Kenneth A. Daugherty, 69, of Grants Pass, a former Baker City resident, died Jan. 15, 2002, at the Three Rivers Community Hospital at Grants Pass.
His memorial service was Jan. 19 at Newman United Methodist Church with the Rev. Brett Strobel officiating. Private interment was at Hillcrest Memorial Park. Lundberg’s L.B. Hall Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Daugherty was born on Aug. 16, 1932, at Haines. He attended Baker High School and graduated from the University of Oregon at Eugene.
He married Lola Lynn on Sept. 2, 1961, at Roseburg. They moved to Grants Pass from Portland in 1969. He had owned and operated Irish Graphic Products since 1981.
Mr. Daughtery had served on the Grants Pass School District 7 board for the past 22 years. In a story published in the (Grants Pass) Daily Courier newspaper, fellow board member Cliff Kuhlman remembered Daugherty as a dedicated public servant instrumental in the campaign and decision to build a new Grants Pass High School.
“He kept saying it over and over that it had to be a new high school so that we finally all believed him,” Kuhlman said. “He was a man of great faith that we needed top-notch facilities and he was willing to go to the wall for it.”
School board member Rich Ward worked closely with Daugherty on the high school construction committee, according to the Daily Courier. He described Mr. Daugherty as a quiet visionary with a dry sense of humor and the ability to take a tense situation and turn it around.
“He cared about the future of our community a great deal,” Ward said in the article. Daugherty’s motto while on the school board was always, “Teach them kids,” according to the Daily Courier.
His business partner, Phil Paquin, was quoted as saying, “His honesty and integrity were beyond reproach. He’s a stalwart of this community.”
Mr. Daugherty also was a member of the Newman United Methodist Church. He enjoyed architecture, gardening, traveling and his pets.
Survivors include his wife, Lola of Grants Pass; two daughters, Cindy Daugherty of Fukuoka, Japan, and Julie Daugherty of Jersey City, N.J.; his mother, Florence Daugherty of Haines; a sister, Barbara Murdock of North Powder; and a brother, Glen Daugherty of Baker City.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Grants Pass High School Foundation Scholarship Fund, 830 N.E. Ninth St., Grants Pass, OR 97626.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, February 1, 2002
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor