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Owen Patrick Doherty, age 90, formerly of Marlboro and Brockton, MA passed away peacefully in his sleep on December 23, 2020 in Sudbury, MA. Owen was the beloved husband of the late Patricia (Proctor) Doherty and was the father of Mark Doherty of New York, NY, the late Brian Doherty of Brockton, MA, Susan Doherty of Marlboro, MA, and Gregory Doherty of Brockton, MA.

Owen was born on July 20, 1930, in Brownsville — a section of Brooklyn, NY.  His parents, Henry and Bridget Kearney Doherty, hailed from Donegal, Ireland as did five of Owen’s eight siblings: Henry, Hugh, Rose Traverse, John, James, Bernard, Francis, and Mary McNiff of South Boston, MA. Owen is survived by his three loving grandchildren: Jessica Doherty of New York, NY, Owen Doherty Jr. of Brockton, MA and Rocco Augustus Doherty Mastrobattista of Marlboro, MA and his two daughters-in-law; Susan Boyle-Doherty and Debbie Doherty as well as his 29 nieces and nephews.

During the Great Depression, Owen developed a love for electricity while repairing radios and toasters for his neighbors to earn money to help support his family. Owen went on to study electricity, graduating from Charlestown High School and  then working for over 40 years for the International Brotherhood of Electricians, Local 103, Boston, MA. Owen served in the U.S. Navy from 1951-1954, graduating from the Harbor Defense School and earning a National Defense Medal.

Fitting with the Irish tradition, Owen was a great storyteller. He often recalled seeing the last vestiges of the old lamplighters lighting the gas street lanterns just prior to their electrification, learning how to read from a movie marquee in Brooklyn, memories of cranking his brother James’ Model T to help restart it, the iceman who came around before refrigeration, selling newspapers in downtown Boston as a boy, the servicemen being shipped off to WW2, the building of the Prudential Building. He wired the Old North Church and then had the honor of flipping the belfry switch for the Bicentennial Lantern Celebration, commemorating the lanterns that signaled to the Patriots on the other side of the Charles River that the British were moving by water: “One if by land, and two if by sea.” All these pieces of history may have gone with Owen, but his stories and memories as a loving husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law, brother, uncle, and friend to all who were blessed to know him will live on. 

Public visitation has been cancelled. Funeral services will be held in the summer of 2021.