James Francis Dougherty

James Francis Dougherty, loving husband to Mary, loving Dad to their six grown children, and loving Grampa to their five grandchildren, died peacefully on the morning of March 6, 2024, at his and Mary's winter home in Naples, Florida. In eighty-one years and eighty-six days here on Earth, "Big Jim" led a full life, left it all on the field, and did a lot of good for a lot of people. He loved and was beloved, and his compassion, courage, generosity, and joy will live on in all who felt his love, works, and encouragement.

Jim was also honest and curious, a good listener and a natural guide, first as a big brother to six younger siblings, and later in life as a high school science teacher, union organizer and leader, parish and community volunteer, father, and grandfather. Born in Chicago on December 11, 1942, while his own dad was away in North Africa during World War II, Jim was the second of eight kids, and he learned over time to make sure that everyone got a turn, a fair shake, and a chance to ask questions.

In the fall of 1960, with questions of his own, Jim left Chicago and headed north to Winona, Minnesota, where he studied biology at St. Mary's College and gradually fell in with a dear group of life-long friends. Most special was Mary Susan St. John, a kind, smart, and beautiful math major from the nearby College of Saint Teresa. Jim and Mary were both smitten, and in June of 1967, surrounded by their families, close friends, and the rambunctious style of the day, they were married at St. Joe's Catholic Church in Appleton, Wisconsin, just down Lawrence Street from Mary's family home.

As their own family grew, Jim and Mary visited Lawrence Street often, sharing vacation and holiday adventures with the St. Johns all year round: sledding the Pierce Park ravine in winter, cheering on the minor-league Appleton Foxes or hitting the (Green) Bay Beach Amusement Park in summer, and apple picking with delicious desserts in the fall. Now and then, a trip out to the old Dale Feed Shop, to pick up giant, cheap bags of rabbit chow for Perry and Smokey.

There was room for everyone in The Van, a true 12-seater which Jim and a good friend had rescued from the scrap heap of the Marriott O'Hare and then customized, one piece at a time: a new engine; a special rig with a bed for the kids to sleep in during long trips (Disneyland, Manhattan, Fort Lauderdale, the Grand Canyon, Washington, D.C., Big Sur, Oklahoma!...); a new sound system for Willie Nelson, Jim Croce, WBEZ, and Seargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; and even a sunroof cut right through the original steel, for some airflow in the way back, since there was no A/C.

The Van was practical and flexible enough to absorb some good kids' collaboration: Jimmy, the oldest, helped rewire the lights to work with a trailer. Claire, next in line, customized the hood, in red spray paint and giant capital letters: CLAIRE. And, when the sunroof finally failed, utterly and completely, on the day of a giant summer rainstorm, the four little boys, Peter, Edward, Paul, and Michael, all pitched in to field test, critique, and just generally soak in the waterfalls, coming and going from every single stoplight, all the way home.

Jim took it all in stride. He was not a fancy guy, and so he didn't measure his vehicles by their finish (or even rust), but by who and and how many bikes would fit. Or, on working weekends, plywood, drywall, rolls of pink insulation, and a million other things. You never knew when you might need to build somebody a bunkbed, a desk, a treehouse, more shelves for all those books, an extra bedroom up in the attic, or turn the entire garage and driveway into a parent/kid Adirondack chair factory to raise a little money for the the Cub Scouts.

He never called it volunteering, exactly. It was just what you did at St. Nick's in South Evanston, or where you were: leading Scout trips; calling Bingo games in the school cafeteria on Friday nights, and coming home smelling like an ashtray; giving readings at Mass on Sundays; tossing cans and newspapers for hours at the recycling drive; running the lacrosse board; snowblowing your own sidewalk and driveway, plus the entire block, so the older folks could get around more easily; just keeping your eyes and ears open, and helping who needed help.

Decades later, at lunch with some union friends, Jim put it this way:

"We only succeed as a whole,

and we each have to support each other.

We all have our faults.

We all have our talents.

The question is: What are you gonna do with what you were given?

And what are you going to give,

to the group as a whole,

to improve the whole?"

He started teaching in 1965 at St. Patrick High School in Chicago but was fired in spring of 1967 for going on strike, just months before he and Mary were married. He was hired that fall to teach at Niles East High School and spent the rest of his career in the Niles Township schools, moving to Niles North when East closed. He worked hard to bring home extra income to support his growing family, early on spending summers driving CTA buses and for many years filming football games, 'holding the rope' at basketball games, and working after-school detention which he referred to as "the slammer".

He was active in union activities throughout his career, and proud of the work he and his colleagues did to improve conditions for teachers and to keep teaching an honored and respected profession. He was an early organizer of the Niles Township Federation of Teachers and served as Local 1274 president from 1981-2000. After retirement from teaching, Jim finished his career serving as President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers from 2001 - 2007. He loved science and was a gifted teacher and communicator, teaching a full range of Biology courses from intro to AP.

His sometimes stern exterior (known fondly by some as 'resting Dougherty face'), an asset in tough union negotiations, in the slammer, and in naughty kid moments, belied an extraordinarily kind and gentle nature. Jim was a loving and fun dad, and all the Dougherty kids have fond memories of Sunday morning pancakes, weekend trips to Chicago area museums, bike rides through the forest preserve, and long summer cross-country drives and camping trips.

Jim is survived by his dear Mary; by their children Jim (Kristin Humbargar), Claire Stewart (Christopher), Peter, Edward (Merry Biggerstaff), Paul, and Michael; by their grandchildren Gretel, Nuala, Calder, Pippa, and Ava; by his sisters Mary Sklenar (the late Merrill), Susan White (Joe), Kathy White (Bill), and Jane Downey (the late Phil); by his brother Peter (Nancy); by his sisters in-law Judy Stadler (the late Karl) and Caela Levine (the late Tom St. John); and by a beloved cacophony of nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. Jim was predeceased by his mom and dad, Gert and Dr. Rod Dougherty, and by his brothers Roddy (May) and Paul.

Funeral mass will be held at 10am on Saturday May 4, 2024, at St. Nicholas Church in Evanston, IL (St. John XXIII Parish), with an interment and afternoon reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St Vincent DePaul Society of St. John XXIII Parish.