Barbey Nyce Dougherty

Barbey Nyce Dougherty was a woman of intellectual depth, resilience, and thoughtfulness with great love for her family. She suffered no fools and spoke the truth. For more than ten years, Barbey fought bravely to manage Parkison's disease and attend to the many interests she valued, from writing to enjoying her garden and picnics. Barbey died on January 10, 2023, surrounded by her three sons, their wives, and her loving husband, Ned Dougherty.

Barbey was a strong, independent woman who was intensely interested in people and ideas. A lover of books and discussions, Barbey belonged to a half dozen book clubs from Michigan to Miami and Albany to Maine. But, perhaps her strongest interest was her demand to enjoy time with her family. Barbey's soulmate was her husband of 61 years, Edward A. Dougherty, with whom she shared all of her life's adventures. Barbey and Ned met on Christmas Eve in 1956 when they were 15 and 17 years old. They raised three boys, went camping, took lots of picnics, watched many sunsets, read lots of books, and drank plenty of good bourbons together.

Born November 29, 1941, to Fletcher and Kay Nyce in New Cannan, Connecticut, Barbey spent the first nine years of her life in Darien. She moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1950, where she first attended Lospeach School and Hillsdale High School, where she was the founder and editor of the newspaper and graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Barbey attended Smith College for two years before transferring to Williams College, despite being an all-male school at the time, but was given the marriage waiver to attend classes. She majored in English and got straight A's in her classes, to the dismay of her male classmates. Following Ned to Boston, where he started seminary, Barbey graduated college from Boston University and went on to get a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Harvard School of Education.

Barbey started her professional career as a high school English teacher before moving to Ohio University, where she became an English professor, and on to Eastern Michigan University, and finally, the University of Michigan. At Michigan, Barbey authored "Composing Choices for Writers," a college textbook that taught effective writing skills, filled with examples of young parents raising three rambunctious boys. Barbey never got to use her textbook in the classroom as the family moved to Miami, Florida, in 1983, where she went to work for Thoughtware, a tech start-up company that wrote computer manuals meant to rival Microsoft. She went on to write training manuals at Southeast Bank and then back to academics at Barry University. Ned and Barbey moved to Albany, NY, in 1993, where Barbey taught writing at SUNY Albany and designed training programs for the State of New York at Rockefeller College. Barbey's professional life was filled with hard work, the pursuit of excellence, and teaching others.

Despite the number of locations they lived, Maine remained a constant for Barbey and Ned. The family spent its vacations in Biddeford Pool, Maine, starting in 1972, where they enjoyed playing tennis, body surfing, and picnics at the Little Beach. Barbey and Ned's love of family time made it a treasured place for all generations of Doughertys to gather. Where there was Barbey, there was Ned, an inseparable couple, deeply in love, affectionately calling each other "sweetie" before their goodnight kiss. They walked on the beach, read, and cooked together. They faithfully raised not only three boys but six poodles as well. Their relationship was a model built on mutual respect and living life by always looking forward. She showed up and helped everyone be their best self. Barbey will be remembered for the infectious joy and unyielding honesty she brought to those who knew her and the wisdom she brought to life. She was always curious to learn new ideas and visit new places, with a fondness for France and Italy passed down to her from her parents.

Barbey leaves behind her husband, Ned Dougherty of Scarborough and Biddeford Pool, Maine, her three sons and their wives, Mark and Jennifer Dougherty of Winchester, Massachusetts, Chris and Kolleen Dougherty of Yarmouth, Maine, Jesse and Rebecca Dougherty of Old Brookville, New York, and her nine grandchildren: Thomas, Katharine, Ellis, Frazier, Harry, Tessa, Quinn, Fiona, and Liam. Her legacy of strength, connection, and always looking forward will always be with them.

There will be a memorial service in Biddeford Pool, Maine, on August 12, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the following:

Kieve-Wavus

https://www.kwe.org/give/

Kieve Wavus Education is a nonprofit organization that helps people grow through experiential programs led by inspirational role models. These camps have meant so much to Barbey as all of her children and grandchildren either went or worked there.

The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research https://give.michaeljfox.org/give/421686/#!/donation/checkout

The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today.