Ellen Patricia Dougherty

Born in New York City, Ellen grew up in New Haven, CT, and served as a Page in the Democratic cloakroom of the US House of Representatives before studying American history at UCONN, where she worked as an RA and drove an ambulance to help pay for tuition.

Ellen returned to DC after college to work as a paralegal, but quickly transitioned to legal recruiting where she built her career. She loved the business strategy of recruiting, and helped several large law firms identify new markets and build new practice teams across the US.

Ellen met her husband Ed at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. They married in Chicago, where they loved life, but hated the distance from family and friends, eventually returning to the DC metro to settle in Alexandria. Ellen never followed a recipe, but loved to cook (and was good at it!). Family was the center of her life. She was tough, she was tireless, she was clear! She was also funny, tender, forgiving, fiercely loyal, and she loved us deeply.

Ellen battled cancer for over 20 years. Despite the treatments that ultimately caused her heart to fail, she led a strong, successful, and meaningful life. She continued to work and raise a family through it all. It was not unusual for her to pull on her wig, drop the kids at school, work a full day, then stop at the hospital for radiation before returning home to make dinner.

Ellen never complained about her health, she lived a full and present life as a mother, daughter, and spouse. She never missed a swim meet or lacrosse game, and often resisted coaching from the sidelines. She had an innate ability to see great potential in others and wanted to help them succeed. Her failing health hardly defined her. Together with Ed, she raised two strong, smart, independent women to have the passion, courage, confidence, and love for life that made her who she was.

Ellen is survived by her husband, Ed; children Beth Dougherty and Molly Duggan (Chris); her mom, Pat O’Shaughnessy, and stepmom, Susan Kerley.

A mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated in her memory at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown on January 27, 2026, at 10:30 a.m.