Dennis P. Doherty, a 46-year-old nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital who died earlier this year from pancreatic cancer, held many titles throughout his life, including father, son, brother, and drummer. But he took pride in one that celebrated his Clam Point upbringing: OFD (Originally from Dorchester).

His parents, Denise and Paul, raised Dennis and his two siblings, Larry and Brigid, in his mother’s childhood home. But after moving away from his original neighborhood, the OFD tag remained an important part of Dennis’s identity.

For friends and family who aim to both remember him and honor him through fundraising efforts, the symbol OFD has taken on another meaning: “Our Friend Dennis.”

One of his close friends, Steve Saleeba, plans to ride the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) this weekend in his name.  “If you knew Dennis, everything about him was OFD, and he was great,” said Saleeba. “He was quirky and when you first met him, you thought this kid is not tough and he’s like, ‘I’m OFD,’ and that became very much part of his persona. He grew up there, he made it part of his personality.”

When Saleeba found out about Dennis’s diagnosis, he signed up for the PMC, a two-day event where participants bike 186 miles to raise funds to fight cancer in support of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. 

To participate in the event this weekend (Aug. 5-6), riders need to raise a minimum of $6,000. Saleeba decided that when he had raised half that amount, he would complete a ride in Dorchester. After speaking with Dennis’s mother and his friends, Saleeba set out to complete a 10-mile route that, as he put it, spelled out the letters OFD on a map of the neighborhood with Dorchester Avenue as its baseline.

Steve Saleeba laid out a 10-mile bike route that resulted in the letters OFD being set out on this map of the neighborhood with Dorchester Avenue as their baseline.

The double meaning of the familiar acronym has allowed those close to Denise to remember an amazing nurse, friend, father, brother, and son. When she learned that Saleeba’s route would spell this out, she felt compelled to ride the ten miles with him. 

“She made it, she kept up,” Saleeba said. “There was one hill where she was, like, I might have to get off. And I said, “No, you’re doing this for Dennis,” and she didn’t quit, she stayed on, and we did it.”

Completing the ride on Father’s Day in June allowed Dennis’ family and friends to feel his presence on a day that they missed him most. He and his wife Nancy lived in Norwood with their two sons.

“I couldn’t be more proud that I accomplished that ride with Steve and I like to think I carried Dennis through Dorchester with us. I smiled most of the way, I cried when we got through,” said Denise. “It was just such a wonderful thing for me to be able to do for my own healing as I try to get through this, and I think Dennis would have been like ‘You go, Mom’ and he would have loved the fact that I was out there with Steve.”

For more information or to donate to Steve Saleeba’s OFD fundraiser in memory of Dennis Doherty, click here.