- Date Of Birth: July 2, 1941
- Date Of Death: April 20, 2020
- State: Georgia
Gerald “Jerry” L. Dougherty of Newnan, Georgia, passed away on April 20, 2020, at the age of 78. He was born in La Salle, Illinois, in 1941 to John “Dutch” Kenneth and Irene (Hybke) Dougherty. Jerry received a high school diploma in 1959 from St. Bede Academy in Peru, Illinois. He subsequently attended Notre Dame University and graduated in 1963 with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering. He was then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant (and subsequently promoted to 1st Lieutenant) in the U.S. Army Reserves and served as an officer and instructor in the U.S. Army Artillery Division in Oklahoma. He was honorably discharged in 1969. During this period, Jerry also began his engineering career at the Astrionics Lab at the Marshall Space Flight Center, which helped him secure his career as an aeronautical engineer with the Lockheed corporation (now Lockheed Martin) in 1976. Jerry worked for Lockheed in California for 10 years but left to assist with a family beverage distribution business in Appleton, Wisconsin. He would return to California and Lockheed in 1983. Jerry’s career with Lockheed would eventually lead him to Georgia and span 42 years. Jerry’s career with Lockheed spoke to his passion for all things aeronautical. He also loved spending time with family and friends, sharing stories, cooking, and collecting things. He enjoyed traveling with his wife, spending time at the gulf in Florida, and lake fishing on his boat. He always had a story to tell about “the one that got away”! Jerry will be remembered for being a kind, caring, sentimental soul who will forever be in the hearts of those he left behind. Those include: his wife of 51 years, Patricia (Paddy) Dougherty; his sister, Jane McNichols; his daughters and son-in-laws, Kelli and Amir Lizarraga, and Shanna and Kevin Mulcahy; and his grandchildren, Roge’ and Hali Naggiar, Sofia Lizarraga, and Rose, Teefy and Rawley Mulcahy. Jerry was cremated per his wishes.
