William “Bill” Earl Doherty died at the age of 80 on June 23, 2026, at his home in Bigfork, Minn.
Bill was born and raised in Minneapolis, graduating from Robbinsdale High School in 1964. He attended St. Cloud State College until being drafted into the Army and served in Viet Nam. He met and married the love of his life, Laurie Buranen, in 1970 and enjoyed 56 years of marriage. They moved to Annandale where they raised three children while running his flooring business, Metro City Carpet. They then moved to Bigfork, Minn., to enjoy retirement in the Edge of the Wilderness. Bill loved sports, especially baseball, and was responsible for starting the Annandale Youth Baseball and Softball Program which he ran for 10 years. He sponsored the Doherty’s Ducks mens softball team for years. They especially enjoyed traveling together, even spending the winters in Mexico for 25 plus years where they became very involved in the community of Teacapan, Sinaloa, Mexico. He was an avid hunter, bagging several deer and pheasants over the years, not to mention a bear or two. Bill was known for his sense of humor, and story and joke telling. He loved to make people laugh. But most of all, he loved his wife, children, grandchildren and all his family. He will be missed by many!
Bill is survived by his wife Laurie Doherty, his daughter Kelly Doherty, his son Matthew Doherty (Jennifer), his son Ryan Doherty (Deanna), his grandchildren Griffin, Graham, Gwena (Aidan), Bryce, Riley, Brennan, Gavin and Declan Doherty, and Aiden Johnson, his sister Ruth (Carl) Doherty-Marks, his brother Dennis Doherty, and his brother -in-law Rod (Julie) Buranen.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents Wreathy and Earl Doherty, his in-laws Ervin and Bernadine Buranen, his brothers-in-law Merrill and Maynard Buranen, his sister-in-law Linda Buranen, and his nephews Doug and Rod Buranen.
There will be a Visitation held on Saturday, July 25, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at “The V” in Maple Lake, Minn.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William Earl Doherty, please visit the following link: carrollfuneralhomes.com/obituary/William-Doherty/sympathy .