John Augustine DOHERTY

                   NOTE: Mary Agnes' nickname was "May."

Dottie Turner Leahy recalls:
   My Mother was born 15 October 1884 in San Francisco,CA. On her driver's license the date of birth was 15 Oct 1887. Margie Mason said she cheated on her age so she wouldn't have to be so old.
   She was a wonderful wife to our Dad and a wonderful mother to us. She had many sorrows losing her Mother, losing her brother Jackie and losing my Dad when she was in her 40's, but I think the worst was losing my brother Georgie when he was 18 months old of diptheria. She said he was laughing in the morning and gone that night. Our Dad had diptheria at the same time so she had to handle the tragedy by herself. Mother never really got over the loss. Year later his little nay blue coat with a penny in the pocket was hanging in the closet at our home on Moncada Way in San Francisco. I always felt the reason she squeezed my hand so hard when I was small crossing the street with her was because she was afraid something might happen to one of us.

Mom was a good housekeeper, gardener and a fabulous cook. She cooked American, Chinese, Spanish, Italian and of course corned beef and cabbage. I still have her recipes in her beautiful handwritting. She wanted Gwen, Pat and me to have the best of everything- education, clothes, sports, and talents. She went to other cities to find a dancing instructor for us.

Mom didn't need to have charities as we have now as she found her own. Once she went out to the Rodeo grounds in Salinas- found a poor family and went to her friends to collect clothes, food, etc. to help them. She also liked to do things for her relatives. I know her brother Hugh lived in Fresno in the early days. She loaned money to her brothers and sisters full and half so they could have their own homes constructed and then they paid her back. She loved all her relatives. Marguerite Allibert was her best friend from teenage days until God took them. Both great people.

After I finished college and started living in San Francisco, Mother said she didn't want a daughter of hers living in an apartment, so she found a lovely home to buy in San Fracisco 244 Moncada Way and bought it. Although Gwen and Pat were not too happy about leaving Salinas they learned to love San Francisco. Mom gave Pat the best bedroom in the new house so she would be happy. We started a new life with many friends and activities. Mom had always loved San Francisco and we were all very happy.

Mother had a stroke in her early 60's. Our doctor said her heart had probably been damaged as she had rheumatic fever in her teen years. Her last ten years after her stroke were not as happy as they should have been, but she made the best of everything even participating in all our weddings - drove her car after her stroke- loved the little grandchildren. She died at St. Francis Hospital on 5 November 1956.