I am taking a detour today from my normal blog writing to use this time to reflect on the life of my brother in law, Terry Dougherty, who succumbed to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) this week. He leaves behind a loving family, my beautiful sister Keely and their 6 children. From the beginning it was like the Brady Bunch as my sister and Terry each had 3 children (3 boys and 3 girls) before getting married. I was lucky enough to walk my sister down the aisle at their wedding, which was truly unforgettable.

Terry was one of the good guys; an unsung hero keeping us all safe from behind the scenes. Although most of his job working for the government was classified, Terry worked as the director of the Threat Infrared Weapons Office, and was responsible for an impressive team of scientists and engineers who worked on the testing and evaluation of infrared air–to–air and surface–to–air missiles. Earlier this spring Terry was awarded the Superior Civilian Service Award and medal, the Navy's second highest civilian honor. This only goes to prove that Terry was at the top of his game and was a true leader, even though much of that work went unnoticed because of the sensitivity of the subject matter.

Terry, you will be missed by everyone who had the honor of knowing you. But, you will be missed most by those who were with you everyday. To my sister Keely Dougherty and the kids; Sean, Megan, Aubrea, Cassandra, Gregory and Sean, our thoughts are with you everyday. I will remember Terry for the good times we had, especially riding dirt bikes and having deep conversations about engineering and technology. At a time like this, I am reminded how precious life is and it puts everything else into perspective.