Shirley Marie Dougherty

DOUGHERTY, Shirley Marie It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Shirley Marie Dougherty. She was born March 24, 1923 in New York City to William August Hagius and Mary Grace (O'Donnell) Hagius, and passed away September 7, 2011 in Goleta, California. In 1941 she graduated from Straubenmuller-Textile High School in the Chelsea district of Manhattan. The next day she started working for Family Finance. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, mom went to work for Brewster Aeronautical Corporation where she met Edmund Joseph Dougherty who became her best friend and the love of her life. Shirley and Ed were married on November 25, 1944 at St. Joseph's Church in Astoria, Queens, New York. They began their married life in Jackson Heights, Queens and in 1947 their first daughter, Maureen Shirley, was born. Two years later they moved to Hagerstown, Md. The next move was to College Park, Md., where in 1953 their second daughter, Colleen Bridget, was born. In 1957 the family moved to Bellmore, Long Island, New York, then to Brookhaven, Pa. and then to West Chester, Pa. Shirley went to work as an executive secretary at the Boeing Company, Vertol Division, in Morton and Philadelphia, Pa. In June of 1965 the family moved to Seattle, Wa., and later that year to Rockledge, Fl. Shirley worked at the Boeing Atlantic Test Center at Cape Canaveral. In 1968 the family moved one more time to Goleta, California. Shirley worked at Aero Spacelines, Inc. which later became Tracor Aviation. She retired from Tracor as Administrative Assistant to the President. Shirley loved to sew, knit, crochet, and embroider and did absolutely beautiful work. The more intricate the pattern, the more she enjoyed the work. She also enjoyed crossword puzzles and word games as well as doing jigsaw puzzles with her family. If you did a puzzle with her you would know her first rule was, do NOT look at the picture on the box. She felt that was cheating! Shirley was a very patriotic citizen, proud of her country and a staunch Republican. She LOVED New York! Shirley loved flowers. She was very proud of her beautiful garden and was thrilled when anyone commented on it. Shirley was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Ed, June 30, 2002. She was also predeceased by her Mother and Father, her sister, Rita Bernice Frank of West Islip, New York, and her brother, William Hagius of West Islip. She is survived by her daughter Maureen Dougherty and grandson, Edmund Hagius Dougherty of Goleta and daughter, Colleen Duncan (Wally) and granddaughter, Heather Grace Duncan of Simi Valley, Ca. and grandson Gregory Wallace Duncan and his boys, JP and James of Las Vegas, Nevada. She is also survived by her sisters, Irene Florence Redmond and Eileen Grace Dautel, both of Cape Coral, Florida, as well as several nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews of New York, Florida, Virgina and Texas. She leaves behind loving friends, John and Evelyn Hamburg of Hagerstown, Md. The family wishes to thank Dr. Paul Ryack for caring for our mom. He was always there for her and for us. We also thank Dr. Larry Mietus for his years of caring of both Ed and Shirley. A communion service will be held at St. Raphael's Church, 5444 Hollister Avenue, Santa Barbara on Monday, September 26 at 5:00 PM. A celebration of Shirley and Ed's lives will be held in New York in the summer of 2012. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital Foundation, 351 S. Patterson Ave., Santa Barbara, Ca. 93111 or to The Wounded Warrior Project.

Shirley Marie Dougherty

March 24, 1923 - September 7, 2011