James Dennis Doherty

J. Dennis Doherty was a man of many hats, both literally and figuratively.

He was a loving husband, father and devoted grandfather ( Deuce), a loyal friend
to many, and he valued his life-long friendships. He was a teacher in the lessons of
perseverance, honesty and sobriety; his love of history and philosophy gave him a
cerebral and logical approach to life. He was a wordsmith, an avid reader on any
and all subject matters and a continual seeker of knowledge. One of his favorite
sayings was, “Dinosaurs didn’t read…look what happened to them!” Even family
vacations weren’t immune to “campfire quizzes” regarding the sightseeing
locations of the day. His love and interest of all things Civil War led to many family
excursions to include those battlefields….more quizzes, more souvenir baseball
hats!

He was a respected reporter and editor for The Cincinnati Enquirer for 34 years
and was proud to be part of the editing and publication of two books about the
Enquirer: “The Grand Old Lady of Vine Street” and the Jim Borgman book, “My 25
Years at the Cincinnati Enquirer.” Denny was inducted into the Journalism Hall of
Fame in 2008.

He was a highly respected Army Artillery officer with the 1/94 th Battalion
stationed in Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany, for three years before serving in
Vietnam for a year with the 1/92nd Artillery Battalion in the Central Highlands.
During that year he was awarded the Army Commendation medal as well as the
Bronze Star for meritorious service in Army combat. He was in the Battle of Dakto
and lived to tell of its horrors, but now decades later Agent Orange proved to be
an unrelenting enemy for our Captain.

He was The Cincinnati Red’s biggest fan and, of course, that hat was another
favorite. He and his wife not only watched all of the ballgames together, but
enjoyed trips to spring training in Goodyear, AZ, and the Baseball Hall of Fame in
Cooperstown, NY. His greatest baseball delight, however, was being honored as a
Hometown Hero at Great American Ballpark because of his service to our country.
A full ballpark crowd gave him a standing ovation as his picture was viewed on the
big screen.

He and his wife loved to travel and were fortunate enough to be able to enjoy
visiting all 50 states, most of the Caribbean as well as destinations including
Europe, South America, Central America and Antarctica. So many
destinations…so many hats!

Most importantly, Denny was a good, kind and loving person. He was strong in
his Catholic faith and will be missed tremendously by all those whose lives he
touched. We are confident that he has been welcomed into heaven by the angels
and saints; that unique and glorious sunrise recently with its “Artillery red”
magnificence and double rainbow, certainly indicated that!

He leaves behind his wife, Jan, and their children, Dave Doherty, Deanna (Fred)
Erny, Suz (John) Banchy and the late Steve Doherty as well as grandchildren,
Grace (Andrew) Koehler, Ann-Marie, Claire and Luke Erny, Kelly and Henry
Doherty, and Marie and Jerry Banchy. He also leaves his brother, Mike (Kathy)
Doherty, with holes in their hearts as well.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Veronica Church in Clermont County on
Friday, January 19 th, at 11 am. Friends may visit at the church on Friday from 10 am to 11 am.

In honor of his military service with the Army Artillery, please wear some touch of
red in his memory.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project.