Mary Dougherty approaches her days as she has all of her life—with zest, a keen sense of humor and wit, dignity, and pride in herself and her family.

The Overland Park resident is excitedly looking forward to the next significant event in her life, a celebration of her 100th birthday on Oct. 31. The party will take place at her home, Delmar Gardens of Overland Park, a nursing and rehabilitation center where she has lived for about seven and a half years.
Born in 1910 in Atchison, Kan., Dougherty was one of three children and was educated in Catholic schools.

Her father was a railroad employee who happily spent many an hour riding up and down rail routes as a conductor, including a regular stint from St. Louis, Mo., to Omaha, Neb.
"I don't suppose that there was a man more content in his work life than my father," said Dougherty. "He absolutely loved trains and enjoyed working on them and riding as a passenger, as well."

Her childhood was happy, Dougherty recalls, "and we benefited from train passes that gave us an opportunity to travel to places throughout the country."

She remembers learning to ride horses in Manitou Springs, Colo., on one such travel adventure.

"Sometimes my sister, brother, and I would travel with my mother while my father stayed behind to work, and other times we would travel as a family together," she said.

Dougherty's family moved to the Kansas City area when she was around 8, ending up years later in Prairie Village, where she shared a home with her mother.

"I feel so blessed that my mother and I were not simply a mother and a daughter but also best friends who enjoyed each other's company and shared lots of adventures," she said.

As a child, Dougherty enjoyed ice skating immensely and was quite good at figure skating, taking part in some figure skating events. Her parents were always supportive of her special interests. The only one in her family with musical skill, she took private piano lessons for many years.

Dougherty has always had a fondness for experiencing and enjoying places beyond her home, and she worked and lived for awhile in California and in Washington. In California, she and a girlfriend took part in the adventure of a lifetime.

"I had a brand new Plymouth Fury in 1967, and we set out to drive about the United States," Dougherty recalls in detail as if were yesterday. "The car had 110 miles on it when we left Oakland. On return, it had about 7,500 miles on it—it was so new when we left that it still had the temporary license plates on it during the trip."

That adventure included a glimpse at the Grand Canyon and stays in Denver; Washington, D.C.; Florida, including the Everglades; Louisiana, replete with a visit to New Orleans; and many other scenic and interesting places over the course of four weeks.

"For some reason, I distinctly remember having to use the windshield wipers in Miami just to get rid of the humidity on the windows," she said. "It was an entirely different world for us!"

Dougherty eventually returned to the Kansas City area, working for J.F. Pritchard Co., a design and construction firm involved in the installation of cooling towers. She was a contract monitor, enjoying the business world immensely.
When asked what her greatest challenge was when working, Dougherty emphatically answered, "getting an interview and getting hired." She said that early on, the stated problem was not enough experience, and later on the barrier was being overqualified.

One of the greatest sorrows in Dougherty's life was the premature death of her sister, Katherine Jane, of heart-related problems in her mid-30s.

"I was fearful how difficult the loss would be for my mother, but the problems were congenital so she was somewhat emotionally prepared for the death, even though it was very sorrowful," Dougherty said.

Dougherty has outlived her other sibling by many years but does have a niece, nephew, and extended family in California.

"They are planning to come for my birthday in the autumn, my favorite season, so it will be a time of happy reunion and celebration," she said.

Longevity is present in Dougherty's family. Her great-grandfather, who lived in Topeka, lived to be 98. Dougherty's own secret?

"I have simply not dwelt on living a certain number of years, but rather faced and looked forward to each day, one day at a time."

She also suggests with a laugh that "Maybe my lack of a sweet tooth had something to do with my health and years."
"My mother used to offer to buy me candy as a child, but I would just politely and gratefully decline," she recalled. "But today I find it a bit difficult to refuse a piece of apple pie, particularly if it has a very thin crust!"

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