Emery W. Dougherty died Aug. 12, 2019 at his home in York, Pa.
He was born Oct. 11, 1928 in Taylor, Pa., to Walter J. and Lillian (Salmon) Dougherty.
He was a 1946 graduate of Linden High School, Linden, N.J., where he was Student Council President and a vocal soloist in annual Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas. He was a member of the New Jersey All-State Chorus and the choir of the Linden Methodist Church.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1946 and was stationed in Nara, Japan, where he was trained as a Dental Technician, which was to serve him later. He benefited from the G.I. Bill and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1952.
He was recruited to work as a polymer chemist for a dental materials firm, the L.D. Caulk Company in Milford, Del. There he met and married the former Janet McNeal, and his family lived in Milford for thirty-one years. Among numerous civic activities, he was for some years a vocal soloist at the Avenue Methodist Church.
He produced numerous commercial products for professional dental use and was the recipient of numerous patents relevant to his employment. After the Caulk Company merged with Dentsply International, Inc., he became Research Manager for prosthetics, and was later appointed Research Director of the Caulk Division. In 1981 he was appointed Research Director of Dentsply and moved with his family to York. He later was named Vice President for Research and Product Development of Dentsply, traveling extensively in that position until his retirement on Jan. 1, 1994. He worked continuously for the same firm from college to retirement, more than forty-two years.
He was a member of the American Society for Testing and Materials, the American Chemical Society, and the International Association for Dental Research. He was active in writing and developing dental materials performance Standards sponsored by the American Dental Society, American National Standards Institute, and International Standards Organization. He was a Fellow of the Academy of Dental Materials.
He is survived by his wife of nearly 67 years, Janet; a brother, Bruce (Frances) Dougherty of Los Altos, Calif.; three half-sisters, Joyce Cahill of Rahway, N.J., Susan Kahney of Linden, N.J., and Diane Dwyer of Freehold, N.J.; four children, Norma Meisenhelter, Eric (Ester) Dougherty, and Neal (Tracy) Dougherty all of York and David Dougherty of Boston, Mass.; seven grandchildren, Corey, Graham, Jamaica, Jillian, Joshua, Logan, and Vanessa; and seven great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will occur at 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 23, 2019 at the Etzweiler Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 1111 East Market Street, York. There will be a visitation from 10:30 to 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, consider donations to the Hospice and Community Care, P.O. Box 4125, Lancaster, PA 17604 or to York College of Pennsylvania, 441 Country Club Rd, York, PA 17403.
Arrangements by the Etzweiler Funeral Homes and Cremation Service, 1111 E. Market St., York, PA 17403.
www.etzweilerfuneralhome.com