Richard Allyn “Rich” Doherty was born June 17, 1919 to John “Red” and Lena Doherty. He died Jan. 6, 1999 and is memorialized at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), Honolulu, Hawaii.*
On Dec. 7, 1941 Rich was serving onboard the USS Keosauqua and was awaiting the 7th Fleet aircraft carriers to arrive in port.
*His children scattered his ashes during a committal service on Pearl Harbor. Such a service is an honor reserved solely for survivors as part of an act of Congress. The fact that Rich chose Pearl Harbor as his final resting place shows the profound effect World War II had on him.
Sources: “Ordinary Heroes”, by Judge Newt Draheim, Chapter 11; ancestry.com
