Nina Esther Dougherty

1933 - 2016

1933 ~ 2016
Nina Esther Dougherty, 82, passed away on March 5th, after a long struggle with Parkinson's.
She was born to Daniel and Esther Krause on March 29th, 1933, in Columbus, Ohio. She attended Ohio State University and the University of Wisconsin, where she received a B.A. In Anthropology and an M.A. in Library Science. In 1955, she married Richard Dougherty in Frankfurt, Germany.
She is survived by Richard, her children Julia and Will, her two granddaughters, Ilaria and Francesca Mazzocco, her sister Karen, and her brothers Eric and Dan. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Gretchen, and her son Ken.
Following the completion of her studies, Nina pursued a career as a medical librarian at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and the Eccles Library at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City (from 1974 until her retirement in 1998). She contributed to numerous projects at the Department of Medical Informatics at the U of U Medical School where she had received an appointment as an adjunct.
She became an activist in the Sierra Club while living in Nebraska in the early 1970s. In Utah, she was involved in air quality issues through the Sierra Club and other organizations at state, regional and national levels (American Lung Association, atmospheric effects of nuclear weapons testing, Grand Canyon visibility, Legacy Highway).
As a water conservationist, she became a passionate believer in xeriscaping. Her garden in the Avenues was featured in an annual city garden tour.
Nina was an avid camper and travelled in North America, Europe, Russia, North Africa and Turkey.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 11, at 11 a.m. at the First Unitarian Church, 569 South 1300 East. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Utah Chapter Sierra Club.