Day, Dorance S.

DAY, SMITH, PETERSEN, FERGUSON

Posted By: Pat Ludeke (email)
Date: 6/1/2013 at 12:28:21

Dorance S. Day, 94, of 15 Marflow St., Ventura, Iowa died Thursday, Dec. 16,
2010 at his home in Mesa, Az.

Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 23, at the First Congregational
Church, Clear Lake, with Rev. Michael Nash officiating. Visitation will be
Wednesday from 5 -7 p.m. at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, Clear Lake and then
one hour before the service on Thursday at the church. Interment will be
Memorial Park Cemetery, Mason City, Iowa. Memorials may be given to the First
Congregational Church, Clear Lake.

Dorance was born June 17, 1916 in Klemme, Iowa, the son of John N. and Anna
Mildred (Smith) Day. He graduated from Klemme High School in 1933 and attended
the University of Iowa for two years. He married Ruth E. Petersen on Dec. 31,
1935 in Clear Lake.

During the war Dorance worked on the B-25 Bomber in Englewood, Calif. as the
leadman. He was the last person to see and check the plane after the B-25’s
were built. While working for North American Aviation he gave final inspection
to the B-25 Mitchell Bombers that bombed Tokyo, Japan in the Doolittle Raid.
Dorance noted “It was the heaviest armed plane in the war.” He is listed on the
National World War II Memorial because of his work with the B-25 Bomber. He was
awarded the the Army-Navy E award for excellence while working for North
American Aviation.

Dorance worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. as a sales representative,
assistant manager and senior sales representative. He retired from them in
November 1976. Over the years they lived in Mason City (1936-39),
Klemme(1939-41), Elsequndo, Calif. (1942-1946), Mason City (46-48), Des Moines
(1948-52), Klemme (1952-58), Clear Lake, (1958-69) and Ventura (1969-present).

Dorance enjoyed working with people. His hobbies included hunting, fishing in
Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Montana. He is a past president of the
Ventura Lions Club, Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, a life member of the National
Rifle Association and a lifelong member of the First Congregational Church. He
established the D.S. Day Wildlife Refuge in 2008 and planted trees and coverage
for 15 years. He also donated five acres of land to Hancock County to be held in
perpetuity for the wildlife that he so loved.

Dorance has enjoyed retirement in Mesa for many years. Dorance married Elaine
(Bissonette) Ferguson on Nov. 28, 1998. They enjoyed splitting their time
between her home in Mesa and his home in Ventura.

Dorance is survived by his wife, Elaine Day, Mesa; son, Gary B. Day and his
wife, Elna, Mason City; two grandchildren, John J. Day, Iowa City, Iowa and
Kristin L. Kleckner and her husband, Michael, Des Moines, Iowa; one
great-grandson, Nicholas Foster, Des Moines; step-children, Keith Ferguson and
his wife, Rebecca, Apache Junction, Az., Annette Conner and her husband,
Charles, Atlanta, Ga. and Holly McDaniel and her husband, Gene, Mesa.

Dorance was preceded in death by his parents and first wife, Ruth Day (June 30,
1993).