Obituary by Michael Doyle’s Daughter, Kimberly, and Grandson, Kenneth. Eulogy given by Jim Collins at the funeral Mass.
Michael James Doyle was born to mother Marianne Doyle and father Charles Doyle in the beautiful and scenic town of Mill Valley, California on January 30th, 1944. Born into a devout Roman Catholic family, he attended the esteemed Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School in San Francisco. He met Lucinda, his first wife and the mother of his only child at the age of 20 while living in San Francisco. After moving to Monterey and living there for a year they got married in 1966.
While living in the Monterey Bay Area Michael would go on to work for the Carmel Valley Garbage Company for close to 2 decades. In 1968 Michael and Lucinda gave birth to their only child together. They named their daughter Kimberly Ann Doyle. Michael spent much of his life in the Bay Area, touching lives and brightening days wherever he went. A devout and faithful man he sought to spread the joy and love of God wherever he went. One should consider themselves honored to have been on his daily call list, never feigning interest in what his friends would share.
Michael moved to the town of Paradise in 2013 and quickly fell in love with it. A devout and deeply spiritual man, he found a sense of home in Paradise that he had not experienced elsewhere. He would wake up at 4am to walk down skyway to Cozy Diner for his morning coffee. He was basically on a first name basis with everyone in the restaurant. Michael would then go to church to help set up the dining room and help clean and wash dishes after.
A truly selfless spirit, Michael would do anything to help even strangers. He donated all he could to various charities and would literally take the coat off his back for someone. Michael felt a sense of purpose and belonging in Paradise that he hadn’t experienced anywhere else in his life. He loved the town and all of the wonderful people that made it live up to the name Paradise.
On a personal note, I am honored to deliver this eulogy on behalf of Kimberly and Kenneth. Our parishioners and Knights will miss Michael immensely. He sat in the front row on the right side at Church on Sundays and at daily Mass. Whenever the Knights said the rosary, he would kneel in pain, when most others would sit. He was always first in the kitchen at Knights' events doing dishes and washing pans. Michael and I would compare notes about prostate procedures and laugh about past and present pains even as Michael suffered from the latest treatments. After the Camp Fire, the Knights helped Michael find a donor who gave him an almost new fifth wheel, but it was delivered to him in Cottonwood. He really wanted to be back with his friends in Paradise, but was very thankful for the fully stocked fifth wheel. I am sure that Michael waits for all of us in the real, eternal Paradise where we can gather, praise God together again and enjoy an eternity of laughter and joy.