Dr. Robert Worden "Bobby" Dougherty, Jr.

   Dr. Robert Worden “Bobby” Dougherty, Jr., 79, of Hertford, NC, passed away Wednesday, November 22, 2023 in ECU Health Chowan Hospital, Edenton.

   Dr. Dougherty was born in Baton Rouge, LA on April 9, 1944, and was the son of the late Robert Worden Dougherty, Sr. and Katharine Medora Butler Dougherty. Raised on a dairy farm in Louisiana, he graduated from LSU where he was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity and served as president of the College of Chemistry and Physics. He then attended Rice University in Houston, Texas, graduating in 1973 with a Doctorate in Nuclear Physics. He was employed for 35 years at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Howard County, Md. One of his major accomplishments there was the design of the first guidance system for the cruise missile program. In 2008 he retired and moved to Hertford, NC where he and his wife had their dream home built on the Yeopim Creek. Some of his many hobbies included making and listening to music, woodworking, gardening, traveling and boating. His involvement in Holy Trinity Episcopal Church was one of his most cherished experiences after retirement.

   Surviving is his wife of nearly 50 years, Nancy Lynn Carver Dougherty; three daughters, Rebecca Giro (Tony) of Ellicott City, MD, Katharine Finley (Kyle) of Waldorf, MD, and Meg Dougherty, also of Ellicott City; a brother, Thomas Dougherty (Peggy) of Baton Rouge; five grandchildren, Brooks, Jackson, and Sam Giro, and Colin and Elizabeth Finley; and several extended family members.

   A memorial service will be held Friday, December 8, at 11:00 a.m. in Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Hertford. Friends may join the family for a time of visitation on Thursday, December 7, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Miller & Van Essendelft Funeral Home, 1125 Harvey Point Road, Hertford.

   Memorial contributions may be made either to Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, 207 S. Church Street, Hertford, NC 27944 or to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), 200 Vesey Street, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10281.

   Online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.