Hale E. Dougherty M.D.

Of Laguna Niguel, California passed away peacefully at home with his devoted wife of 52 years at his side and surrounded by his loving children. Dr. Dougherty was born in Atchison, Kansas on August 3, 1931 to Charles E. Dougherty and Laura M. Redman. He married his true and only love Mary Patricia Eagan in Kansas City, Missouri on January 13, 1951 and soon thereafter moved to Orange County, California where they have resided for 43 years. He was a loving father to his ten children Stephen, Lawrence, Patricia, Elise, Maureen, Hale II, Sean, Amy, Colin and Brendan and a grandfather to 13 beautiful grandchildren. He was affectionately called "Pop" by all of them. A graduate of the University of Kansas Medical School in 1959, he interned at UCI Medical Center and practiced family medicine in Orange and Los Angeles Counties for 40 years, and was chief of Staff at Palm Harbor Hospital in Garden Grove and Garden Park Hospital in Anaheim. Dr. Dougherty was a warm and sympathetic physician with a gentle bedside manner. He delivered many babies and assisted in countless adoptions. Hale and Patricia ('Pat') formed a remarkable union. Sweethearts who married while they were still in their teens, they began raising their family and worked as a team while Hale completed his medical studies. By the time Hale was awarded his physician's license, their family had grown to four children. They built a lifetime of wonderful memories together with their children on many camping trips. Water skiing and boating at Lake Elsinore or sports-fishing on the ocean were favorite activities. As a couple, they traveled all over the world, and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. They were truly best friends. To celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2001, the entire family shared a vacation in Hawaii. Dr. Dougherty was the creator of the Original Spiro Agnew Watch and founder of The Dirty Time Company. Humorously known as "Dr. Dirty", his watch stirred great fun and controversy in the media as the Spiro Agnew Watch fad swept the country. It has lasted as a political icon of the Nixon era, and one of Dirty Time Company's original watches is now housed in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. A fishing enthusiast, Hale became President of one of the world's largest angling clubs, The Balboa Angling Club in 1989 and served as editor of their newsletter, Backlash. He held a deep respect for the ocean and always gave much back to help preserve the resource. He also served as President of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation from 1984 to 1985, and worked countless hours to put an end to gill netting off our shores. Hale was a humble man who dearly loved his wife, family, and many friends and of course his dog Spot. A mass followed by a celebration of his life will be held at 10am, Friday, January 3rd, at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Laguna Niguel, California In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to Holy Family Service, Adoption & Foster Care, 1403 South Main St. Santa Ana, CA 91101.