William “Bill” Doc Magee, age 86, of Valley City, ND, died Wednesday, December 4 th at
SMP Health-St. Raphael in Valley City. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 AM on
Friday, December 20th at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Valley City. Visitation will be held on Thursday, December 19th, Rosary will be recited at 4:30 PM Than The Visitation from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church. A prayer service will be held at 7:00 PM Thursday evening at the church. Inurnment will be in St. Catherine’s Catholic Cemetery. A livestream of Bill’s service and an online guestbook will be available at www.lerudmathias.com
Doc was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle,
veterinarian and friend. Anyone who knew Doc loved him. He worked hard and loved harder. Doc loved what he did. He always said, he worked for people who were the salt of the earth and considered them his friends. He treated his animals and their owners as he would want to be treated.
Doc was born in Little Falls, MN to James and Florence (Rienjes) Magee on August 23, 1938. In 1958, Doc married his high-school sweetheart and the love of his life, Marion Johnson. Together they moved to Minneapolis Minnesota, where he attended and graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in 1963. Doc accepted his first job in Duluth Minnesota. From there, Doc and Marion moved to Jamestown and eventually Valley City, where they made their home. Doc and Marion had four children: Kelly, Kathy, Shelly, and Sean.
Doc retired in 2000 after practicing for 37 years. After retirement, he and Marion spent most of their summers at their lake home in Minnesota where they enjoyed pontoon rides, family gatherings, and bonfires. Anyone who knew Doc, knew he was a die-hard Minnesota Vikings, Twins, and Gophers fan, and you could often find him sporting his MN teams. He was proud of his Irish heritage. Above all, Doc was a lover of Christ, and it showed in all he did and who he was.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marion, four children: Kelly (Mike) Callahan, Kathy (Daryl) Walerius, Shelly (Mitch) Meurer, and Sean (Jeanie) Magee; 12 grandchildren, 23 greatgrandchildren; 2 brothers: Jim (Sandy) Magee, and John (Joleen) Magee; 2 sisters: Patt (Jim) Johnsen and Mary Brown; a brother-in-law, Richard (Margaret) Johnson; many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, mother and father-in-law, brother-in-law Ji Johnsen, and grandson, Shane Callahan. Remember the Rosary will be recited at 4:30 PM on Thursday, December 19th.