Longtime Cazenovia resident Donald T. Doherty passed away on June 9, 2026 of natural causes, just over a month shy of his 100th birthday. Born July 20, 1926 to Harriet and Donald Romine Truax of Springfield, Illinois, Don lost his father in a tragic accident when he was just three years old, and was later adopted by his mother’s second husband, Wesley “Jack” Doherty of Savannah, Tennessee, taking his name and keeping Truax as his middle name. Don was raised in Dallas, Texas and felt fortunate his father remained gainfully employed throughout the Depression as a salesman for the Jarman Shoe Company. He was kept out of sports due to a very debilitating case of whooping cough, but was allowed on the high school track team because he was the only student with his own pistol, which they used to start the races. After high school Don attended Virginia Military Academy for three semesters before enlisting in the US Navy in 1944. He saw service during the War in the Pacific as a radio technician responsible for jamming the radars of the Japanese Navy in advance of American offensive operations. After the War, Don enrolled in Southern Methodist University and completed his degree in Engineering. He was hired by the Philco Corporation to provide technical assistance to the Far East Air Force headquartered in occupied Japan. Don spent eight years here, siting and helping to install radars for the Air Force throughout Asia, and it was in Japan he first met the love of his life, Anne Marie Berkeley, whom he reconnected with wholly by chance after the end of the Occupation and his work with Philco. They were married in 1959. Don was by then working for General Electric, first in Utica and then in Syracuse, designing and overseeing the installation of radars for use by the US military in sites as far flung as the Philippines and Turkey. Don and Anne raised two sons, David and Donald, in DeWitt, and once the nest was empty, they moved to Cazenovia, building their dream house on Burlingame Road.

       After retirement, Don volunteered with CAVAC first as a driver and first responder, and later as their radio technician. He enjoyed welcoming the Limestone Creek Hunt to the Burlingame property, hiking and skiing in the woods there, and tending the fields with his tractor. Don loved dogs and never felt complete without one. He loved sports cars and even raced them for a time while he was in Japan. He loved the outdoors, and took the family on dozens of camping trips to the Adirondacks and the St. Lawrence.

       After losing his beloved Anne in 2021, his most meaningful moments were spending time with his grandsons and his great-granddaughter, and playing with his chestnut miniature poodle Rosie. Don was a gentle and great soul, and he will be missed by many in Central New York and beyond. He is survived by his son Donald, grandsons Jack and Jeffery, and great-granddaughter Elizabeth.

       Calling hours will be held from 2 to 4 p.m., with funeral services to follow on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at Michael E. Brown Funeral Services, 2333 Fenner Road in Cazenovia. Private entombment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery in DeWitt. Contributions in Don’s memory may be made to CAVAC, 106 Nelson St., Cazenovia, NY 13035. Condolences for the Doherty family may be shared at www.michaelebrownfuneralservices.com.