Doran Joseph Dvorak
Doran Joseph Dvorak was born January 5, 1942, to Anton and Leone Dvorak who lived in the Fly Creek area of Pompey’s Pillar. He had seven siblings, Orvis, Dean, Jackie, Ronald, Gen, Joyce and Monte. He grew up loving the land of eastern Montana, the feeling of being able to see forever, the ways in which it entangles a man’s soul, and feeling an impulse toward stewardship of its vast and winding beauty.
As a young man, he served two years as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne and married Karen Campbell—whom legend has he once rode a horse to go court, to the great consternation of her father. Together they had four children, Brenda, Debra, Scott and Gannon. In 1980, he moved onto his dream home, a small ranch outside Custer, Montana, where he lived and raised cattle until his death this November.
Doran’s greatest passions were horses, raising cattle, and working the land with a loyal ranch dog at his side. He named his ranch Packmule Ranch and loved packing into the mountains of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Over the course of a life well-lived, he was injured so many times from horses and ranch work, it seemed he had nine lives. He always got back up and kept riding, no matter how many rope burns or broken bones or how muddy his boots. He was one of an esteemed class of Montana ranchers with the heart and fortitude to survive injury after injury and continue to raise cattle, ride, and ranch until the age of 79.
Doran married his second wife Cornelia “Nu” Dvorak in 1997. He was an expert teamroper, always there for neighbors in need, and served as both a Yellowstone County and volunteer fire fighter. He loved helping others with branding and was famous around eastern Montana for his pitchfork fondues.
His professional work as a county road grader helped build and maintain the physical infrastructure of eastern Yellowstone County. Treasured memories included riding mules down the Grand Canyon to Phantom Ranch with his wife Nu; an Alaskan cruise they took with his best friend from the army, Mike Gryzbowski, and Mike’s wife Barbara; and a trip down the Oregon coast.
Doran drew a final breath of cleanMontana air on November 9, 2021. After fighting long and well, he died peacefully at home with Nu by his side.
He is survived by his daughter Brenda Long and her children Krystal, Whitney, Dana, Delta, Derek, Deidra and Doran’s great grandson Blake; daughter Debra and her children, Meggan and Conrad; son Scott and his children Kevin, Alex, and Avery; son Gannon and his children Will, David, and Madisen, stepdaughter Sarah and her daughter Avery; and stepdaughter Jocelyn and her children Juna and Keir. He is also survived by sisters Jackie, Joyce, and Gen; brother Ronald and Monte and their families.Doran’s grandchildren knew well his love of horses and land, and learned to ride under their grandfather’s expert tutelage.
Donations in Doran’s name are invited to be made to the Custer Volunteer Fire Department.
