Obituary of Josephine Doherty

JOSEPHINE DOHERTY

WATERVLIET – Josephine Doherty, 78 of Watervliet and formerly of Nelsonville, NY, beloved wife of the late James V. Doherty, passed away Saturday, May 6, 2023, at home surrounded by her children.

Born in Bellshill, Scotland on March 18th, 1945, she was the daughter of the late Michael and Bridget (Hanlon) Doherty. She immigrated to the United States in 1956 with her parents, her sister Mary, and her brother John, settling in Brooklyn. Josephine met her future husband Jim in 1964 and their first date was at the 1964 World's Fair in New York City. Shortly after their first date Jim was drafted and deployed to Korea and then Vietnam. Despite being oceans apart their love persisted, and they married on June 24th, 1967, spending the following 49 years of his life building a family together and travelling the world until his death in 2016.

Josephine dedicated much of her professional life to public service, spending two decades employed by the village of Nelsonville as the Village Clerk, Village Treasurer and Court Clerk. Her dedication to municipal government extended beyond her day job as she served several other positions over the years including as a member of the village of Nelsonville Board of Appeals and a member of the Town of Philipstown Planning committee for sixteen years, serving both as member and as chair of the committee. Josephine earned a bachelor's degree from the Empire State College. Outside of work, Josephine was an avid researcher into the history of Nelsonville and her family's genealogy and took nearly as much pleasure in planning her travel adventures as she did taking them.

Josephine was a loving mother and grandmother, survived by her children Thomas (Barbara) Doherty PhD., and Kathleen (Eric) Roberts, grandchildren Jamie & Jenna Doherty, Connor & Quinn Roberts, as well as sister-in-law Barbara (John) Doherty, nieces Patricia McCullagh, and Deirdre (Dan) DeMascio, and nephews Michael (Moriah) McCullagh, and Michael (Andrea) Doherty.

In addition to her parents and husband, Josephine is predeceased by her infant daughter Christine, her infant granddaughter Hannah, her brother John, and her sister Mary (Michael) McCullagh,

Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend a visitation on Thursday, May 11th, 2023 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated beginning at 11:00 AM with Fr. Russ Bergman as celebrant. All services will be held at St. Pius X Church, 23 Crumitie Rd., Loudonville, NY 12211. A celebration & burial will be held in Cold Spring on June 24th. Further details will be announced soon.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Angel Names Foundation, PO Box 423, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 or https://www.angelnames.org/get-involved.html#donate. 

Josephine will be remembered for her unwavering dedication to her family and community and her passion for history and travel. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her. To leave a condolence message for the family please visit www.dufresneandcavanaugh.com.