John P. Doherty Sr., 77, who represented the United States at one of the first agricultural trade missions to the Soviet Union, died of a heart attack Sunday, Feb. 4, in his home in Northbrook. He was a retired executive vice president and chief executive officer of Illinois Cooperative Futures Co. in Chicago. Mr. Doherty volunteered to serve in the Army during World War II and fought with the 86th Infantry Division until the end of the war in 1945. He and his wife, Bernadette, married in 1950. Work as a grain executive took the couple to Peoria and St. Louis for a short time before they settled in Northbrook in 1962. He was an officer for several grain companies, including the Norris Grain Co., Archer Daniels Midland Co. and the Illinois Grain Co. “He just loved the challenge of buying and selling,” he wife said. In 1972, Mr. Doherty worked with U.S. lawmakers to help open trade relations with the Soviets. Other survivors include three sons, John Jr., Richard and James; a daughter, Mary Glynn; and eight grandchildren. A mass will be said at 10 a.m. Thursday in Our Lady of the Brook Catholic Worship Center, 3700 Dundee Rd., Northbrook.
