Whether she was serving her country during World War II or serving her parish in later years, Mary Elizabeth Doherty truly defined "The Greatest Generation."
During the war, she volunteered as a nurses' aide in the Bundles for Britain program and the Red Cross.
Rationing allowed a person only two pairs of shoes, said her husband of 64 years, Paul Doherty. "And one of hers had to be nursing shoes," he chuckled.
Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Doherty, 86, of Highland, died Dec. 6.
He recalled how they moved to Highland in 1962 and his wife loved Our Lady of Grace parish.
"She was very active in church affairs and was deeply involved with the Lord," he said.
Not surprisingly, Doherty also was deeply involved with their children.
"She was quite a ping-pong player, and would take on — and beat — everyone in the family," Paul Doherty recalled.
He noted that his wife was a big White Sox fan and her dad knew Charley Comiskey.
So it was natural for Bette to be a Sox fan even though Paul Doherty is a Cubs fan.
"We had a lot of fun with that," he said.
On the aesthetic side, "she liked her flowers," he said.
Even during her illness she would putter around the yard to nurture them.
"She was a fighter," and even when bedridden, everyone was astonished at her strength, her husband said.
As their kids were growing up, she made sure they did all the things they were supposed to do.
"We made a deal after marrying," Paul Doherty said. "She took care of the kids and I took care of the job."
Without a doubt, that deal has worked everlasting wonders.
"She was just a wonderful mother and a gracious lady," her husband said.
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