Harry (Rick) Daugherty, 68

Harry (Rick) Daugherty, beloved father, grandfather, brother, & uncle passed away on February 19, 2024, in the presence of his family at his home in Post Falls, Idaho.  He was born on October 12, 1955, at the Wardner Hospital, in Kellogg, Idaho. He was the son of Richard & Geraldine Daugherty.  Rick grew up in Smelterville & attended Silver King Grade School.  He attended & graduated from Kellogg High School, Class of 1974. Rick attended North Idaho College for electronics.  He married Connie Gardner of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  Later, he married Denise Blanton of Spokane, Washington, and they had two children together, Brian & Nicole.  

Rick is survived by his daughter, Nicole Daugherty and grandson, Malakai; three siblings, Debby (Mike) Roberts of Kennewick, Wash.; Wendy (Mike) Hei of Pinehurst, Idaho; & Scott (Joyce) Daugherty of Cataldo, Idaho; & several nieces & nephews, & a great-niece, & a great nephew.  Other special people he called family included his long-time girlfriend, Valerie Crockett, of Alberta, Canada.  Rick was preceded in death by his son, Brian Daugherty; his parents, Richard & Geraldine (Brown) Daugherty; & his grandmother, Violet (McGillivray) Brown.  

Rick was a perfectionist at work, but a bit of a procrastinator in his personal life.  But he had a heart of gold, & there was not a stingy bone in his body—he often went out of his way to help someone in distress or who was having money problems.  The Green Bay Packers often filled him with joyful enthusiasm on Sunday afternoons, & his 1970 Nova SS gave him pure delight as he cruised in his muscle car.        

Rick proudly claimed his Irish heritage.  A “paddy cap” often adorned his brown locks & side profile, & his German Shepherd was not far from his side. Rick had a passion in life for roadbuilding & construction, & he morphed into a jack-of-all-trades, working on heavy equipment, pioneering logging roads & laying the groundwork for commercial buildings & rock retaining walls while repairing his diesel pickup in his off hours. His roadbuilding became an art in itself, as many can attest.  

Rick’s first job was delivering the Kellogg Evening News in his boyhood years.  This is when Rick came down with a years-long kidney disease, that followed him through high school, with many long stints in Sacred Heart Hospital. 

During his high school years, Rick worked for Gary Damiano at the Corner Drug in Kellogg, Idaho. Fresh out of high school, Rick became employed by Sverdsten Logging, as a spotter on a line machine.  During his second year of logging, Rick was given the opportunity to run his first cat.  Through the years he worked for several logging & excavating contractors, including Triple Tree Logging; Bob Helmick Road Building & Construction; Shawn Montee; & Red Diamond Construction.   His last job was working for Peck & Peck Excavation, where he reached the zenith of his career in personal satisfaction & happiness under the stewardship of owner Greg Peck & Greg Peck’s dad.  

Rick liked to play chess, collect Coca-Cola memorabilia, vacation on the Oregon Coast at Beverly Beach, & go flyfishing at Wrigley Lake.  He also loved to cook, hunt, go boating, camping, & huckleberry picking & he was a computer guru, often fixing many frustrating computer problems.  He was a good man, known for his work ethic, giving 100%, but don’t get him started talking about politics!   

Rick had tremendous courage and an extraordinary inner strength to pursue his battle with pancreatic and liver cancer, sometimes working four days a week, along with experimental chemotherapy treatments.  Rick hardly ever complained about himself, and he held a positive attitude right up to his demise.  

Private family graveside services will be held at the Hunt Cemetery.  The family suggests memorials may be made to the Hunt Cemetery (PO Box 722, Pinehurst, ID 83850) or the “Wishing Star Foundation.”  

A “Celebration of Life Memorial" will be held on Wednesday, February 28th at 2:00 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel Templin’s On The River in Post Falls, ID. 

English Funeral Chapel is entrusted with the services. Condolences to the family at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.