William Joseph Haggerty

William Joseph Haggerty
William Joseph Haggerty, D.M.D., of Allentown, PA, passed away Friday evening, December 21, 2012 at home surrounded by his loving family after a nearly year-long struggle with ALS. Born in Port Chester, NY, January 7, 1940, to the late William Henry and Josephine (Broder) Haggerty, Dr. Haggerty was the beloved husband of Kaye (Anderson) Haggerty since 1966. Raised in Port Chester, he attended St. Marys Grammar School and graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High School, White Plains, NY, in 1957. A 1961 graduate of St. Michaels College, Colchester, VT, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, class of 1965, he was a U.S. Navy Veteran, serving from 1965-67 as the dentist aboard USS Yosemite based in Newport, RI, and attaining the rank of Lieutenant. Dr. Haggerty opened his dental practice in Greenwich, CT, in 1967. Following retirement in 2001, he and Kaye relocated to Allentown, PA. Not one to sit still in retirement, he began volunteering for the Mercy Centre, Bangkok, Thailand, a charity serving abandoned and abused children where he taught English and helped in the hospice for young victims of AIDS/HIV. For 10 years, he traveled to Thailand twice a year, spending several months at a time helping the children. A talented photographer, Dr. Haggerty traveled widely in this country and throughout the world, capturing images that decorate the homes of family and friends alike. In addition, he loved playing tennis and running, especially participating in the 1979 New York City Marathon. He also enjoyed spending time with friends and family at the familys home in the Madaket area of Nantucket, MA. An Eagle Scout, Dr. Haggerty was a member of the Order of the Arrow, Boy Scoutings national honor society. A member of the American Dental Society, he was a past president of the Western Fairfield County Dental Society and the Greenwich Dental Society in Connecticut. He served as chairman for the Dental campaign of the Greenwich United Way and had been a member of the Greenwich Rotary Club. He was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church and the Lehigh Country Club, Allentown, PA, and a former member of St. Michaels Church, Greenwich, CT, and St. Marys Church, Port Chester, NY.Dr. Haggerty was predeceased by an infant daughter, Sandra Lee, and by his parents. Survivors: In addition to his wife Kaye, he is survived by three daughters: Shannon Allen (Andrew), West Palm Beach, FL; Jamie Bradshaw (Mark), Columbia, MD; and Katie Gay (Brian), Fair Haven, NJ; five grandchildren: Reilly Kaye Allen, Tucker James and Caroline Haggerty Gay and Courtney Elizabeth and Alexandra Grace Bradshaw; two sisters-in-law: Sandra Abdalla (Anthony) of Allentown and Lola Hunt (Richard) of Spencerville, MD; his cousin Dorothy Brady of Sun Lakes, AZ, and several other cousins in Newport, RI. Services: Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, at 12 p.m. in St. Thomas More Catholic Church 1040 Flexer Ave. Allentown. Call Friday, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Church. Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Dr. Haggertys memory to Mercy Centre, PO Box 1604, Annapolis, MD 21404, or ALS Association, Greater Philadelphia Chapter, 321 Norristown Rd., Suite 260, Ambler, PA 19002, or Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KA 66675.