Comstock, Texas and was employed at Laughlin Air Base as a clerk. Nature has a way of assisting people in finding each other and events progressed from there. Wade Ingrham moved his family to Midland, Texas after being released from the Army Air Corp at the end of the war. Midland was the first city he came to where employment was available so that's where he started his post-war life. The family grew as he and Irmalee added two more children, David R. Ingrham and Diana Ingrham LaBarba. Doran progressed through public schools in Midland, Texas where he graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 1964. He competed in cross country track and worked part time jobs to earn money for college. One of his artistic pursuits was forming a Rock and Roll dance band where he played bass guitar and sang lead vocals on many songs. Doran was a free thinker and more interested in artistic pursuits than he was in science or commerce. He entered North Texas State University (now known as the University of North Texas) after graduating from high school and majored in art. He hoped to find a way to make a living using his artistic talents. Playboy Magazine listed North Texas State University as the best party school in the USA in the mid 1960s and Doran was (willingly) distracted from his studies. His musical talent, ice crystal blue eyes and chiseled good looks created distractions from his studies and he found himself exposed to the Military Draft in 1967. Knowing he was being called to service, he chose to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. When his mother, Irmalee Ingrham, asked him later in life, "Why did you want to be a Marine?", his answer was, "You and Dad took me to all those John Wayne movies growing up, it just seemed liked the right thing to do." Doran never did anything half way. Doran had ninety days before he was to report for duty and the pastor of the church the Ingrham family attended, knowing Doran had musical talent, asked Doran to assist him form a Christian folk singing group that was sponsored by a Baptist Student Union at a college in Kansas. The plan was to form a group that would travel from college to college to present the Christian faith and provide entertainment at youth gatherings. Doran played electric bass for the start-up group and helped them get organized. The group continued to travel all over the USA for several years after Doran left for service in the Marines. Doran excelled in Marine Corps Recruit Training (boot camp) and graduated as the Top Marine Recruit in his company. He was soon loading ordnance on F4 Phantom jets at Chu Lai Air Base in Vietnam as well as performing combat duties. The Phantoms were flying close air support for Marine and Army units on the ground engaged with enemy forces. After successfully fulfilling his obligation overseas in a combat zone he was reassigned to the USA where he finished his 4 year active duty enlistment. Doran worked many different jobs but the artist in him had always been attracted to the acting craft. He played parts in motion pictures and television programs, studied the craft and taught it to others. His acting skills also served him well in other activities that were not filmed for distribution as entertainment. Doran had a special place in his heart for all living things and owned and trained several horses and mules as well as dogs. Doran continued to serve his country and humankind in a special way in many places around the globe when not pursuing his acting career. Doran used his artistic creativity to write screen plays and novels. One may purchase his novels by doing a search on Amazon. The titles are: "Blood Ivory" and "Blood Brothers" credit Doran as a co-author. "Dark Secret" and "Nicaraguan Hell" credit Doran as the author. Doran backpacked, rode mules and trekked with pack animals on many marked and unmarked trails in the Appalachian Mountains, the Chisos Mountains, the Guadalupe Mountains, the Pecos Wilderness and the Rocky Mountains. He would call his friends and say, "I need some alone space around me. Wanna come along?" They spent a great deal of time around campfires not talking, just being there in the high lonesome. Sometimes Doran would talk about the things that meant the most to him, things that had been, things that were and things to come. Doran passed away October 8, 2022 from cardiac arrest while struggling to recover from a stroke. He chose to retire in the Philippines where he lived with his loving wife, Maria Mae Ingrham. God has a plan and we must look forward to that time when we all stand together arm-in-arm on the other side while God explains His plan to us. Take comfort in knowing that time will come.