Rev. Lawrence Dougherty

NORTH LIBERTY — The Rev. Lawrence “Larry” Dougherty, 69, went home to be with his Lord on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009, at home, following a five year battle with cancer.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009, at the New Life Community Church in Coralville. Visitation will be on Saturday at New Life Church in Coralville from 9 a.m. until services begin at 11 a.m. Graveside service with military honors will be at 3 p.m. at the Union Cemetery in Newton, Iowa. Conducting the services will be Pastor Ken Polsey, the Rev. John White and the Rev. Jeff McIlrath. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Larry’s memory to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or to World Vision.

Larry was born on Jan. 6, 1940, in Marshalltown, Iowa, the son of David W. and Elsie (Lair) Dougherty. His early education was in the Marshalltown Catholic School system. He graduated in 1958 from high school, where he excelled in academics, student leadership and interscholastic sports. He then enrolled at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, again excelling in academics, gaining acceptance in Delta Epsilon Sigma, graduating magna cum laude and running track and cross-country. For two years, he pursued coursework leading to the Catholic priesthood.

Upon graduation in 1962 he enlisted in the Army and was accepted into the Security Agency, where he learned to read, write and speak the Russian language. He spent a year and a half in Berlin monitoring Russian military communications. On Sept. 12, 1965, he married Linda Wiese in Santa Monica, Calif. To that union were born three children, Laura, Lisa and David. Their early years were spent in Onawa and Atlantic, where he taught high school. Then began a 14-year career with Superamerica Division of Ashland Oil, where he managed convenience stores in Sheldon, Shenandoah and Newton. He returned to school and graduated from Upper Iowa in 1988 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. As the chief fiscal officer of Capstone Center Inc., Larry oversaw the formal and functional merger of three previously separate entities into a new behavioral health care center.

On May 23, 1981, he married the love of his life, Ramona Van Gorp. Together they grew closer in Christ. In 1996, he received a call from the Lord, and he entered the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, graduating in 2000 with an master of divinity degree. He served as an intern pastor for First Reformed Church in Aplington, Iowa, from 2001 to 2002. Larry then accepted a call in 2002 to Emmanuel Reformed Church in Morrison, Ill., where he served until 2006. Those were the best four years of his life, serving the Lord’s will in and through one’s life, finally living the life that God had chosen for him from all eternity. Larry also served many volunteer functions in the church, including 20 years as an adult Sunday School teacher. He discovered a gift for relationships with senior citizens, often visiting them in their homes and on their sick beds. He especially enjoyed visits with his grandchildren, far flung across the country and the world.

Larry possessed a lifelong love of sports, including the Cubs and the Hawks. In later years, he took up road running, co-founding the Newton Runners Club and staging several local races in the early 1980s. He ran several marathons, even completing one in San Diego in 2006 in a benefit for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He also served on the Newton YMCA board and was a member of the Rotary Club, Jaycees and the American Legion.

Larry’s family includes his wife, Ramona; his children, Laura Swanson (Craig) of Clarinda, Iowa, and David (Chi-un), USAF; 11 grandchildren; his brothers, Richard (Beverly) of Marshalltown and Gerald (Caril) of Waukee, Iowa; stepsons, Joe (Lisa) Van Gorp of Los Angeles, John (Nikki) Van Gorp of San Diego and Sam (Jennifer) Van Gorp of Fort Worth; foster brothers, Matthew Poole (Karen) of Arizona, Doug (Vickie) of Marshalltown and Tim Poole of Marshalltown; foster step-brothers, Ken Thompson of Colorado, Gary (Judy) Thompson of Marshalltown and Brian Thompson of Marshalltown.

Preceding him are his daughter, Lisa; his parents; his brother, Robert; and his foster-parents, Raymond and Ella Poole Thompson.

Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Larry’s family and his services.