January 16, 1939 – July 21, 2025
The world has lost a faithful, loyal, extraordinary man. Robert Allen (Bob) Daugherty, 86, passed away on Monday, July 21. He was born in a three-room wooden house on January 16, 1939, in rural Bath County, Ky., near Owingsville, to sharecroppers and shined shoes for spare money during childhood.
When asked how he got started in photography, Bob shared that as a young boy, he was inspired while delivering the GRIT, a local community newspaper, to the farmers near East Fork, Ky., when a customer confided that he couldn’t read but sure enjoyed the pictures!
In his early teens, Bob’s family resettled to Marion, Ind. It was there that his passion for photography began. Obtaining his first camera at the age of 15, he volunteered on the Marion High School Newspaper and earned money working for the Marion Chronicle Tribune. His camera gave him a new window to the world, and he never looked back, a long way from helping his father on the tobacco farm.
Several years later, he was recruited by the Indianapolis Star. It was there that he met his future wife Stephanie, a staff writer at the Star. They were married in 1963, the same year that he was recruited by the Associated Press, beginning a 43-year career with the AP.
Forty of his 43 years were spent in the Washington Bureau of The Associated Press, where he was staff photographer, chief photographer, assistant chief of bureau for photos, and then Director of the State Photo Center. He covered The White House, Capitol Hill, the Gulf War, 37 Kentucky Derbies, 23 Masters Golf Classics, 22 political conventions, Nixon’s trip to China, the Watergate Hearings, The Paris Peace talks, The Gulf War, The World Series, the Olympics, and nine U.S. Presidents.
Bob won many awards for his outstanding work. While working for The Associated Press in Indianapolis in 1965, he received the Sagamore of the Wabash and was named a Kentucky Colonel. He was recognized in the 1980-81 Who’s Who In America for his photo journalism, and in 1999 he received the AP Oliver Gramling Achievement Award. In 2007, he was inducted into the Marion High School Hall of Distinction and in 2009 was honored by the Washington White House News Photographers Association with a Lifetime Achievement Award as the News Photographer of the Year. Then in 2015, he was named to the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame by the Indiana Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
Bob was one of the giants in the worldwide community of Associated Press photos and national news. An AP Photo Editor once said, “Bob stands out as one of the AP’s all-time greats, not just for his outstanding photography, but for his presence as a leader, mentor, colleague, and role model.”
Bob and Stephanie lived nearly 40 years in Falls Church, Va., where, outside of work, Bob cherished moments on the soccer field as he served as coach of his son’s soccer team and an official at the local swim club for his son’s swim meets. Following retirement, he and Stephanie moved to Noblesville to be closer to family, where Bob volunteered as a member of the Cicero Kiwanis and Noblesville Rotary Clubs.
Bob’s legacy will be his kindness, steadiness, and his insistence of quality work. He was a faithful, loyal, good man, and will be remembered for his witty quips and sense of humor, always ready to play a joke on his nearest and dearest friends. As we bid a loving farewell to him, we are reminded that even in the face of adversity, his spirit shines brightly, lighting our lives with love, laughter, and an enduring legacy.
Suffering from a series of health complications in recent years, he maintained his stoic resolve, ever positive, never questioning, always ready to move to the next challenge.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Marvin and Kathleen Daugherty of Marion, Ind.; and an infant daughter. He leaves behind his wife of 61 years, Stephanie; his son, John Patrick Daugherty; grandson, John Thomas Daugherty; sister, Alberta Brock; daughter-in-law, Karim Daugherty; two nieces; two grand-nieces; one grand-nephew; a sister-in-law, Trena Goodwin; and many more grieving family and friends.
Bob’s advice:
An apple a day? No. Instead, enjoy a Perfect Rob Roy with me.
Take time every day to look at the sunsets, one of my favorite past-times when I retired on Morse Lake.
Regrets are a heavy thing. Let them go and carry on.
Take time to mentor a young person.
Adopt a cat. They are wonderful companions, like my British Blue, “Mr. Eli.”
Bob’s care has been entrusted to Hartley-Dunnichay Funeral Homes in Cicero. Per Bob’s wishes, there will be no funeral service. The family will hold a private gathering to celebrate a life well-lived. In lieu of flowers, please consider giving donations in his name to the Cicero Kiwanis or the Noblesville Rotary Club. His memory will forever warm our hearts, and his love will sustain us through the years to come.
In celebrating Bob’s life, we invite you to share your memories, stories, and photographs on his memorial page at hartleyfuneralhomes.com. These contributions will serve as a comforting keepsake for her family and a beautiful testament to Bob’s vibrant life.