RALPH FRANKLIN DAUGHERTY

Longtime Grass Valley resident and businessman Ralph Franklin Daugherty passed away Friday, July 4, 2014, at his home with his loving wife Vickie at his side. He was 80. There will not be a memorial service. The family is honoring Ralph’s wishes in this regard. He was born May 11, 1934, in his family’s Lookout Mountain home in Dade County, Ga. He attended and was a lifelong supporter of Berry Academy in Rome, Ga. Berry Schools were founded in the early 1900s for academically able but economically poor children of the rural South. These schools grew into Berry College, a highly regarded liberal arts college. In 1954, Ralph joined the U.S. Air Force. After four years of service, he was honorably discharged in 1958 with the rank of Tech Specialist 5. Ralph served Nevada County communities as owner of the Daugherty Allstate Insurance Agency in Grass Valley from 1967 until he retired in 1999. He was a past chairman and longtime board member of the Ophir Hill Fire District Board, and he served several years as a member of the Grass Valley Planning Commission. He was a member of the Environmental Management Committee of Lake Wildwood. He also was an active participant in the Lake Wildwood Men’s 9-Hole and 18-Hole golf clubs and the hunting and fishing club. He was an avid and accomplished fisherman and a flying enthusiast with both private and commercial pilot’s licenses. Ralph is survived by his wife Vickie, children, grandchildren and many friends. Ralph and Vickie recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. Ralph will be greatly missed for his warmth, his huge presence and infectious smile. He had a wonderful sense of humor and told stories that would brighten any day. The family has set up the Ralph Daugherty Memorial Fund at the Fisher House Foundation, www.fisherhouse.org, 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, Md. 20850-5168. A Fisher House is “a home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. Any donation to a charity of your preference also would be appreciated. Arrangements are under the care of Chapel of the Angels Mortuary.

RALPH FRANKLIN DAUGHERTY

May 11, 1934 - July 4, 2014