James Joseph Doherty

James was born on January 9, 1936 at Kaweah Hospital in Visalia, California. His parents were James and Lorraine Doherty. James was raised in Pasadena, California. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Doherty household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, James was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. He had two younger twin brothers, Don and Mike.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of James as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Saint Francis Boys High School in La Canada, California in 1953. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. James was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. James always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but James handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, James was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. James was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served James well during his college experience. He earned his AA degree in Forestry. His favorite courses were Archery and Forestry. He was the Southern California Jr. College Archery Champion in 1956.

Always considered to be a solid friend, James was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, James was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for James to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Jim Dougherty. Later in life, he became friends with Bill and Marnell Davis, Bill Rowen and Mike Hardy.

On January 4, 1958 James exchanged wedding vows with Susan J. Sickler at the St. Andrews Catholic Church of Pasadena, California. Compassionate and devoted to Susan, James held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Susan and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

James brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted. James was blessed with four children, Bridget, Jim, Sheila and Barney. They were also blessed with six grandchildren and six great grandchildren, grandchildren, Katrina, Tiffany, Amy, Katie, Johnny, Mary Rose; great grandchildren, Justice, Elora, Christopher, Cora, Mikenzie and Lila.

James greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. James enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, James was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was Fresno City Fireman. He was employed for 30 years as a Fresno City Fireman and owned his own business for 42 years. James worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

James liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, James always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were camping, hunting, fishing, reloading his own ammunition, diving and Irish music. James was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

James found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. In high school, James ran track. In his college years, James continued to stay active by competing in archery competitions. Recreational sports included muzzle loading competition and duck hunting. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity.

Many organizations were grateful to have James as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, James was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In college, James joined the Forestry Fraternity. Throughout his later years, James was an active member of the Fresno Rifle and Pistol Club, Fresno Muzzle Loaders, Frasher Farms Duck Club, Jeff Kerry Duck Club, Sun Mountain Gun Club.

James was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of the Catholic Church and attended many Parishes during his life. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

James sought out practical solutions, not individual recognition. He was always grounded and objective, feeling a strong sense of responsibility for taking care of what needed to be done. This selfless attitude earned James many accolades for his efforts and achievements. Some of his most prestigious awards included numerous shooting awards.

James enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with James appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, James always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included cruise to Mexico, fishing trip to Alaska and Mexico, goose hunts to British Columbia, pheasant hunt to South Dakota, numerous trips to their summer home in Wyoming and family camping trips.

James was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of James’s favorites was Ginger a Chesapeake Bay Retriever who was his drinking buddy at the duck club because she would drink whiskey with him. But she could only have two drinks because Ginger would start sneezing. They were best friends for 14 years. His family was rounded out by his beloved cat Bill who would hunt on the ranch with him, and ride around on the tractor with him.

When James’s retirement finally arrived in 1995, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. By that time he was living on his ranch in Friant. In retirement, he found new pleasure in subdividing his properties in California and Wyoming. Even in retirement, James continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

James Joseph Doherty passed away on January 13, 2011 at Saint Agnes Hospital, Fresno, California. He is survived by Susan, his wife of 53 years, his children, Bridget, Jim, Sheila, and Barney; his grandchildren, Katrina, Tiffany, Amy, Katie, Johnny and Mary Rose; his great grandchildren, Justice, Elora, Christopher, Cora, Mikenzie, Lila, and his brother Don. Services were held at Tinkler Funeral Chapel and Crematory. James was laid to rest on the Doherty Family Ranch.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of James Joseph Doherty. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

In lieu of flowers remembrances may be sent to NAMI-Fresno (National Alliance on Mental llness), POB 5438, Fresno, CA 93755.