Brother Ultan Alexius Dougherty died on December 1, 2011, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 88 years old and was a De La Salle Christian Brother for 66 years.

Arthur Dougherty was born to James and Geraldine Mary (Vaughn) Dougherty on August 14, 1923, in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was a civil engineer employed by the United States Navy and as a result, the family moved regularly, living in far-flung locations throughout the world. Arthur attended as many as nineteen schools in the course of his education.
He and his mother were in Hong Kong in December of 1941 when the Japanese invaded the British colony just hours after Pearl Harbor was attacked in the United States. Warned to catch the first possible ship out, they escaped to the Philippines to join Arthur’s father. The family returned to Southern California where Arthur continued with his high school education.

On June 5, 1945, he entered the Novitiate, and on August 14th of that year, he received the religious habit as Brother Ultan Alexius. In his years as a Brother, he resided at Mont La Salle as a member of the Holy Family Community and served as manager of the extensive produce garden, which was a source of food for the communities and students at Mont La Salle. Many families and De La Salle Institute employees were also recipients of his generosity with his agricultural bounty.

Brother Alexius spent many hours in prayer and meditation in the Mont La Salle Chapel. His spiritual study led him to write a book, Apocalypse, examining the Book of Revelations. However, he also had a humorous skill with words, and enjoyed word play and puns. Many of these quips and one-liners were later published in small booklets.

The funeral Mass will be held at Mont La Salle Chapel on Saturday, December 10, 2011, at 10:00 am. Burial will follow at Mont La Salle Cemetery.