Helen Dorothy Doyle, 87, of Prairie Village, Kansas passed away on December 18, 2013. A visitation will be held Saturday, December 28, 2013, from 9:30-11:00 with a burial Mass following at St. Ann Catholic Church , 7231 Mission Road, Prairie Village where Helen was a parishioner for over 53 years.
Helen was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 31, 1926 to Henry and Laura Clayton. Upon graduation from school, a gifted Helen worked as the executive assistant to the president of Chicago First Federal Savings & Loan. On February 7, 1947, she married Thomas F. Doyle. Tom and Helen moved from their home in Evergreen Park, Il. to Overland Park in 1955. In 1957, the family moved to Madison, WI as Tom continued his career path with AT&T. 1960 saw another move back to Kansas City with the family settling in Prairie Village. For Helen, this was the perfect scenario. She loved her neighborhood, her many friends, anything Irish, and the ideal setting of the “Village” for raising her growing family.
A devout Roman Catholic, Helen made sure her children were educated at St. Ann’s, Bishop Miege, and Rockhurst schools. Helen was active in church activities and loved to entertain friends, garden, and travel. She was an avid bridge player and met monthly with a group of ladies for over 50 years.
Most importantly, Helen loved and was devoted to her family and chose to be a stay at home mother. She was a very generous and compassionate person, particularly to those less fortunate. Christmas was her favorite holiday and she always looked forward to the large Christmas Eve gatherings with family and friends at her home.
Helen leaves behind her husband of over 65 years, Thomas F. Doyle of the home and their eight children, Tom, Mary Sue (Flowers), Patty (Caldwell), Kathy Doyle-Rost (John), Jim (Wendy), Nancy (Jenkins), Daniel, John (Debbie). Also surviving are five grandchildren Michelle Ryan, Laura Jenkins, Chris Doyle, Shawn Doyle, and Jack Rost and several great grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Nancy Hipelius, Lawton, MI, and sister-in-law Betty Clayton, Tucson, AZ and many nieces and nephews.
Burial will be in Resurrection Cemetery, 8320 Quivira Road, Lenexa, KS. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Harvesters Food Program, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, or N.E. Kansas Catholic Charities.
The family wishes to express very special thanks to Dr. Alfred C. Caruso who cared for Helen with exceptional compassion, understanding, and professionalism. We will be eternally grateful.
Assistance by Funeral Advocates LLC
To the family : my sincere condolences.
There is no greater pain than the death of a loved one.
Sometimes it seems almost more than a person can bear.
Jehovah God helps us with this in His Word,
He promises us that He will put a stop to all sickness
and death will be no more (REV 21;3.4) Jehovah also
shows His love for us through the ransom sacrifice
of His beloved son Jesus Christ. What a wonderful gift to be given !
Then the hope of seeing our loved ones again
on this earth, transformed into a paradise. The Bible tells us
this was Jehovah’s will when He created Adam & Eve.
Please read:
(Genesis 1:26,27; John 5: 28,29; Psalms 37:11,22,29).
If you have any questions or comments,
You contact me at: ricruiz@aol.com
Sincerely:
Dear John:
My Mom said she saw you at your Mom’s funeral and you said hi!. I am soooo sorry for your loss. Your Mom was really awesome – great laugh, wonderful person, did the whole St. Ann’s Cirle like my Mom did and always so sweet. I can’t imagine losing my mother and I pray for you to have strength and remember all the good things about your Mom through the grief. I remember for years at St. Ann’s we sat right by your family, the Dooley’s, the Materson’s, the Perkins, etc (how do I remember that and I can never find my glasses or anything else :). Last time I saw you was at the bar up by the airport! As always you were so nice 🙂
On another note – I may try to plan a St. Ann’s reunion for the class of 1977 in the next few years. I can’t believe we are 50 and I can’t even start to think how long ago 1977 was!!!. If you are interested in that send me your e-mail address to maureenacall@gmail.com. I am starting to collect addresses.
More importantly take care of yourself, your Dad, and your family Dad. Your Dad will be so lost without your Mom. One thing I learned when my Dad died 36 years ago – remember we were in 8th grade – talk about it, give your family and yourself space to grieve but most importantly talk about the GREAT memories. That is what life is about and your Mother would love it and she will be watching and laughing with y’all from Heaven!!!
Maureen