Michel Doherty, recovery specialist, community activist, dies at 96

Michel Doherty, 96, a pioneering addiction recovery specialist in Pennsylvania and community activist, died Sunday, April 18 at Hope Hospice in Lee County, Fla., after complications from a fall.

Her greatest calling was helping people who were struggling with alcohol and substance abuse, said her close friend, Jeanne Sweeney.

“Get moving, get busy, and get over yourself,” were words she lived by, Sweeney said.

Mrs. Doherty was tapped for administrative posts at treatment programs in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Virginia.

In the 1970s, she served as president of Pennsylvania Addiction Counselors and helped develop credentialing standards for the National Certification for Addiction Counselors. She was selected for Who’s Who in American Women from 1985 until she retired in the 1990s; honored as an Outstanding Woman in a Special Edition of Notable Women in America in 1989; and received numerous state and national awards for her work in mental health and battling addiction.

“That was her calling — to make a difference,” said Sweeney. “She did it all her life.”

Born in Erie, Pa., to David Lloyd George and Marie Morris, Mrs. Doherty attended the University of Alabama, but later pursued a theater and modeling career in New York City. She modeled for the John Robert Powers Agency, appeared in several Broadway shows, and was a dancer at the Copacabana and Latin Quarter Night Club. She also appeared with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis at the 500 Club in Atlantic City.

In 1952, she married William “Big Bill” K. Rodstein, a well-known Philadelphia entrepreneur and restaurant owner. They lived exciting lives, associating with the likes of Frank Sinatra and other stars.

But the high life took its toll. Mrs. Doherty realized she had a problem with alcohol, especially after her husband’s death in 1969, and got sober, Sweeney said. Afterward, she left entertainment for a new life helping others achieve sobriety. She later married her second husband, Edward Leo Doherty, a treatment professional. Their union lasted 25 years until he died in 2006.

When Mrs. Doherty retired in 1990, she settled in Lee County, Fla. But she wasn’t winding down. For her, it was another new beginning.

“Michel never let age define her,” Sweeney said.

In Florida, Mrs. Doherty became active in the Republican Party and civic affairs. Sweeney said she received several community accolades over the years for mentoring women and public service.

In 2011, the Lee County commissioners gave her their annual Person of the Year for Outstanding Community Service award. In 2020, she was named Grande Dame by the Pace Center for Girls, a nationally recognized support and education program for girls and young women based in Florida. Mrs. Doherty cherished the recognition because of the importance she placed on mentoring girls and young women, her friend said.

“She was always there for you,” Sweeney said. “She had a unique way of speaking to you — like you were the only person in the room. And so was so wise. She could relate to anyone. Everyone wanted to listen to Michel. Everybody could learn from Michel.”

Mrs. Doherty is survived by her son, William M. Rodstein, and other relatives. Another son, Michael W. Rodstein, died earlier. Three brothers and a sister died earlier as well.

A Mass to honor her will be scheduled at a later date.

Donations in Mrs. Doherty’s memory can be made to the Pace Center for Girls, 5745 Philips Industrial Blvd., Jacksonville, Fla. 32256; Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, 9981 S. HealthPark Dr., Fort Myers, Fla. 33908; Hope Hospice, 2430 Diplomat Parkway East, Cape Coral, Fla., 33909; or Cape Coral Community Foundation, 1405 SE 47th St., Cape Coral, Fla. 33914.