Obit: Doonan, William K. (? - 1976)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Doonan

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 3/11/1976

Doonan, William K. (? – 5 March 1976)

William K. Doonan, 81, who retired as superintendent of the Owen-Withee Schools in 1957 after serving in that capacity for 27 years, died last Friday in a Minneapolis, Mn., hospital. He had been ill but a short time.

Mr. Doonan served as an educator in Wisconsin and Minnesota schools for about 45 years before his retirement.

Funeral services were held Monday in Wausau, and Mr. Doonan was buried beside his wife who died in 1951.

Survivors include an only son, Terry, of St. Cloud, Mn.

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Obit: Doonan, William K. #2 (1895 –1976)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Doonan, Bulgrin, Fliss, Wendt, Pabich, Mahoney, Kafka, Miller, Mauel, Barager, Wollum, Milewski, Fritsch, Madsen, Kren

---------Source: Owen Enterprise (Owen, Clark County, Wis.) 10 Mar1976

Doonan, William K. (15 Oct 1895 – 5 Mar 1976)

William K. Doonan, a resident of Owen the past 44 years and a retired educator, passed away at 8 p.m. Friday, March 5, 1976 at Veterans Hospital in Minneapolis. He became ill mid-afternoon Wednesday, March 3 while in his apartment. L. E. Bulgrin took him to the Owen Clinic, where he was treated and sent to the hospital in Stanley, where he was treated prior to moving to the Veterans Hospital that same evening.

Fr. Richard Fliss, pastor of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Owen, officiated, the final rites conducted from the church at 11 o’clock Monday, March 8th. Burial will be made in the family lot in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Wausau.

Serving as casket bearers were Ed Wendt, Norbert Pabich, Bill Mahoney, Jr., Ted Kafka, Tom Miller and henry Mauel, Jr. Honorary pallbearers were W. J. Mahoney, Sr., J. R. Barager, Henry Wollum, Tony Milewski, Myron Fritsch, Pete Madsen and L. E. Bulgrin.

Mr. Doonan was born December 15, 1895 in Oshkosh, and when five years of age his parents moved to Wausau where he attended the Wausau school system. After graduating from high School he continued his education at River Falls State Teachers College, being graduated in 1922 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He later received his Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. His teaching career, which spanned 42 years, first began at Port Wing, Minnesota. In subsequent years he taught at Bever Creek, Minnesota, and Marathon, Wisconsin. After receiving his Master’s degree he served as principal at Marathon City and Boyd, prior to coming to Owen as principal in 1932. He presided at 27 graduation exercises, until his retirement from the Owen-Withee school system in 1959.

On June 24, 1923 he was married to the former Catherine E. Kren, who preceded him in death, having passed away in November of 1951.

During his tenure here many changes and advancements were credited to his leadership. Agriculture, Home Economics, commercial courses, industrial arts and a Kindergarten were added to the course of study. He, too, was an ardent support and diligent worker in helping bring about the consolidation of the Owen and Withee school systems, and contributed immeasurably to the planning and remodeling of the downtown school and gymnasium.

All this time he was active in school affairs on the county and state level, having held hoffices in teachers Educational association, and was President of the Cloverbelt Conference when it was developed in 1924, and later served as its secretary-treasurer until his retirement.

An important contribution, and one that cannot ever be truly ascertained, is the wisdom and guidance he has given to the hundreds of young people he has helped through their high school careers. Graduates still returned to Owen and made a point to say hello to “Pop” Doonan, an affectionate tag he carried with the student body for years.

Pop Doonan was an active community worker, having headed the T.B. Seal drive here for years, was a charter member of the Owen Kiwanis Club, being a World War I Veteran, he was active in the American Legion, and above all, a devoted Christian and had held various offices in the Holy Rosary parish.

Since his retirement in 1959 he spent the summer months at the cottage on Diamond Lake at Cable, and he remainder of the year in Owen…(the rest of my copy was unreadable)