Kevin Michael Doherty

Kevin was born on August 6, 1958, in La Cañada Flintridge, CA. He graduated from Flintridge Prep High School in 1977 and received a bachelor’s in Economics from Occidental College in 1981. After college, he worked several years in Pasadena and San Francisco as a wine buyer and general manager in the restaurant industry. It was in San Francisco in 1988 that he met his future wife, Peggy, on a blind date.

In 1989, Kevin moved to New York to pursue his Master of Business Administration at NYU Stern School of Business and to be with Peggy. The couple married in Napa Valley in 1990 and Kevin received his MBA in 1991. He joined American Express, supporting the payment card needs of restaurants and retailers, and progressed his career to become Vice President of Marketing.

After 12 years at American Express, when his youngest child turned 3, Kevin made the pioneering decision to become a stay-at-home Dad to be present for his young family, to support Peggy’s career, and to become active in the community. In addition to being a Super Dad to his three kids, being there for every milestone, Kevin was also a three-term PTA president at P.S. 234, where his advocacy during a challenging period helped solve for an overcrowding crisis in downtown schools and his activism won a noise mitigation agreement from a nearby construction site. Kevin also enthusiastically worked field trips, school fairs and fundraising events, coached softball and was a board member for Downtown Little League, volunteered as parent manager for a travel soccer league, and served as board president of The Tribeca condominium association for 5 years. In 2010, Kevin received Manhattan Youth’s Downtown Community Award. Later, Kevin also supported the Poly Prep community in Brooklyn, performing admissions interviews.

As his kids went off to college, Kevin turned his focus to his passion for genealogy, researching and recording his family’s stories and journeys. Kevin always had time for tourists, stopping to ask about their travels and sharing tips on the best ways to explore downtown. He had the gift of being able to strike up a warm conversation with anyone and everyone. Kevin was looking forward to retirement, enjoying the sunsets over the ocean in Solana Beach, CA.

Kevin is survived by his wife of 31 years, Peggy Maher Doherty, three children, Bridget Doherty, Connor Doherty, and Brendan Doherty, and four siblings, Karen Anne Doherty Platt and her husband Peter Platt, John Doherty, Anne Elise Doherty, and Michael Doherty and his wife Carol Anne Doherty. His parents, Emmett E. Doherty, Jr., and Anne L. Dougherty Doherty predeceased him.

A mass and a party in the park celebrating Kevin’s life were held in New York City in May. Kevin will be laid to rest at El Camino Memorial Park in Sorrento Valley, CA on October 8, 2022, at 12:30pm. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Melanoma Research Foundation at melanoma.org.