Eula Mae Dougherty
Eula Mae Dougherty, a retired elementary school teacher, departed peacefully from her home in Colorado Springs on August 16, 2013, after suffering a stroke. She had lived in Colorado since 1920.
She was born in Paradise, Kansas on November 21, 1919 to Walter Thomas Gilbert and Dorothy Perkins Gilbert. She graduated from high school as Valedictorian of her class in Sugar City, Colorado in 1937. She graduated from Western State College in Gunnison, Colorado in 1940, where she was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority. She married Bardie W. Dougherty in 1941 and they had three children.
Eula Mae taught first and second grades at Bristol and Whittier grade schools in School District 11. She retired from teaching in 1980. During her tenure in education, Mrs. Dougherty and a fellow teacher, Lorne Dairy, used the Cuisenaire Rods, a manipulative device, to teach math. They co-wrote a book entitled “Step Ahead with Cuisenaire,” and held workshops for other teachers and for the Cuisenaire Company. Children enjoyed this “hands-on” method of learning math.
She was an active member of the Pikes Peak United Methodist Church, where she was superintendent of the children’s department for many years. She also held several offices in the United Methodist Women’s Organization.
She is survived by her son, Larry and wife, Estelle; son, Lynn and wife, Sherry; daughter, Mary Jo and husband, Mike; brother, Richard Gilbert and wife, Goldie of Denver, Colorado; eight grandchildren; and fifteen great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband and her sister Mary Esther Simmons.
A visitation will be held from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 22, 2013 with a funeral service to follow at 2:00 p.m. at Shrine of Remembrance “America the Beautiful” Chapel. A reception will follow the services and will be at the Olympian Plaza Reception and Event Center, 975 South Union Boulevard. Private interment will be at Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum, Garden of Angels.
The family of Eula Mae wishes to extend their appreciation to the staff and caregivers at ViewPointe Senior Living Center and to those at Gentiva Hospice. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Pikes Peak United Methodist Church.