John F. Dougherty

John Dougherty of Rochester, New York passed away peacefully on the evening of August 6, 2025, after leading a remarkable life of 98 years. John was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1927. He spent his first few years there raised in a family of devout Irish Catholics with one younger brother, Bill.

During the Great Depression, the Dougherty family (pronounced Dock-ur-tee despite the way it looks in print) resettled in Rochester to seek a new path when John’s father accepted a transfer with his job at Wesson Oil Company. John attended St. Ambrose grammar school and church. The family lived conveniently just across the street on Empire Blvd. John and brother, Bill, were very involved in school activities, athletics, and serving as altar boys. The brothers became legends of the YMCA basketball leagues, well into their adult years.

John attended Aquinas High School where he was a standout football player. At Aquinas his deeply held religious convictions were solidified, and he maintained many of the bonds he formed at the school throughout his life. He was known to be the organizer for class reunions and social time connections. It was also during high school when a seminal event of modern history would change John's life, namely the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

When the attack occurred, many of John's classmates immediately joined the military. But John was simply too young. He wanted to serve, but his mother told him that he had to finish high school. John followed her wishes, but as soon as he graduated in June, he enlisted. John always wished he could have done more, and the military would remain a key element of his life and identity throughout the decades. He was a member of multiple U.S. Military branches and Reserve units. He always supported military causes, and was fond of saying, "I am still agile, mobile and hostile."

When he returned home from the war, John enrolled at Holy Cross College in Massachusetts, but his first steps into professional life were almost upended when his father died unexpectedly just weeks before his graduation in 1950. John managed to reschedule his final exams and earn his degree, at which point he immediately took on the responsibility of providing for his family. He became a manager of Eastman Dental Center in Rochester where he worked for many years and formed numerous long-lasting friendships. He also owned a small hardware manufacturing business.

John’s favorite lifetime family vacation destination was Ocean City, NJ. A cherished annual traditional shared in rental homes on the beach with gatherings of Rochester and Philly family and friends. A dry town founded as a Christian retreat in 1879, the location provided a family friendly environment that endured the changing times and a way to reconnect with the family’s past. John loved morning jogs on the beach, body surfing the waves and seafood every night for dinner. His family still carries on this annual tradition and are thankful for all the fun and memories made there.

In 1951 John made a decision that would truly shape the rest of his life. He took flying lessons. From the very beginning John loved everything about aviation and ultimately found his true calling in the sky. As a pilot John spent most of his time in small planes, but he was drawn to all types of aircraft. He would learn aerobatic maneuvers on one vacation, then fly a Russian military jet on another. He flew float planes and tail-draggers, twins and turbines. Any fixed-wing aircraft could lure him into flight. But with all his passion for the machines, he would ultimately discover a greater one for the people who sat next to him. Because John's star shined brightest as a flight instructor.

John began giving flying lessons in 1963 and joined the team at Bill Law Aviation located at the Rochester International Airport in the 1980s. In later years BLA would become the Rochester Air Center, and John ultimately became the school's Chief Instructor and remained a fixture there for decades. He was honored with the FAA’s Flight Instructor of the Year award in 1997. He taught multiple generations and hundreds of students how to fly. Many of them went on to careers in commercial aviation or with the military. Countless others simply discovered the joy of being a pilot and were able to enrich their lives through the unique freedom that comes as an aviator.

And John never stopped. At the end of his career, he was the oldest active flight instructor in America. He continued to give flying lessons until just this past year and was still going to work at the Rochester Air Center until the final weeks of his life. His personal flight log shows more than 21,000 total hours in the air. But equally impressive and more indicative of the spirit of the man, more than 18,000 of the hours in his logbook show a student in the plane alongside him, following his or her dream, with John as guide.

Early this summer, in fact just days after his 98th birthday, John collapsed in his home. His friends found him two days later. While everyone in his close circle prayed for a miracle, John's condition unfortunately deteriorated. Had he been able to regain his strength, John would have been right back at his desk at Rochester Air Center as soon as he was able. It was the one place (on land) where he was the happiest, and he had a job there for life.

John never married and never had children. He is survived by his brother William V. Dougherty, his niece Kate (Dougherty) Nichols, her husband Adam Nichols, and his nephew William V. Dougherty Jr. He was predeceased by his mother Frances O'Hara Dougherty, his father John Dougherty, and his sister-in-law Mary (Piscitello) Dougherty. John had another family of cherished friends who he met over a lifetime of church attendance. His devotion was uncompromising. He was dedicated to Latin Mass services and went to confession on a weekly basis. John is also survived by his enormous family in the field of aviation, fellow pilots who considered him one of their dearest friends and a one-of-a-kind mentor. It is also worth remembering that at the time of his passing less than 66,000 of John's fellow service members who served in World War II are estimated to still be alive - this out of the 16 million Americans who were in the war.

Calling hours for John will be August 14th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at New Comer Funeral Home, 6 Empire Blvd in Rochester. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, August 16th at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church, 580 Winton Rd in Rochester. John will be laid to rest near his parents at Calvary Cemetery in West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.