Mayree Dougherty Celebrates Her 110th Birthday

Alice Dougherty, Blowing Out the Candles to Celebrate Her 110 Years

Alice Mayree Dougherty was only a few months old when the Wright Brothers made their celebrated flight at Kitty Hawk back in 1903.  She was a young teen when World War 1 began and a young woman at the start of the Great Depression.  In her 110 years she’s witnessed events transpire that ranged between the horse and buggy era to spaceflight, from the Dust Bowl to the advent of the internet.  Perhaps the one enduring feature of her lifespan has been her friends and family. 

Birthday Banner at Juniper Village

Mayree and her Son, David, Share a Moment During Her Birthday Party

They turned out this past Saturday, March 30, at Juniper Village in Lamar to help her celebrate her 110^th birthday.  The dining hall of the retirement village was filled with residents and friends, including Roger Stagner, Lamar mayor, her son, Granada Police Chief, David Dougherty and family and well-wishers to enjoyed several birthday cakes and assorted greeting cards.

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A bit hard of hearing, but still very much aware of her surroundings and events, Mayree Dougherty was attentive while the gathering sang, “Happy Birthday” to one of the state’s oldest residents and watched a release of festive helium balloons from Juniper Village.  Those were equipped with special tags identifying where they came from and the event of the day if anyone wished to offer a return note.  They will help indicate how far the balloons had traveled to note a remarkable woman who has made an incredible journey herself, through so many numerous decades.

By Russ Baldwin