Paul Dougherty Obituary

Paul M. Dougherty, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away on June 16th at the age of 92.
Paul was born in Los Angeles, and spent his teenage years in Ojai, California. He graduated from Villanova Prep in 1951. An early love of Sherlock Holmes inspired Paul to follow a career in criminalistics, and he graduated from UC Berkeley's School of Criminology. After serving in the US Navy (Intelligence), Paul joined the San Mateo County Crime Lab and later ran the Crime Lab for many years. Paul also attended law school during the evenings and passed the bar exam. He later retired to Ojai with his wife Jo Anne, and resided in Ojai for almost 40 years.
He was a renowned criminalist, especially in the areas of firearms and explosives. A trained microscopist, he was well known for his detailed exams using light, stereo and electron microscopy when investigating a case. He was also the first investigator to apply neutron activation analysis to the forensic sciences. The quality of his work was recognized by the State of California when he was asked to help with the investigations of several high profile cases, including those of the serial killers Edmund Kemper and Herbert Mullin. His detailed methodology and testimony won him national acclaim.
After retirement, he worked as a consultant on many cases, including the Clegg case in Northern Ireland. He also was interviewed in two documentaries, one for the St Valentine's Day Massacre and the second concerning Edmund Kemper.
Paul was a member of both the American Academy of Forensic Scientists and the Association of Firearms and Toolmark examiners. Through both these organizations and when working with colleagues in the lab he was considered to be an outstanding mentor and teacher.
Paul was a Renaissance man and had many interests, including history (especially the Civil War and World War ll), politics, cars and microscopes. His love of cars included purchasing an historic Kubelwagon. He also collected a variety of historic microscopes.
Paul served on the boards of Villanova and the Senior Canyon Mutual Water Company.
Paul married Jo Anne Logue in December, 1955. He is survived by his wife, two children (Paul and Colleen), two grandchildren, (Megan and Ryan), and two great-grandchildren, (Theo and Emma). He is also survived by his sister-in-law, nieces, great-nieces, and a great-nephew. Paul was predeceased by his brother, Michael H. Dougherty.
The funeral mass will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Ojai, California, on July 8th at 1 pm. A reception will follow in the parish hall.
Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Home & Cremation Service
757 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001 805-643-8623