ALL THE PEGS FIT
On July 25. 2023, my cousin Susan from my husband’s side of the family, who lives in Chicago, posted a bio of her friend’s deceased brother on Facebook. Susan wrote: “I’m very lucky to be friends with Phil’s sister and brother-in-law, Debbie and Henry Feinberg. We all cruised together in 2017. What a blast we had. Phil was very down-to-earth and really nice. May his memory be for a blessing.”
The bio is: "EDITOR'S PICK
Hammond native who wrote for 'The Wonder Years,' ‘The Bob Newhart Show' and ‘All in the Family’ died
Jul 23, 2023
Hammond native Phil Doran died after a long career writing for television.
Joseph S. Pete
A Hammond native who wrote for many hit television shows like “The Wonder Years,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “All in the Family” died.
Phil Doran died just eight days shy of his 79th birthday due to complications of Alzheimer’s in southern California early this year.
“He has roots in Hammond and Munster and was a very well known in Hollywood,” his brother-in-law Henry Feinberg said. “He created, wrote, produced and directed television game shows and primarily sitcoms. Some of his shows are still syndicated around the World. Amongst his accolades were a book and stage plays.”
He grew up in south Hammond and then Munster, graduating from Hammond High School in 1961. He went on to earn a degree in broadcasting from Indiana University and headed to Los Angeles to become a comedy writer in Hollywood. He met the Rat Pack comedian Joey Bishop, which got him a gig writing jokes for his Las Vegas standup. He was invited to an industry party where he met the producer Chuck Barris, landing him a gig as an Associate Producer for “The Dating Game.”
He started writing for “The Bob Newhart Show” and went on to become a mainstay of network television between 1970 and 1995. He wrote for “All in the Family,” “Too Close for Comfort,” “Facts of Life,” “Who’s the Boss” and “Wonder Years.”
Doran created, wrote and produced the ABC series “Carter Country.” The show about a small-town police force debuted in 1977 and ran for two seasons.
He was a producer for shows like “Jennifer Slept Here,” “Sister, Sister,” “Free Spirit” and “The Facts of Life.” Two of his staged plays were performed in Los Angeles.
His family said in his obituary he wrote “the kind of classic shows we all grew up with and would forever become a cherished part of our lives.”
After retiring from Hollywood, he moved to Italy and wrote the comedy novel “The Reluctant Tuscan,” which was published in 2001.”
The sister of the deceased, Susan’s friend Debbie Feinberg responded, “Thanks Susan, He had a great time. He loved being on the cruise with all of us too!!”
What neither Susan nor Debbie could have expected was my inquiry to Debbie after offering a line of condolence…”Is the name Gubitz?”
All the pegs seemed to fit, but since I had never met Phil or seen a photo of him, I thought it was appropriate to double-check and make sure that it was the same person. Therefore, I sent a quick email to my second cousin, Marty, to inquire about it. He responded immediately, confirming that it was indeed the same Phil Doran. A little while later, Susan replied with a simple "Yes" in the Facebook comments.
The name Phil Doran caught my attention. In February, my cousin Marty informed me that his former brother-in-law had passed away. He suggested that I add this information to our family tree, which I maintain and update regularly. Marty also advised me to contact Phil's sons as he had been married to my cousin Anita for 19 years, and they had two sons together.
On our family tree, I recorded the deceased as “Phillip (Gubitz) Doran,” having been told by the family that he changed his name when he got to Hollywood. I had his dates of birth and death and knew he passed away in California after suffering from dementia. I also had recorded that he was born in Hammond, IN, so with the dates and places all lining up, that had to be him.
In 1997, I sent out a family tree communication and that's when I had my first conversation with Cousin Anita. She called me from California in response. I met her in person a few years before her unfortunate death. During that meeting, both of her sons were present with her baby grandson. Later, I met one of her sons again at another family reunion after her passing.
In July, I saw Susan's Facebook post offering condolences on the loss of her friend’s brother Phil in February. It was surprising to me because Phil was my cousin by marriage and my husband's cousin knew him. Moreover, I spotted the name online, and Susan was offering her friend condolences many months after Phil's death. I had no idea how much Phil had accomplished in his career when I spoke with Anita and Marty. This incident has given me much to add to our family tree and prompted a call to Susan.
The conversation in the comments section of the Facebook message continued into the night. Debbie asked me if I was related to Gail. As an experienced genealogist, I replied that Gayl Mark Ring, z"l was my second cousin. We shared the same maiden name, and our maternal grandfathers were brothers. However, our paternal sides were not related.
While Susan's Facebook post was unexpected and meant to offer condolences, it helped me fill in the gaps in our family tree. It also gave me a better understanding of family members I didn't know growing up. I'm always on the lookout for ways to fill in the blanks on our family tree, and social media came through in a big way this time.
My Cousin Anita (January 13, 1944 - October 18, 2013) and her grandson Oliver (December 29, 2008 - )