Robert Douglas “Bob” Doty was born December 26, 1920 in the village of Grape, Monroe County, Michigan. He graduated from Monroe High School in 1937, before studying agriculture at Michigan State College (now Michigan State University). Doty completed a two-year short course in agriculture. During World War II, Doty served in the U.S. Army Air Corp as a radar and navigation specialist on a B-29 bomber crew, stationed in the Pacific Islands. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Doty married Jean Anne Blum on November 8, 1946. They had three children. For nine years, Doty worked for the Detroit Stoker Company in Monroe until he saved enough money to buy a dairy farm in Rainsville Township. He was an early proponent of soil conservation, no-till farming, and using the latest methods to manage his dairy herd. Doty also served for many years on the Maybee School District Board, serving as secretary of the board.

Doty died May 7, 2018 in Tecumseh, Lenawee County, Michigan.

(Source: Monroe News obituary)