Kevin Ira Doran

Kevin Ira Doran was born on March 19th, 1979, to Jerry and Marlene (Zinda) Doran. He joined his two older sisters Michele and Kelly.
Kevin started out his school years in Palermo, ND before transferring to Stanley in the 2nd grade when the family moved to town from the farm. From a young age everyone always commented on how smart of a kid he was. During school he was always on the honor roll. He also participated in choir and band and was the volleyball team's camera man. He graduated the class of 1997 from Stanley High school. After high school he did go to Minot State for a short while.
Kevin growing up and as an adult struggled with the ups and downs that life can bring. He moved around some and at one point he even lived with Michele for a spell and helped her with his nieces in Berthold. After that he bounced around some more before finally making a home in Fargo, ND. He worked many different types of jobs from assistant manager at Taco Johns to unit supervisor at John Deere in Valley City, ND. He was even a beadmaker for a time which meant at holidays when he would come home, he would bring the fruits of his labor for all of us to try. He did have quite the knack for baking like his dad did.
In 2012 he went back to college at NDSU where he studied Civil Engineering. He made the Dean's list quite a few semesters which showed his determination as an older student. In 2022 he received his Bachelor of University Studies Degree. He had mixed feelings about this as he knew he only needed a small number of credits to finish his actual degree, but he was also proud of it as he was the first one in the family to receive a college degree.
In 2013 he met his partner, Tom Dunn. They were quite the pair and each of them probably had a higher IQ than most people. When they were together this made for interesting conversations and discussions around the dinner table at holidays and special occasions when they would come to visit. They traveled and had many adventures together when Tom was not away teaching. Kevin always spoke of Tom as his unicorn.
Kevin had a fondness for cats, growing up he was never able to have pets. As an adult he rescued two cats he cherished deeply, his Bagheera and Oliver. They were his constant companions.
Kevin unfortunately struggled with addiction for many years. Often not always making the best choices. When he achieved his sobriety though, it was for a staggering 15 years! He would commemorate this feat every Thanksgiving by getting a new tattoo. It became quite the work of art. Kevin was a friend, mentor, and inspiration to many, and helped many achieve their sobriety as well. The struggle to stay sober was there every day for him and most days he won that battle.
Kevin was a partner, son, brother, uncle, great uncle, nephew, and cousin and will be greatly missed.
Kevin is survived by his partner, Tom Dunn; sisters, Michele (Dale) Brown and Kelly (Greg) Jones; nieces, Copper Galloway, Macee Jones, and McKenna Jones; great niece, River Brown; uncle, Jim Zinda; aunt, Patti Zinda; and many cousins.
Kevin is preceded in death by his parents, Jerry and Marlene; aunts, Beverly Ostlund, Patricia Willgrubs, Betty Johnson and Cheryl Skalsky; uncle, Ray Zinda; niece, Raven Galloway; and cousin, Shannon Chamberlain.