Elissa Doty

Elissa Doty, 70, of Raleigh, North Carolina, passed away in her sleep on August 18, 2026. A Celebration of Life service will be held at West Raleigh Presbyterian Church on September 12, 2026 at 1:00pm.

Elissa was born in Arlington, Virginia to Harry O. Doty and Joyce S. Doty. She graduated from Yorktown High School. She received a dual bachelor’s in Biology,and in Art, from the University of Virginia. Later, she graduated Summa Cum Laude from Western Michigan University from their PA Program. She became an accomplished Physician’s Assistant specializing in surgery.

Elissa’s family is her primary joy. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Matthew Hellgeth. She has three sons, Nathan (wife, Laarni), Curran (wife, Lesley), and Kier. She has two grandchildren whom she loved dearly, Kia and Mayumi. She has a surviving sister, Joy Pechan.

Her interests included the arts and travel. In the arts, she was an accomplished ceramicist, potter, and printmaker. She also loved to travel and has visited many countries including Iceland, Spain, France, Italy, Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Virgin Islands.

But her focus after her being diagnosed with stage 4 non-smoking related lung cancer has been advocating for her fellow cancer survivors and raising funds for lung cancer research. She was invited to speak to the North Carolina legislature about the importance of universal access to biomarker testing. She has traveled to DC and spoken with Senators and Representatives, urging them to reinstate the 60m in funds cut from the Lung Cancer Research Program as part of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP).

She has led an extremely energetic and dynamic life. She will be remembered for her compassionate heart, sharp intellect, persistence, and raw courage. She is an inspiration to many and will be missed.