By HDN staff
WILLIAM CORKY CORCORAN
ROCKY BOY William L. Corky Corcoran, Indian name Working Man, died Thursday, Sept. 2, 1999, at a Havre hospital of natural causes.
Wake will begin at 3 p.m. today at the Rocky Boy Catholic Church and Rosary services will be held at 8 p.m. at the church. Funeral Mass will be held 10 a.m. Saturday at the church with burial following at Rocky Boy Cemetery.
Corcoran was born Oct. 20, 1925, at Rocky Boy to Joe and Mary Rose (Kennewash) Corcoran. He was an enrolled member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe. He attended school at Rocky Boy and Northern Montana College. He served in the U.S. Army in WWII and was wounded in action and received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
After his military service, he returned to Montana and was employed for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at Fort Belknap in a clerical position. He later worked at construction throughout Montana, railroad, U.S. Park Service at St. Marie. In 1959, he moved to Helena and started working for the United States Postal Service. In 1962, he was employed at Shelby at the Railroad Post Office RPO and in Spokane RPO and also the post office there. In 1969, he began working at the Havre Pose Office until 1981, and became the Box Elder Post Master until his retirement in 1985. He implemented the Rocky Boy address system which is used currently.
On Oct. 24, 1944, he married Lily Whitford at Rocky Boy. The couple have resided at Rocky Boy since.
He enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting, carpentry, the outdoors, telling stories, playing cribbage with his wife, playing pinochle and spending time with his grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by brothers, Robert Alexander, Gilbert Bingo Alexander and Bob Corcoran, sisters, Katherine Gardipee, Tammy Frost, and Peggy Nagel, a son, George Corcoran, a grandson, John William Corcoran and a great grandson, William Louis Anderson.
Survivors include his wife, Lily of Rocky Boy; a daughter, Margaret Corcoran of Rocky Boy; sons, William M. Corcoran, Joe Corcoran of Havre, Dale Corcoran of Billings, Peter Corcoran of Helena, Frank Corcoran of Chambersburg, Pa., Ronald Corcoran of Billings, James Corcoran of Allentown, Pa., Steven Corcoran of Rocky Boy, Earl Corcoran of Harrisburg, Pa.; three special daughters, Lori Osgood of Havre, Michelle Anderson of San Antonio, Texas, and Lei Loni Croasdell of Havre; adopted daughter and son, Debbie and Morris St. Pierre; sisters, Florence Gourley of Rocky Boy and Mary Ann Reum of Kremlin; brothers, Bert Corcoran and Kermit Corcoran of Rocky Boy, John Corcoran of Great Falls and Richard Corcoran of Ore., 38 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.
Adams Funeral Home of Malta is in charge of arrangements.
