Josephine Doherty (1945-2023)
Josephine Doherty, 78, a former clerk and treasurer for the Village of Nelsonville, died May 6 at her home in Watervliet, surrounded by her children.
Born in Bellshill, Scotland, on March 18, 1945, she was the daughter of Michael and Bridget (Hanlon) Doherty. She immigrated to Brooklyn in 1956 with her parents and siblings, Mary and John.
Her first date with her future husband, Jim Doherty, was at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City. Shortly after, Jim was drafted and deployed to Korea and then Vietnam. Despite being oceans apart, their love persisted and they married on June 24, 1967, spending the following 49 years of his life building a family together and traveling the world. Jim died in 2016.
Josephine dedicated much of her professional life to public service, spending two decades employed by 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 Nelsonville Zoning Board of Appeals and a member of the Town of Philipstown Planning Board for 16 years, serving both as member and as chair.
Josephine earned a bachelor’s degree from Empire State College. Outside of work, she 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, her family said.
She is survived by her children, Thomas Doherty (Barbara) and Kathleen Roberts (Eric); grandchildren, Jamie and Jenna Doherty and Connor and Quinn Roberts; sister-in-law, Barbara Doherty (John); nieces Patricia McCullagh and Deirdre DeMascio (Dan); and nephews Michael McCullagh (Moriah) and Michael Doherty (Andrea). Her infant daughter, Christine, infant granddaughter, Hannah, and her siblings, John Doherty and Mary McCullagh (Michael) died before her.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on June 24 at Clinton Funeral Home, 21 Parrott St., in Cold Spring, followed by interment at Cold Spring Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Angel Names Foundation, P.O. Box 423, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (angelnames.org).
Debbie Flaherty (1955-2023)
Deborah Mary “Debbie” Flaherty, 68, died May 8, surrounded by family members.
She was born Jan. 1, 1955, in Cold Spring, the daughter of Thomas and Gertrude Harris. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Mount Saint Mary College and with a master’s degree in education from SUNY New Paltz. She worked 38 years for the Lakeland School District.
Deborah was a gardener and bird-watcher. She enjoyed vacationing with her family and grandchildren. Above all else, she loved being a grandmother!
She is survived by her children, Meghan Mekeel (Kenneth), Erin Flaherty, William Flaherty Jr. and Morgan Flaherty (Nicholas Abato); her grandchildren, Hunter and Harper Mekeel, and her sister, Judy Szirmay. Along with her parents, her birth father, David Donnelly; husband William Flaherty Sr.; and brother, Michael Donnelly, died before her.
Friends may call on Monday (May 15) from 5 to 8 p.m. at Clinton Funeral Home, 21 Parrott St., in Cold Spring. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday (May 16) at 11 a.m. at Cold Spring Cemetery.
