In Memoriam: Carole M. Doughty

The Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors regrets to inform its membership of the passing of longtime Orange County Realtor Carole M. Doughty who passed away in her cherished home in Newburgh on the morning of Jan. 29 at the age of 85.

Those who knew her well knew her to be outspoken, a free spirit always bucking social convention, and an advocate for the underdog. Doughty’s passion for nature, art, interior design, architecture, fashion, and her overall eclectic sensibility ultimately informed her 40-year career in real estate. She loved houses and selling them. She first worked for Cherry Patch Realty in Cornwall, then with Eleanor Bouton before joining John J. Lease Realtors in 1993. She worked until the year before her death.

She was born in Brooklyn on April 12, 1938, to Sherman and Edna Doughty. She was the youngest of their seven children and was predeceased by her six older siblings (Virginia Musolino, Ralph Doughty, Dorothy Doughty, Wallace Doughty, Donald Doughty, and Barbara Soon). She is survived by her two devoted daughters, Michele and Jeanine Durning, her son Douglas E. Durning, her loving extended family, and caring friends.

Doughty’s family moved to Walton Lake in Monroe when she was 12. At the age of 13, Carole won The Mirror’s “Charming Child and Teenager Contest” based on a photo submitted by her mother. In her 20s, she had a brief career as a fashion model. She also auditioned and was hired by Arthur Murray as a dance instructor at his studio in NYC.

Carole married her first husband, actor Charles Durning in 1958 in Washingtonville. Their courtship began when they were paired together as professional dance instructors to demonstrate the Cha-Cha (her expertise) at a ballroom dance convention for Fred Astaire Dance Studios in Newburgh. She was 18, he was 34. They married three years later and divorced in 1971. She lived with her second husband Robert Mazzarella in Cornwall-on-Hudson before divorcing in 1977.

She was an adventurer at heart and lived in many different places including NYC, Los Angeles, Seattle, Pennsylvania, and Mexico before returning to the Hudson Valley. She was an amazing cook and enjoyed hosting elaborate dinners in her home. Doughty loved animals and especially her beloved cats. As a decades long survivor of advanced stage lung cancer, she found solace as a devout Catholic.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Hudson Valley SPCA, a no-kill sanctuary for animals. https://www.hudsonvalleyspca.com