A moving tribute: Lakes Region line dance community comes together to remember one of its members

LACONIA — Family and friends of Marge Doherty hug each other as they arrive at the VFW for a tribute line dance on Saturday. Lights flashing blue, green, purple, and red illuminate the dance floor as people begin dancing. Six cardboard posters plastered with photos of Doherty and everyone she knew line the back tables behind food and refreshments. Centerpieces printed with her face also sit at each table. No matter where you are in the venue, it was impossible to forget that everyone is there to remember Doherty.

“She needs to go out in a big fun celebration,” friend and next door neighbor Tara Saxton said. “We don't want to be sad. We want to be happy and drinking and dancing and doing everything she would have been doing if she were here with us.”

Doherty died unexpectedly Dec. 18, 2023, at age 63 at home after experiencing a cough and cold-like symptoms. After surviving cancer three times in her life, and known for her loud and social personality, many people thought she would live forever, including her friend Linda Vassil, who often went to the Beginner Line Dancing classes with her on Friday afternoons at Gilford Public Library.

“We had gone dancing, and she had a little bit of a cough, but it was a time of year everybody was sick,” Vassil said. “That unfortunately was the last time I had seen her.”

Doherty's cause of death remains undetermined. Her body was cremated before an autopsy was performed, despite the family’s request. Her husband Dan is focused on remembering her for the good she brought to him and his family.

“Everything in the house reminds me of her, in a good way, a positive way. I can't feel sorry for myself because it'll destroy me and my kids. I just got to keep moving on,” he said. “I try to keep the plants alive because we love planting. This summer, I'm going to keep the grass growing better. Everywhere you look, it reminds me of something.”

Marge, who was born in Everett, Massachusetts, lived in Londonderry for 20 years before moving to Laconia five years ago. Despite her comparatively short tenure in the Lakes Region, Marge was very popular. Because of her social personality, everywhere she went she made a new friend. Vassil experienced this when she met Marge and Saxton while golfing a couple years ago at Tavern 27. Saxton didn’t have her own clubs, and Marge asked Vassil if Saxton could use one of her clubs. The rest is history, and Vassil became another one of Marge’s close friends. Saxton could only watch every time Marge met someone new.

“She just collected, and collected, everyone along the way,” Saxton said. “Marge was driving the bus. We were all just the stops along the way of her life.”

At Saturday's tribute line dance, this was exemplified by everyone who showed up. There were over 30 people, all family and friends who came to remember Marge. The group may have been larger, but after the event was postponed due to the snowstorm in late March, many people from out of town who originally planned to come couldn’t make the new date.

Kelsey Doherty, 29, Marge’s daughter, was not disappointed by the number of people who showed up. While wearing one of her mother’s cowboy hats and dancing boots, Kelsey took a page from her mother’s playbook and wanted to enjoy the night.

“We ought to just enjoy the moment and not care. That's what I take from her,” Kelsey said. “She enjoyed every single second of life.”

Despite all the praise Marge received, Kelsey was quick to humble her. She talked about the irony of her mother's lack of dancing ability, despite being honored with such an event. That is what inspires her about her mother, and Kelsey was easily the liveliest on the dance floor.

“She just never cared what anyone thought about her. She can’t dance, but she always did her thing,” she said. “I'm her. I know I can't dance, but I'm like, 'Welp, give it my best shot.'”

Marge also lives on through Kelsey while she works as a nurse. When patients are in a bad mood, Kelsey says she likes to dance a little to cheer them up.

“I like put on Billie Eilish and dance out of their room,” she said. “Just have fun, in any avenue of life. That’s what we do.”

Despite how many people Marge knew, her son Colin Doherty, 32, never had the chance to introduce his new girlfriend Katherine Slattery to his mother as they live in Londonderry. The pair has been dating for about a year. He said the tribute helped Katherine gain more of an understanding of who Marge was, despite never meeting her in person.

“I was definitely disappointed that she didn't get the opportunity to [meet], just because of how new it was and the distance apart,” he said. “The two of them personality-wise would have really gelled well, you know. [Marge] would love her.”

While the loss of his mother has been difficult, it reminded Colin how important family is to him, and that he could lean on them in times of need.

“As a family, we're all very close. We’re up here to pick each other up,” Colin said. “It’s been good to have the support of family, loved ones, friendships and stuff like that, because they’re always a good source to remember the good times and not always the negatives that come along with it.”

To continue Marge's legacy, guests at the dance could donate money to two causes; one bucket for the Jimmy Fund, which supports Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; the other for a headstone. The Jimmy Fund is important to Marge's family due to her history with cancer. The headstone will be one that  accurately represents Marge: big, loud, and colorful. Marge’s ashes will be buried in a plot in Londonderry, next to space for her husband.

Even after the dance, Marge’s legacy still lives on. Saxton still lives next door, though Dan is now her sole neighbor. When she can, Saxton lets her dog out to relieve himself and roam without a leash. Before Marge died, she often called Benson to her door and gave him what Saxton calls a “junkie treat,” tastier than the healthy snacks the dog got at home. Now, Benson still runs to Marge’s door after relieving himself, awaiting his next “junkie treat.”

A moment that used to frustrate Saxton, it now sticks out as one of her fondest memories. Marge lives on in these moments.

“I can still hear her voice,” Saxton said. “And that’s what keeps me going.”

Editor's note: This story has been updated to attribute the final quote to Tara Saxton.