Emelia E Doherty

Emelia Appelhans Doherty, 97 year’s young, of Missoula, Montana, passed away peacefully and joined her heavenly family on March 9, 2017. Emelia was born on November 23, 1919, in Riverton, Wyoming.
Emelia graduated from Riverton High School. She met George O. Doherty while he was teaching at St. Stephen’s Mission, in Riverton. They married in 1942, shortly after George was commissioned as a pilot in the USAF. Following his service in WWII, George attended medical school while Emelia attended to their first five children. By the time their burgeoning family grew to seven children, George completed his post-graduate education, and the family moved to Grand Junction, Colorado. In 1958, Emelia and George moved their family of 11 children, to Missoula, where they added one more child to their brood. The family continued to reside in Missoula until Emelia’s passing.
She was the last of her generation, having been predeceased by her parents, Felix and Catherine Appelhans, and seven siblings, Catherine, Joseph, Frank, Monica, Rose, Elizabeth and Helen. Emelia’s beloved George preceded her in death in 2003.
Emelia is survived by their twelve children, Rosemary Wolferman, of Missoula, MT, Sharon (and spouse Brian) Bedard, of Spokane, WA, Patricia (and spouse Lee Richard) Dunton, of Chewelah, WA, Michael (and spouse Bonnie) Doherty, of Missoula, MT, Kathleen Wills, of Missoula, MT, Margaret (and spouse Donald) Spink, of Sun City, AZ, Carol Manning, of Battle Ground, WA, Thomas (and spouse Connie) Doherty, of Missoula, MT, Dennis (and spouse Cynthia) Doherty, of Missoula, MT, Mark Doherty, of Bellingham, WA, Mary Jo (and spouse James) Erickson, in Anchorage, AK, and Daniel Doherty, of Longmont, CO. Emelia is also survived by thirty-six, yes, thirty-six, grandchildren and . . ., wait for it . . ., fifty-one great-grandchildren.
Emelia devoted her life to the Catholic faith and her family. She loved nothing better than a family gathering, good food, and laughter.
An open prayer vigil will be held Tuesday, March 14, 2017, at 7 PM, in St. Anthony Church. A funeral mass will also be held at St. Anthony’s, on March 15, 2017, at 11:30 AM, with a reception following. An internment ceremony, at the Missoula Veteran’s Cemetery, will take place at 3:30 that same afternoon.
Condolences may be left for the family at www.GardenCityFH.com. For more information, please call Garden City Funeral Home at (406) 543-4190.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Emelia’s memory to the Cody Dieruf Benefit Foundation, at P.O. Box 6044, Bozeman, MT 59771, www.breathinisbelievin.org, or to the Poverello Center, at 1110 W Broadway St, Missoula, MT 59802, www.thepoverellocenter.org. As Emelia often said, “Be good and be holy!”