Richard Lee "Dick" Daugherty

Richard Lee "Dick" Daugherty 79, of Tucson, AZ, died March 10, 2009, after a long illness. A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. at the Tucson Country Club. Dick was born March 31, 1929, in Moundsville, WV, to Howard and Vera Daugherty. He was raised in the Toronto, OH area by his adoptive parents, Charles Henry and Ella Mae Daugherty. While Dick's life would take him to far more cosmopolitan locations than rural Ohio, he was always grateful for the love and guidance provided by his adoptive parents and the sacrifices they made for him, their only child. Dick graduated from Jefferson Union High School in 1947. While in high school, he was an Ohio All-State football player. The first person in his family to attend college, Dick earned a BA degree in Business Administration from the University of Oregon. While at Oregon, he continued to play football and was an All-PAC selection as a linebacker. Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, Dick continued his football career. He was an offensive lineman on the 1951 World Championship Rams team. His football career was interrupted for service in the U.S. Air Force from 1953-54. He returned to the Rams and was selected for the 1957 Pro Bowl. Dick was described by Time Magazine as "one of the surest tacklers in football." After retiring in 1958, Dick was president of the NFL Alumni Association, Los Angeles Chapter, working on its charities and pensions for the NFL's earliest players. After retiring from the Rams, Dick became a stockbroker at brokerage firms in the Glendale and Pasadena, California areas. He also became interested in real estate development, joining with a group to form Causey, Rhodes & Daugherty, which developed the Glendale Fashion Center. After running the David Copperfield's restaurant in Arcadia, CA, Dick returned to real estate development in Glendale, CA and later in Tucson, AZ. Dick married Betty Lou (Dacey) Daugherty in Hollywood, CA, and they were married 54 years. He was a devoted husband and father, and he was active in community and political events. Survivors include his wife, Betty Lou; four children, Lynne and husband David Day of Vermillion, SD, Daniel and wife Debbie Daugherty of Allen, TX, Patty and husband Doug Fyfe of Phoenix, AZ, and Robert and wife Nancy Daugherty of Boston, MA, and 11 grandchildren, Dan, Elizabeth, Sarah and David Richard Day, Nathan and Ryan Daugherty, Marchelle and husband Dustin Wilson, D.J. and Jack Fyfe, Matt and Ben Daugherty and two great-grandchildren, Jocelyn and Cason Wilson. Other survivors include his sister-in-law, Joan Davidovich and several nieces. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister-in-law, Helen and her husband and Dick's close friend, Marc Elliott. A child of the Great Depression, Dick Daugherty's life was an All American saga. Throughout the ups and downs of his football and business careers, he maintained a boundless optimism for what, with education and hard work, was possible. He conveyed this belief, and the importance of family, to children and grandchildren. He will be missed and appreciated always. Dick died from complications of Alzheimer's disease. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America or the Alzheimer's Association. Dick frequently said that his only regret was that he was too young to serve his country in World War II. Dick was a great football player, but he was, about all else, a good man. We can only hope that we will see more of his kind of person in the nation's future.