Ethel M. Doyle, retired educator from New York and resident of Lake Mary, FL, has died, at age 99. She and her late husband, Jim Doyle, married 76 years, have lived in recent years with their son, Thomas M. Doyle, president of Bishop Moore Catholic High School, Orlando, and his wife, Diane Terorde Doyle, and their daughters Tara and Colleen.

Ethel worked with the school system in Merrick, NY, where she and Jim and their family resided for 47 years; they were parishioners of Cure' of Ars Catholic Church in Merrick, where she was Outreach Coordinator and active in a variety of other parish service programs. She was also a writer and director of the Reading Service of the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada at its headquarters in Rockville Centre, NY.

Ethel Miriam Clancey was born October 17, 1921, the elder daughter of John and Ethel McCluskey Clancey. She attended elementary school in Laurelton, NY, and Bishop McDonnell Catholic High School in Brooklyn. She had a younger sister, Elizabeth, who died several years ago, and a sister Joan, who died in infancy.

Ethel and Jim were graduates with honor of Queens College of the City of New York, then a new municipal college opened in Mayor LaGuardia's term. She was elected vice-president of their class of 1943. Jim was elected president and as they worked together as class officers they fell in love, and married that October.

She had been awarded a Queens College scholarship to study political science at Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, but gave that up to be married and be with Jim as he prepared for Army service in World War II. She was personnel manager at Fort Totten, NY, with the U. S. Army early in the war time but left to be with Jim when he joined the Army's Military Intelligence Service at Camp Ritchie, MD, before he went overseas. He served in the Solomon Islands, Australia, and the Philippines as a Master Sergeant in General Douglas MacArthur's MI headquarters.

Ethel is remembered by family and friends for her strong Catholic faith, honesty, humor, devotion to her family and close friends, volunteering spirit, her love of painting and sketching, gardening, and phenomenal cooking.

Family members surviving Ethel are daughter Betsy, a Buddhist nun in Wappinger Falls, NY; son Peter, of Broomfield, Colorado, and his wife Sharon Wolf Doyle, and their son Conor and daughter Rachel; son Thomas, of Lake Mary, Florida, his wife Diane Terorde Doyle, and their daughters Tara and Colleen.

Also surviving Ethel are Jane Ann Bates Doyle, of Lisle, Illinois, widow of Jim and Ethel's oldest son, Dr. John Kevin Doyle, who died in 2012, granddaughter Meghan Doyle, grandson Neal Andrew Doyle and his wife Jessica Brennan and their two boys; Ethel and Jim's great-grandsons Jack and Henry; and Mary Miller Doyle, widow of their son Brian, who died in 2017, granddaughter Lily Doyle, and grandsons Liam and Joseph Doyle.

Preceding Ethel in death are Seamus and Christopher, earlier sons, who died in infancy, and James Aloysius Doyle, devoted husband of 76 years, who died in 2019, at 98 years of age.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, November 20, 2020 at 10:30 am at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Orlando Florida. Attendance in person is limited because of social distancing requirements. The link to live streaming of the Mass is:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6B01hjf0XMctYa6ZgB0jpg/featured

Burial will follow the Mass with a Graveside Service at All Souls Catholic Cemetery, 25th Street & Hardy Avenue, Sanford, FL 32771

In lieu of flowers the family asks you to consider contributing to a charity of your choice or to the John Kevin Doyle Endowment at Bishop Moore Catholic High School can also be made.

The family of Ethel M. Doyle invites you to leave a message of condolence on the Tribute Wall created in her loving memory.