“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth.”
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Charles “Chuck” Leslie Dougherty, of Chehalis, passed away Sept. 18, just a few months shy of his 92nd birthday.
Chuck was born in Kelso, Washington, to Ralph and Esther Dougherty in 1934. He grew up in Molalla, Oregon, and attended what was then Oregon State College (Go Beavers!), where he met Elizabeth “Bette” Mannel. They married in July 1957, and Chuck joined the U.S. Air Force to become a pilot. His favorite plane was the F-4, which he flew in Thailand with the famous Flying Tigers squadron, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. Highlights of his career as a pilot included flying Ann-Margret around Thailand in a C-123 for one of her morale tours during the Vietnam War, safely landing in a farmer’s field after ejecting from his plane, as well as breaking an altitude record. He was also a general’s aide, flight instructor and chief of morale, welfare and recreation before retiring in 1979 at Williams Air Force Base in Mesa, Arizona.
After retiring from the military, he worked as a private pilot instructor and owned a small distribution company before fully retiring to fish, hunt, build model gliders and travel with Bette. They traveled yearly to Maui and enjoyed many trips throughout the U.S. and to countries overseas once Bette retired from teaching.
Chuck and Bette lived in Mesa until 2017, when they returned to the Pacific Northwest. Bette passed unexpectedly in December 2017, and Chuck spent the remaining years of his life enjoying vacations and day trips in Washington and Oregon, celebrating holidays and events with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and eating all the goodies he could get away with.
Chuck will be remembered as a happy and easygoing man who loved being around his friends and family. He didn’t generally talk much, but when he did, he was witty. He was well-loved and respected, with an impish, crooked grin that will be greatly missed, along with his lovable yet often snarky attitude toward life.
He is survived by his son, Chip; his son, Michael (Megan); grandchildren, Shawn Cosper, Ashlea King (Jordan), Brandon Cosper and Jason (Leah); and great-grandchildren, Michaela Dougherty, Caitlin Dougherty and Oliver Cosper. He was preceded in death by his wife, Bette; his daughter, Debra (Couch); his sister, Shirley (Hamilton); and his parents.
There you are, Dad, at 30,000 feet …
“Put out your hand, and touch the face of God.”
