Joseph Neil Dougherty passed away peacefully on March 13, 2019, in Doylestown, PA, where he had lived in assisted living for almost three years since the death of his wife of fifty-seven years, Ellen Mead Dougherty. He was predeceased by his parents Joseph and Nell (O'Connell) Dougherty of Schuylkill County, PA, and brother-in-law Robert Devine of Southampton, PA. Joe is survived by his son John and daughter-in-law Elizabeth Vierow Dougherty of Frenchtown NJ, his son Edward Dougherty and Edward’s partner Michael Olson of New York City and his daughter Elizabeth (Betsy) Silvestri of Norfolk, MA. Joe took immense joy in being the devoted grandfather of Robert Morris Dougherty of Alexandria, VA, Catherine Grace Silvestri of Norfolk MA, Mikaela Mead Dougherty of Brooklyn, NY, and Jackson Reed Silvestri of Norfolk, MA. Joe, or rather Neil as he was known to his nuclear family and many cousins, was a 1948 graduate of St. Jerome High School, Tamaqua, PA, and a 1952 graduate of Penn State University. After graduation, Joe served in the US Army from 1952 until 1954. He was recruited by Scott Paper Co. in 1955, beginning a career with that company which would last almost thirty years. Joe married Ellen Mead in September 1958 and moved from Cedar Rapids, IA to Philadelphia, PA and finally settling in Montvale, NJ where he and Ellen raised their three children and lived on through their empty nest period for a total of forty-nine years. After the devastating loss of his beloved wife in 2015, Joe moved to Wesley Enhanced Living in Doylestown, PA where he quickly became a popular resident with the staff who helped him enjoy to the fullest, his final years. The family will receive their relatives and friends at Becker Funeral Home, 219 Kinderkamack Road, Westwood, NJ on Sunday, 2-6 PM. Funeral Mass celebrating Joe’s life and faith will be held at Our Lady of Mercy R.C. Church, Park Ridge, NJ on Monday at 12 Noon. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to these two not-for-profits: The Pascack Mental Health Center, P.O. Box 126, Park Ridge, NJ 07656 and / or The Wesley Enhanced Living Benevolent Fund, Attn: Karen Doler, 200 Veterans Lane, Doylestown, PA 18901.
