Betty Jane Dougherty, Class of 1964

Betty Jane Dougherty, age 81, of Zanesville, Ohio, peacefully went to be with the Lord on April 22, 2024, at the Oaks of Bethesda in Zanesville after a long and courageous battle with Multiple System Atrophy.

Betty was born July 8, 1942, in Joliet, Illinois to the late C.A. “Doc” and Laura (Vanzant) Dougherty. She was a 1960 graduate of Zanesville High School, where she was a member of the marching band and played the flute. Following high school, Betty attended Muskingum University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1964. Following undergrad, she attended Michigan State University, where she earned her Masters of Business Administration in Accounting. She began her career as an accountant in Chicago with Arthur Anderson and then Coopers and Lybrand, before moving to Dallas, Texas, in 1973 to raise her daughter. Betty returned to live in Zanesville in 1992 and worked for her family business, Zane Casket Company, until her disease forced her to retire. In her spare time, Betty loved gardening, shopping, reading, and helping those less fortunate.

She is survived by her daughter Michelle Benoist, son-in-law Jeff, and two grandsons, Josh and Brandon of Flower Mound, Texas; her two brothers, Bill Dougherty of Zanesville, Ohio, and Robert Dougherty of Norwich, Ohio; and several nephews and nieces.

Betty was preceded in death by her mother and father, C.A, “Doc” and Laura (Vanzant) Dougherty and her two sisters-in-law, Mary Dougherty, and Mary Beth Dougherty.

Year of Muskingum Undergraduate Degree
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