Gerald Doherty, 92, a retired, production engineer at Pratt & Whitney, died at home Thursday evening, October 8, after a brief illness. Gerry was the son of Joseph Peter and Helen Hancock Doherty. He was raised by his maiden aunts and father, after the premature death of his mother, and graduated high school in Danbury, CT. He received his engineering degree from Yale in 1939 and moved to the Hartford area where he resided and worked for 70 years. He and his first wife, Nancy Shepard Doherty, lived in West Hartford and Hyannis Port, MA for many years until her death in 1981. He was active in the town and community; he worked to establish Youth football in West Hartford in the mid-1950s and served as Chairman of the Town Planning and Zoning Commission in 1981. Gerry lived in Farmington for the past 27 years with his wife, Margaret Stedman Cheney Doherty. In addition to Margaret, he is survived by three sons: J. Peter Doherty of Virginia Beach, VA; Gilbert S. Doherty and his wife, Carol, of Kensington, MD; David H. Doherty and his wife, Abigail, of Chatham, MA; a daughter, Anne Dickson and her husband, Ned, of Cooperstown, NY; three stepsons, Edward (Tod) Cheney and his wife, Holly, of Blue Hill, Maine; Amory Cheney of Bend, OR; Dexter Cheney and his wife, Sarah, of Canton, CT; a stepdaughter, Sara Cheney and her husband, Joseph Wrobleski of Falmouth, ME; as well as sixteen grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 A.M., Saturday, October 31, at the Church of St. Patrick, 110 Main Street, Farmington, CT. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to The Barney Library, 71 Main Street, Farmington, CT 06032. Arrangements are being handled by The Ahern Funeral Homes, Inc.
Burial Memorial Contribution