DOVER - William L. Dougherty, of Dover, died Friday, July 22, 2011, at the Delaware Hospice Center, Milford. He was 72. He was born July 19, 1939, in Phoenixville, Pa., to the late John A. Dougherty and Margaret Loucks Dougherty. Mr. Dougherty served in the United States Navy from 1956 to 1960 serving many of those years on the U.S.S Goodrich. He started work in the space industry in 1960 with Spidel, who had the first contract with the US Government for manufacturing space-suits to be used in NASA projects. Mr. Dougherty moved from Worcester, Mass., in 1966 when the International Latex Company (ILC) relocated to Dover. He worked for ILC until his retirement in 1994 after having worked his way up to the position of Quality Assurance Manager. He was an avid reader and card-player. Mr. Dougherty enjoyed spending time with a large circle of friends at the Modern Maturity Center where he participated in daily games of both bridge and pinochle. He was a member of the Dover Elks Lodge #1903 and had been for 25 years. He was also a member of the Central Delaware Civil War Roundtable, where he enjoyed sharing his extensive knowledge of U.S. history. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, Shawn R. Dougherty; and brothers, John and Robert. He is survived by daughters, Kelly J. Mears and her husband Carl of Milford, Erin Sebastian of Dover, and Meghan Dougherty of Millsboro; grandchildren, Mark Schafer and his wife Tobi of Dover, Ashley Mears of Milford, Emily and Tori Sebastian of Dover and Ava Kaser of Millsboro; great-grandchildren, Trent and Peyton Schafer of Dover; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, 2011, at Torbert Funeral Chapel, 61 S. Bradford Street, Dover. Friends may call one hour prior. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to the Modern Maturity Center, 1121 Forrest Avenue, Dover, DE 19904. Letters of condolence may be sent, and guestbook signed, at www.torbertfuneral.com.