Auburn – Richard Earl Doughty, 79, of South Paris, succumbed to cancer at Androscoggin Hospice House.

He was born in West Paris on July 5, 1928, the elder son of the late Roscoe E. and Lillian Day Doughty.

After graduation from West Paris High School in 1946, he worked for the Canadian National Railroad and Penley’s Mill before joining the United States Army and serving in the Korean Conflict from November 1950 to November 1952. He was a sergeant and tank commander at “Heartbreak Ridge.”

Following his discharge from the service, he married the former Laila Piirainen on Sept. 12, 1953, in West Paris, by the late Eleanor Forbes. They moved to Brunswick where he was employed at the Harpswell Fuel Depot.

After six years, he returned to South Paris where they built their present home. Richard joined the U.S. Postal Service at South Paris, first as a city mail carrier and then a rural mail carrier until his retirement in 1995 after 42 years of civil service.

He was lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a charter member of the Finnish-American Heritage Society of West Paris. He enjoyed going to camp in Bryant Pond with his dog Rusty, and playing jazz piano by ear.

He spent many afternoons listening to his collection of jazz albums while playing along on the trumpet.

In later years, Richard and Laila enjoyed MaineLine bus tours to many locations throughout the United States and Canada.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Laila of South Paris; his only daughter, Lillian Doughty of Oxford; one brother, Stanley and his wife, Sybie Doughty, of Bowdoin; brother-in-law, Veikko Piirainen of West Paris; sister-in-law, Lois Piirainen of West Paris; a dear nephew, Dale and his wife, Loraine Piirainen, of West Paris; nieces, Betty Freure of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and Geraldine Gay of Florida; and several other nephews and nieces.