David Philip Doherty MD

David Philip Doherty, MD, of Harwich, MA, husband of the late Alice W. Doherty, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, March 17, 2025, surrounded by family. He was 91.
Dave was born on July 14, 1933, to the late Dr. Henry and Mary (McCarthy) Doherty of Stoughton, MA. He grew up alongside his siblings - Henry Jr., Marie, and Bill - as well as his childhood best friend, Emile "Nummy" Ouellet. Dave often shared stories of time spent with Nummy, including celebrating the end of World War II by jumping off the docks into Nantucket Harbor. Starting as a teen, Dave spent summers on Cape Cod with his brother Bill, first as a caddy at Eastward Ho!, and then as a busboy and waiter for Frank Thompson in Harwich, laying the foundation for his love of the Cape. During the school year, Dave commuted from Stoughton to BC High and then Boston College, from which he proudly graduated. In the summer of 1955, while working at Snow Inn in Harwich, he met Alice over a glass of milk and knew she was the one. Following his graduation from New York Medical College, they were married on Monday, December 26, 1960, in a small Catholic ceremony. After completion of his residency and service in the Navy, and upon the request of Frank Thompson, Dave and Alice moved to Harwich in 1965 to establish Dave's medical practice and raise their growing family. It was there that they spent the remainder of their loving and faith-filled 64 years of marriage.
Dave was fully committed to a life of service through his practice, his faith, and his family, making him a beloved figure in Harwich and throughout Cape Cod. Anyone who knew "Dr. Doherty" admired his compassion, kindness, integrity, and gentle demeanor. In addition to serving his patients at his office from 1965 to 2004, Dave routinely made house calls and nursing home visits to care for those unable to travel. He also served on the Board of Trustees at Cape Cod Hospital, offered his services to the Harwich Public Schools, Fire and Police Departments, was an active member of Holy Trinity and St. Joan of Arc parishes, participated in numerous ECHO, Cursillo, and marriage preparation retreats, the Renew program, and could often be heard cheering "GO HARWICH" from the sidelines of his children's high school games while wearing his patented blue and gold Harwich hat and slightly crooked sunglasses.
Above all else - including his love of convertibles, George's Pizza, birdwatching, a good joke, a bad pun, sailing with Don Wilson, visits to Maine with George Walker, and Red Sox games with the Meserveys - was his love of family and God. Alice and Dave's marriage embodied Jesus' foundational teaching found hanging on a banner in their kitchen: "Love one another as I have loved you." Everything Dave did was centered in his faith and commitment to bringing God's love to life.
Dave is survived by his five children Kathleen (John), Claire (Mike), David (Laura), Bill (Karen), and Peter (Gina); ten grandchildren John, David (Robin), Kate (Ben), Matt, Erin, Sara, Emma, Olivia, PJ, and Gianna; his brother and sister-in-law Bill and Joyce Doherty and their children Daphne, Tim (Melissa), Alexandra, and Elizabeth, nephews Michael, John, and Robert, and nieces Mary and Rebecca. He is predeceased by his wife Alice, his parents, his brother Henry (OkMae), his sister Marie, his niece Pamela, and nephew Henry.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either the Harwich Conservation Trust, PO Box 101, South Harwich, MA 02661 or online at harwichconservationtrust.org or Boston College Mission and Ministry Fund at Office of University Advancement, Cadigan Alumni Center, 140Commonwealth Ave. Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 or online at bc.edu/give.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 PM on Thursday, April 10, at Chapman Funerals & Cremations, Blute Chapel, 678 Main Street Ext., Harwich Center. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 AM on Friday, April 11, at Holy Trinity Church, 246 Main Street (Route 28), West Harwich, with burial immediately following at Holy Trinity Cemetery, 121 Pleasant Lake Ave (Route 124), Harwich. The Mass will be live-streamed at holytrinitycapecod.org/mass-confession-times.