Obituary of Christopher James Dougherty

Christopher James Dougherty, 56, of Cohoes, passed away on December 6, 2023 after a brief illness while visiting his family in Patterson, California.  The son of the late James V. Dougherty and Darla Zigar Dougherty, Chris was born on February 21, 1967 in Albany, NY.  Chris grew up in Clifton Park, NY and attended Shenendehowa High School through 10^th grade before moving to Colorado Springs, CO in 1983 following the deaths of his parents, where he graduated from Air Academy High School on the Air Force Academy campus in 1985.  After graduation he enlisted in the United States Army, completing his basic training at Fort Benning in Georgia before being stationed at Fort Ord in California.  Due to medical issues, he was honorably discharged in 1988.  Chris was a proud US Veteran and always spoke fondly of his years of service and those he served with.  He continued to stay in touch with many of his fellow servicemen.

After leaving the Army, Chris moved to Northern California where he met his wife Sandra while working as a security guard at a car manufacturing plant in Freemont, CA and they immediately fell in love.  They were married in 1991.  They eventually moved to Patterson CA in the Central Valley in order to be in a community where they could raise their 4 children in the country away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Chris found his niche in the document management industry working for a succession of global imaging companies where he excelled at service and operations holding a number of executive positions. 

Chris was a lover of rock music and taught himself to play the electric guitar at an early age.  He especially loved Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen was an idol) and Joe Satriani.  He would attend their concerts whenever possible and on his wedding day, won a radio contest to see Van Halen by calling in and being the “correct caller”!!  He was always lucky at winning contests.  Chris played in a number of rock bands in both Colorado and California and collected electric guitars.  He enjoyed skiing (both downhill and waterskiing) in his younger years, golf, camping and riding motorcycles with his children.  He loved being outdoors with his kids.  He was an avid sports fan always cheering on his favorite San Francisco 49’ers and San Jose Sharks.  He would have loved to know the 49’ers were in the 2024 Super Bowl.  He will be cheering them on from above!

In 2021 Chris started spending most of the year in New York where he reconnected with a number of friends from his childhood.  He enjoyed Sunday dinners with his sister and nephew and regular lunches with a group of high school buddies.  He had a dry sense of humor and was always making people laugh.  He never took life very seriously.  He had survived a number of challenges and tragedies and was grateful for every day and for the people in his life who helped him along the way.  Prior to his death he kept busy by spending time with his friend Chris helping him expand and grow his business, using many of the operations management skills he honed during his decades of work in the corporate world.  Chris loved rolling up his sleeves and solving problems.  He always had an idea of how to make something better! 

Chris is survived by his wife, Sandra; children Alexandria, Christopher, Samantha, Joseph; and his granddaughter Riley Grace.  Chris was the beloved brother of Allison Dougherty Bashkoff and uncle of Nolan Yowell, Devyn Bell and Darienne Bell.   He was the nephew of Craig and Chyleen Tomalty and cousin to Lisa Durrenberger and Kira Collins, his “Colorado” family.  He leaves behind many more family members who will miss him dearly.                 

In addition to his parents, Chris was predeceased by his sister Brenna Dougherty Marks.  Cremation has taken place through the care of the Gordon C. Emerick funeral home.  Chris’s wish was to have his ashes scattered in Canada at his family’s summer home on Lake Huron.  A place near and dear to his heart filled with many childhood memories.  A memorial service will be held in Patterson at a later date.