Login | August 20, 2025
‘Lou and Du’ retiring from Summit County Clerk of Courts
TRACEY BLAIR
Legal News Reporter
Published: July 8, 2016
The Summit County Clerk of Courts office has always been ahead of its time for online case filing and other technological advancements many say thanks to two longtime employees.
This summer, “Lou and Du” ‑ the two credited with bringing the court into a more electronic age - are retiring with a combined 75 years experience.
Mary Lou Daugherty, the self-described “lame duck chief of staff,” bid her farewells Thursday after 43 years.
Cathy “Du” Duhon, the director over accounting, will retire July 29 after 32 years.
Scott Feeney, chief deputy clerk, said the duo has always gone above and beyond the call of duty in a very busy office.
“It’s hard to replace 75 years overnight,” said Feeney. “These two are like walking, talking policy procedure books. This whole office is very customer-service driven.”
Both women began their courthouse careers in the title bureau and said they have witnessed a plethora of changes over the years.
For instance, when Daugherty started her job, the docket was kept in large, handwritten books.
“There was actually a fountain pen and a bottle of ink in my desk,” she said with a laugh. “We’re the behind the scenes people making sure every day when you walk in here that everything’s going well. We serve the public and the judges, so we have had to keep up with the demands of service. You never know what you are going to deal with when you walk through the door. We have to stay up with the private sector. With the amount of funding we had, we’ve really accomplished a lot.”
Duhon, a Barberton native who holds a degree in business administration, said she is proud of the fact that the court consistently does well on state and county audits.
“I make sure the money comes in and everything is balanced,” she added. “If we’re not sending something on time, we could be in trouble.”
Summit County Clerk of Courts Sandra Kurt said Daugherty and Duhon have been a tremendous help to her since she took office in January after then-Clerk Daniel Horrigan left to become mayor of Akron.
“What impresses me about these ladies is that they have the technical knowledge and the legal knowledge, but also the people skills,” Kurt said. “Lou had planned to leave after Daniel Horrigan left, but she stayed on to help with the transition. She never hesitates to say, `I’m only a phone call away.’ (Du) was instrumental when we went to electronic case management. She just dug in and got it to where it would operate well.”
Daugherty, an Akron resident who began working at the court right out of high school, said her biggest accomplishments include having a large role in the court’s website winning a national award and moving the office from paper into e-filing.
Duhon said she enjoys her job but is looking forward to having more time to do her landscape painting and golf.
“My favorite is the Florida sun and I plan to go there a lot,” she said. “I’m 58. I’m happy to leave while I’m still young and in good shape.”
Daugherty, who also plans to pick up golf again as well as spend more time with her five grandchildren, said she has always tried to treat all patrons with respect.
“We deal a lot with the mentally ill,” she said. “We’re the first level of customer service people see when they’re coming to the courthouse.”
Feeney said the retirees had the ideal dispositions to represent the office.
“A lot of times we’re dealing with people on their worst day,” he said.
Kurt said Duhon and Daugherty have been ultra-committed to their jobs.
“They embrace innovation,” said the clerk of courts. “That’s really impressive and not something you usually see with 75 years experience. Our case management system was developed in-house to meet the needs we had in the best way to serve the public. We’ve been imaging since 2001. The clerk’s office in Summit County was doing things before anyone else. Lawyers tell me consistently that Summit County is so far ahead of everyone else.”
Kurt added that there are no immediate plans to replace either employee.
“You can’t replace 75 years so we’re kind of spreading the wealth,” said the clerk.
Daugherty said although the time is right for her to leave she has loved all four-plus decades of service.
“I will miss the excitement of the courthouse – the pulse,” she said. “People say, `How can you do the same thing for 43 years?’ It’s never the same though.”