Walworth crash victim remembered as beloved family man

WALWORTH, N.Y. — Thomas Doherty, the retired Monroe County Jail deputy who died in a crash in Walworth on Tuesday, is being remembered as a beloved father, grandfather, and uncle.

Doherty’s daughter shared a photo and a statement about her father, saying he lit up the room the moment he walked in. New York State Police say the 62-year-old man from Webster died at the scene when his car collided with another car at the intersection of State Route 441 and Canandaigua Road. The crash happened around 4:20 p.m.

Doherty was driving a Hyundai Sonata and his partner, 56-year-old Kari Bittner, was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The two passengers of the other car, a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl, were also taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The 18-year-old driver of the Ford Focus wasn’t seriously injured. Troopers are still investigating the crash.

Here is the statement from Doherty’s daughter:

“My father lit up a room the moment he walked in. He was always ready to share stories and jokes with anyone who would listen. He grew up in a tight knit family of 7 kids on Winton Road, where he met several lifetimes worth of friends that he still connected with regularly.”

“Any day that was not spent at work as a Sheriff’s Deputy for the Monroe County Sheriff’s office, or later his retirement job as security at Webster Thomas High School, he was playing golf. Rain, sleet, shine, he was “playing the game” – to quote him. He belonged to Blue Heron Hills Country Club in Gananda, where he and his partner were scouting property and surveying how close to the driving range they could potentially build a home, a home that would be closer in proximity to their children and granddaughter.”

“To say that he was a devoted partner, father, grandfather, uncle, and father-in-law is an incredible understatement. Tommy was the guy you called when you needed anything, and he 100% of the time dropped what he was doing to make it happen. This tragic and untimely loss will be felt in a very big way to the local community, and I thank everyone wholeheartedly for the outpouring of support.”