Kevin Doherty, Former PS 234 Parent Leader and Advocate, Dies at 63

Kevin Doherty "raised a high bar for what it meant to be an active member of a community," said fellow schools advocate Tricia Joyce. Photo courtesy of Peggy Maher Doherty

Kevin Doherty, a 30-year Tribeca resident and, as past PS 234 PTA president, advocated passionately for the school during one of its most politically volatile periods, died on Jan. 20 at age 63. His death was attributed to the spread of skin melanoma, which appeared to have been treated successfully in 2016, his wife, Peggy Maher Doherty, said in a note to friends.

Doherty, a stay-at-home father of three children, was PS 234’s parent leader at a time when the school’s overcrowding—and the call for more classrooms Downtown—had emerged as a burning local issue. During his three terms as president, from the 2005 to 2008 school years, he was among the community leaders working to stave off a crowding crisis at the school when kindergarten enrollment was at record numbers. He also fought for—and won with the help of then City Councilman Alan Gerson—a construction noise mitigation agreement with the developer of 99 Warren Street, the residential tower that would house Whole Foods across from the school. In 2007, Doherty convinced city officials to add a covering to the new walkway between the school and its annex.

A former Downtown Little League board member and girls softball coach, Doherty spoke out for the protection and expansion of the ball fields on Pier 40.

But Doherty’s school volunteerism had a quieter side, too, whether it was helping to build the refrigerator box maze for PS 234’s annual winter fair, or assisting with Taste of Tribeca. He also served as president of his condo, 303 Greenwich Street, from 2003 to 2008. 

Doherty received Manhattan Youth’s Downtown Community Award in 2010.

“Kevin always had a smile and a kind word,” Wendy Chapman, who worked with Doherty on Taste of Tribeca, wrote on a memorial website. “It breaks my heart that Tribeca lost another volunteer who made a difference.” 

“He raised a high bar for what it meant to be an active member of a community, and he will be deeply missed.” wrote Tricia Joyce, chair of Community Board 1’s Youth and Education Committee.

Doherty, who held a B.A. from Occidental College and an MBA from New York University, worked in marketing at American Express before devoting himself to his children and their school. 

“Truly a sunshine of a man,” Paddington Matz, a neighbor and friend recalled in an email. “He was always smiling, stopping to talk about what was up in the hood.”

That went even for those he didn’t know, Peggy Doherty recalled in an email. “He loved to help lost tourists; could bend their ear giving tips about everything they should see Downtown; loved to get a chance to use his (not very good) Spanish.”

“Kevin never met a stranger he didn’t like,” she added. “He had the gift of gab and could strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone.

The couple was married for 31 years. They met on a blind date. “He quickly swept me off my feet and became the love of my life,” Peggy said.

Along with his wife, Doherty is survived by their children, Bridget, Connor and Brendan, sisters Karen Anne Doherty Platt and Anne Elise Doherty, and brothers John Doherty and Michael Doherty.

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