DODGE CITY - Loren Albert Doll passed away on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at his home in Dodge City, Kansas, surrounded by family. He was 96 years old—an age he reached through a lifetime of hard work, steady faith, and perhaps a tobacco pipe that somehow never managed to do him in. Loren was born July 9, 1929, in Dodge City, Kansas, the son of Fred and Dora Doll. He was raised in the small town of Wright, Kansas, and graduated from Dodge City Senior High School in 1947.

From an early age, Loren loved baseball. At Dodge City High School he distinguished himself on the baseball diamond, developing a reputation for hitting nearly everything thrown his way. Loren still holds the school batting average record (.524) and the Kansas state record for most hits in a single game (6). In 2014 he was inducted into the DCHS "Ring of Honor." For those who watched him play, the statistics were impressive, but the stories were even better.

After high school Loren briefly pursued a professional baseball career in the Brooklyn Dodger organization. He played in the minor leagues in Greenwood, Mississippi; Ponca City, Oklahoma; and Hutchinson, Kansas. In 1949 he was named MVP of the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri-Arkansas (KOMA) League after batting .325 and competing against players such as Mickey Mantle. In later years Loren enjoyed mentioning this fact just often enough to remind everyone he could have made it big if life hadn't had other plans.

Loren married his high school sweetheart, Veleeta Anders, on April 26, 1951, in Greenwood, Mississippi. They enjoyed 68 years of marriage before Veleeta passed away on June 24, 2019. Together they built a family, a business legacy, and a home where children, grandchildren, and friends were always welcome.

Not long after marriage, Loren made the practical decision to leave professional baseball and return to Kansas to raise his family. He began working for his father at the Wright Co-op, driving a propane truck and installing tanks for rural customers.

In 1954 Loren and his family moved to Ingalls, Kansas, where he became manager of the  Ingalls Grain Company, which eventually became Ingalls Co-op. Loren prided himself on  putting farmers first. During harvest season, the elevator lights often stayed on long after dark, and it was not unusual to find Loren still there—helping dump trucks himself and  making sure no one was left waiting. Around Ingalls it was widely understood that if Loren  was running the elevator, the job would get done and get done well.

Loren also possessed a strong entrepreneurial spirit. In 1961 Loren and his father Fred,  along with the Irsik brothers—Norbert, Stephen, and Clarence—started Ingalls Feed Yard, a  commercial  custom  cattle feeding operation with a capacity of 2,500 head. From those beginnings grew Irsik and Doll Feed Services, Inc., which today is the largest commercial cattle feeding operation in the world, with the capacity to feed 287,000 head of cattle. Irsik and Doll also owns and operates 7 feed yards and 6 grain elevators in Western Kansas.

Loren served as President and CEO of Irsik and Doll from 1968 until 1989 and continued to serve on the Board of Directors until 2004. While he was proud of the company's growth, he  was even prouder of the people who helped build it—many of whom became lifelong  friends.

In the 1980s Loren acquired Wilroads Feed Yard and farm, another venture that became  one of his great passions. He maintained an office south of Dodge City at the "Rosebud," where he and Veleeta also kept a summer home. Rosebud became a gathering place for  family birthdays, holidays, and countless afternoons spent visiting.

Anyone who visited Loren at his office at Rosebud knew they would be greeted by air thick with pipe tobacco smoke from Loren's ever-present pipe. His family is convinced the pipe  was practically part of his personality. It is also widely agreed that it is something of a small miracle he never accidentally set anything on fire, though the ever-present burn holes in his  pants, chairs and linoleum tell a different tale.

Over the years Loren received numerous honors for his contributions to agriculture and the  cattle industry. Included in those honors were his 2015 induction into the NCBA Cattle  Feeders Hall of Fame, and his 2018 induction into the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Faith was also a steady and defining part of Loren's life. He was a devoted Catholic whose belief was quiet but deep. For decades it was simply understood that Sunday morning meant Mass, and even in his later years when getting around became more difficult, Loren made it a priority to be seated in his pew each week. When he was no longer able to leave the house, he continued his devotion in a quieter way, faithfully and silently reciting the rosary each day. His faith was not something he spoke about often, but it shaped the way he lived—steadfast, humble, and grounded in gratitude.

In his later years Loren settled into a routine that became something of a family tradition. His breakfast was simple and precise: one egg, one piece of bacon, one donut, and a half glass of orange juice. He had a well-known sweet tooth, which likely explains his preferred dinner—often a Wendy's cheeseburger, provided it was accompanied by a chocolate Frosty.

He remained fiercely competitive in games. Loren was a dominant checkers player who  took particular pride in a triple jump, followed by a chuckle and a request for one more game. Games of pitch were also common, though you learned quickly it was wise to keep a close eye on the cards. Loren believed bending the rules slightly was simply another way of keeping the game interesting.

Loren was also known for his sayings, offering them with the confidence of a man who believed they covered most situations in life: "Stay in the buggy," "Keep your powder dry," and "Don't take no wooden nickels."

Music was another constant in Loren's life. He had long been a fan of Johnny Cash. During his final year, however, he developed a particular fondness for the song "Lucille." Some suspect this was less about the song itself and more about the fact that it was the one command he could reliably give the household Alexa device. On far too many occasions, the basement filled with the sound of "Alexa, play Lucille!" followed by the song playing far louder than necessary.

Loren is survived by his children and their spouses: Jan and Mike McNiece of Cimarron, Kansas; Kathy and Dan Miller of Cimarron; Steve and Debra Doll of Dodge City; Mike Doll of Dodge City; John and Janet Doll of Garden City, Kansas; and Lori and John Oldham of Dodge City. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren.

He is also survived by his sisters Elaine Aaron of Wichita, Kansas; Charlene Gernon of Hiawatha, Kansas; and Chris Merritt of Franklin, West Virginia; his brother Quentin Doll and wife Mary Jane of Wichita; and numerous nieces and nephews. Loren was preceded in death by his beloved wife Veleeta, his sister, Evelyn Steimel, and his brother, Kenneth Doll.

A funeral mass will be held Monday, March 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dodge City. Public viewing will take place Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Ziegler Funeral Chapel, 1901 N. 14th Avenue, Dodge City. A vigil will be held Sunday evening at 7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral. Family and friends are invited to join the family for lunch at the Cathedral Social Hall following the burial.

The family suggests memorials to Dodge City Baseball Association or Preparing A Place (Building Fund for the new school) both in care of Ziegler Funeral Chapel, 1901 N. 14th Ave., Dodge City, Kansas 67801.  Condolences may be sent to www.zieglerfuneralchapel.com

Those who knew Loren will remember a man of steady habits, quiet faith, and deep devotion to his family and friends. He believed in hard work, loyalty, and a few simple rules for living—stay in the buggy, keep your powder dry, and don't take no wooden nickels. Those who loved him can easily picture Loren now with a checkerboard in front of him, a tobacco pipe in hand, and Johnny Cash playing somewhere in the background. And  perhaps, somewhere in the quiet of the moment, a rosary in his hands and a prayer of gratitude for a life well lived.