James Monroe Doherty

Richardson resident James “Jim” Doherty passed away peacefully on March 24, 2024 at the age of 89. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend. Jim was a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. His sweet and gentle spirit endeared him to everyone who knew him. He loved unconditionally and never spoke an unkind word about anyone. His dry wit and sense of humor was appreciated by all.

Jim was a gifted teacher. He served as a lay pastor at Doctor’s Nursing Home in Dallas for several years. He taught a weekly Bible study at The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center in Dallas, Texas for over 30 years. He served as president of the Dallas Chapter of the Full Gospel Business Men in 1980.

Born into a loving family on November 29, 1934 in Lubbock, Texas, Jim was the son of Austin Yates Doherty, Sr. and Bula Trammell Doherty. As a young boy, he was a member of the Boy Scouts. At age 7, he received an erector set for Christmas which was instrumental in his developing an avid interest in engineering. He was a graduate of Littlefield High School in Littlefield, Texas and Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas where he received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering and was a member of Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society.

Following graduation, he served in the United States Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and subsequently as a Commissioned Officer in the Army Reserve with an honorable discharge.

Following college and military service, he accepted a job with Texas Instruments as an electronic design engineer, designing complex circuits for use in their products. He worked at several other firms over the years, fulfilling his passion for electronic inventions. One of the highlights of his career was at Del Norte Technology in Euless, Texas, where he was selected to travel to the Aeroespacial Airbus factory in Toulouse, France to train engineers on the use of Del Norte’s transponders being used in their aircraft at the time.

On March 30, 2024, family and friends gathered for a private memorial to celebrate Jim’s life and share meaningful memories of having known him. He is survived by his adoring wife of 43 years, Judy Doherty, his son Gary Breckel, his step-daughter and husband, Kathy and Roger Shackelford, grandson Brennan Shackelford, and nieces Angela Dwyer and Marie and Sarah Botkin.

His parents and brother and sister-in-law, A.Y. and Vivian Doherty preceded him in death.