Claire Elizabeth Dougherty's Obituary
Claire Elizabeth Dougherty, 68, of Stafford, passed away peacefully on Thursday May 6, 2021 in the comfort of her own home.
She was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Claire was passionate about education since she was a child. She established St. William of York Catholic School in 1993, starting with an early education program. Claire earned her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Marymount University, which enabled the school to meet the diocesan accreditation criteria. The school was then able to expand from preschool to eighth grade and she became the principal. During the latter part of her career, she taught kindergarten at Holy Cross Academy for 13 years. Claire took great joy instilling the importance of education in her student’s lives.
Claire’s personal time was dedicated to her own children and her grandsons. She had profound happiness spending time with her grandsons. She had a great appreciation for the Italian culture and enjoyed many trips to Italy. Claire was also a coupon-cutting, Moody Blues-loving, pinball wizard.
She is survived by her children, Megan Dougherty, Kenny Dougherty (Micherie), and Bridget Dougherty; two grandsons, Davin and Conner Dougherty; her dedicated caretakers, Angie, Brittany, and Nini; her three siblings, and the innumerable students whom she impacted throughout her life.
Claire’s family will receive friends from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Thursday, May 13, 2021 at Found and Sons Funeral Chapel, 10719 Courthouse Road, Fredericksburg. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, masks are required to be worn in the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 4:00 p.m. Thursday, May 13, 2021 at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, and via livestream at https://www.facebook.com/stmaryfred/videos/?ref=page_internal. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, May 14, 2021 in Historyland Memorial Park, 11227 James Madison Parkway, King George.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her honor to St. Jude Children Hospital at stjude.org/donate.
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