Robert L. Daugherty

Robert Lee Daugherty, 82, formerly of Fond du Lac, passed away on Wednesday, February 4, 2015, at Lower Cape Fear Hospice near his current residence in Wilmington, NC.A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, February 14th, at 11:30 a.m. at St. Andrew Catholic Church in LeRoy, WI, with Rev. Father Tom Biersack presiding. A visitation for Robert will be held on Saturday, February 14th from 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the church. Burial will follow at St. Andrew Cemetery in LeRoy. Relatives and friends are invited to a reception lunch immediately following the graveside service at St. Andrew School Hall in LeRoy, WI.Bob was born on June 27, 1932, in Cincinnati, OH, to Jesse and Annette Daugherty. On April 24, 1954, he married Kathryn (Kathie) Kehrmeyer, of LeRoy, in St. Andrew Catholic Church. They raised their family in Fond du Lac before Bob’s career took them to New Jersey and Michigan. In 1985, Bob and Kathie returned to Wisconsin, coming “full circle” to live once again on the shores of Lake Winnebago near their treasured Kehrmeyer relatives, friends, and the Green Bay Packers. Although they’ve spent the last 10 years in warmer climes in Wilmington, NC, Bob and Kathie returned to Fond du Lac last year to celebrate their 60th anniversary with family and friends at the Retlaw Hotel.Bob, an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, worked at Giddings & Lewis Machine Tool, starting as an apprentice on the shop floor and eventually rising to vice president. He enjoyed boating, sailing, golfing, tennis, playing cards and, most of all, spending time with family and friends. Bob and Kathie leave an invaluable legacy of family cohesion: for the past 25 years they have gathered family members from all over the country to spend a week together in northern Wisconsin. They remain the captain and first mate of the family boat, “Full Circle.”A lover of gadgets, his iPhone, limericks, and good storytelling, Bob was known for his exuberance for life, the playful twinkle in his blue eyes, and his generosity of spirit. He summed it up in his often-repeated motto: “Life is Good.”Most of all, Bob is remembered for his lifelong devotion to his wife, Kathie, and their family: children Cindy (Wade) Riffe of Bartlesville, OK; Karen (Conrad) Lowman of Wilmington, NC; Julie (Paul) Tirrell of Cooperstown, NY; Nancy (Bob) Willey of Holland, MI; and Paul (Beth) Daugherty of Maplewood, NJ; his sister, Naomi Rathkamp of Sacramento, CA; 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; and other friends & members of his large, extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents & his grandson, Robert Tirrell.In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Covenant House, a cause very special to Bob, at www.covenanthouse.org.