E. Jessie Doran

Funeral services for E. (Elizabeth) Jessie Doran, Fargo, will be held on Thursday, November 11, 2004, at 10 a.m. in Riverview Place Chapel, Fargo. She will be laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery in Grand Forks, ND. Jessie Doran was born in Finley, North Dakota in 1904, the daughter of Edward and Bess Doran. She attended grade school in Crystal, ND. While the family lived in Grand Forks, ND, she attended high school in Fargo, at Sacred Heart Academy where she graduated in three years. Following high school Jessie returned to Grand Forks and worked for the Great Northern Railway and a local attorney in addition to playing in a three-piece orchestra. She moved to Washington, D.C. where she first was an appointee of the Comptroller of the Currency in Washington, DC. Later she worked at Walter Reed Hospital in the Gynecology and Prosthetics Research Department. Jessie eventually retired after 30 years as Executive Secretary for a world-wide missionary congregation, the Holy Ghost Fathers. Jessie enjoyed traveling and has been to the Holy Land, to Catholic shrines at Lourdes, France, Portugal and Mexico. Her travels also brought her to Ireland, Germany, Italy, Austria and Greece. In 1991, Jessie moved to Fargo where she had a happy home with the Presentation Sisters at Riverview Place until her death at age 100. She died peacefully on November 8, 2004. Jessie is survived by her sister, Jo Bach, her brother, Tom Doran, Burbank, CA, and numerous nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly and who were a great source of joy and pride to her. She is preceded in death by her parents, 5 sisters and 1 brother. Jessie was a study in contrasts. She was regal in her demeanor and presence while, at the same time, she loved to belt out honky-tonk tunes on the piano to anyone who would care to listen and enjoy her music. Impromptu performances were common at Riverview Place on any nearby piano. For Jessie, faith came first, but music was second. She was a prolific letter writer and numerous newspaper editors as well as local and national news personalities and program sponsors were given the benefit of her thoughts and opinions throughout the years, especially if it involved criticism of the Catholic Church or other matters of Catholic beliefs. She was resolute in her defense of the faith. Her typewriter and piano are now quiet. They were two tools that she used effectively to touch others and make indelible marks and memories that will last well beyond her lifetime. May she rest in peace. Boulger Funeral Home, Fargo. Online guestbook at www.boulgerfuneralhome.com