Dennis Boyle

Dennis “Denny” Boyle was a marvelous man who gave generously of his time and talent. He found profound satisfaction in helping others. Denny lived a life of “giving and doing”, a life that added immensely to the lives of his wife and family and to all those who had the privilege of knowing him. Denny was generous to a fault. Full of integrity, willing to give from the heart, anxious to participate, with a natural ability to lead and enjoy doing so, Denny made a mark on his community that will long be remembered and appreciated.

When you think back to the time when Denny was born,1930, you know immediately it was a tough time in America. The stock market had crashed and the great depression was in full swing, meaning unemployment was high, businesses were closing and people were pulling their money out of the banks. In spite, all that, there was great joy in the Ann Arbor, MI household of Edwin and Eleanor Boyle as little Dennis and his twin sister, Milly, were born. The date was October 22, 1930. The twins joined their older sisters, Patricia and Eleanor “Tommy”, and were joined later by their younger sister, Joan. All the activity in the Boyle household kept any fear of the depression from ever taking over. Hope for a bright future and better times ahead was the order of the day.

Denny was a busy and active child. Right from the start, he was bound to move ahead and play a leading role in the lives of his friends and family. Sports and especially basketball were part of him too, as he started young and went on to play on the basketball team in high school. Denny went to school at Milford High School and graduated with the Class of 1948. After graduating from high school Denny went to college at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti where he received his Master's Degree.

After college and Eastern Michigan, Denny opened a feed store in Milford, MI, and, as if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, he did accounting work on the side. Denny soon discovered, though, that his real passion was helping other people learn about life, personal growth, and how to move forward and contribute to those around them. It was this desire that led him to a teaching position at Milford High School. Again, as if teaching wasn’t enough, he coached the basketball team too. Denny was an outstanding coach and led his team to the State Championship Finals. Denny was well known for working well, working hard, doing it right, and being a leader.

Denny tried hard not to miss any opportunities in life. One such opportunity, a big one, was meeting a beautiful gal named, Yvonne. It happened when his twin sister was in college and she had a roommate whose name was Yvonne Engel. Well, the very first time Denny met Yvonne it was like the lights flashed and both Yvonne and Denny thought to themselves this could be interesting! And it was. Denny didn’t waste any time asking Yvonne out for their first date. They went to the movies and had a great time together. Oh, and yes, Denny had Yvonne back to her dorm room right on time at ten o’clock that night. Those were the dorm rules then. Denny was a true gentleman always. It wasn’t long before each of them knew they had found the person with whom they would share the best years of their life. And thus, their love story began.

Denny and Yvonne dated for a time, and being deeply in love, knew they wanted to establish a life together. The happy couple was married on August 25, 1951, at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Ann Arbor, MI. Their love story continued to blossom and as the years went by along came twelve, yes twelve, children. Imagine that happy home filled with the love and laughter of all those kids!

It was in the mid 60’s that the family moved to the little town of Vicksburg, MI. This was when Denny took the position of Registrar at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. A position he held for close to 30 years. Now you would think being Registrar at a major University would keep you pretty busy. It did, but not busy enough for Denny Boyle. He loved contributing to others and being part of the bigger picture of life and community. As a result, Denny served on the Vicksburg community School Board and served as president of the board too. He also was a president of Vicksburg Rotary and was the longest-serving general chairperson of the Rotary Showboat. But even that wasn’t quite enough for Denny. So, he also served as Mayor of Vicksburg. Denny was all about helping people and loved being part of making things better. It was in his DNA, that’s all there is to it. Denny was truly “one in a million” as the expression goes.

Denny was happy living in Vicksburg and being a part of what made the community tick. He and Yvonne did take a fall train tour once, though, to the west coast. The story is that Denny enjoyed the trip but said, “When you’ve seen one mountain you have seen them all”! Denny was perfectly happy being in Vicksburg playing poker with his poker club, or just being at home listening to classical music and keeping up his love of reading about the Civil War, and attending daily mass at St. Martin’s. Denny was a humble, self-disciplined man and liked it that way. It won’t surprise you to know Denny was one to pick up hitchhikers, even when he knew he probably shouldn’t. He did it anyway and would always and help them out but not before asking them about why they were having to hitchhike—and then he’d give them advice and help them out. Denny enjoyed helping people out, hitchhiking or not.

Denny was a marvelous man to know. A man who gave generously of his time and talent, a man who cared deeply about his wife, Yvonne—the love of his life with whom he shared 62 wonderful years together, about his children, his 31 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren, and about the community he was part of. To know this passionate, fun loving, community-minded, faith centered man was an experience that many people will remember forever.

Dennis “Denny” Boyle of Scotts died on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 at the age of 87. Denny is survived by his twelve children: Katherine (Jay) Crouch, of Niles; Colleen Boyle, of Vicksburg; Audrey Boyle, of MN; Patricia (Scott) Cline, of Schoolcraft; Dennis (Georgia) Boyle, of Portage; Trina (Gary) Boyle-Holmes, of Vicksburg; Tobias (Robyn) Boyle, of Portage; Timothy (Pierina) Boyle, of MO; Kevin Boyle, of Vicksburg; Kelly (Didik) Soekarmoen, of Vicksburg; Mary (Jack) Paulsen, of Battle Creek; Maureen (Rob) Brown, of Portage; 31 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings: Patricia Wilbur, of SC; Eleanor “Tommy” Doonan, of TX; and Milly Webb, of CO; sister-in-law, Audrey McKeon, of Troy; brother-in-law: Don Butler, of AZ and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his wife Yvonne in 2013; his sister: Joan Butler; and his grandson: Dennis Boyle-Holmes.

The family will receive friends on Friday from 4-7 p.m., with a Rosary at 6 p.m., at the McCowen & Secord Family Funeral Homes, Rupert-Durham Chapel, 409 S. Main, Vicksburg (269-649-1697). Family will also receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church. Burial will be at the Vicksburg Cemetery. Please visit Denny’s webpage at www.mccowensecord.com where you can read his life story, sign the guestbook, and share a memory. Those who wish may make memorial contributions to the Vicksburg Foundation, Vicksburg Rotary, and/or St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church.