BATH- Peggy Doyle
May 18, 1948 – December 15, 2023
Born in Bar Harbor, Maine on May 18, 1948, Peggy came into the world as the first and only child of Blake and Margaret Boyington. Southwest Harbor, Maine was her first home, living on Clark Point Road where she was surrounded by many wonderful neighbors, friends, and Boyington cousins aplenty. Her parents instilled upon her the love of Mount Desert Island by taking her on long hikes in the mountains and many summer picnics at Seawall, which became one of her favorite places to visit.
Growing up she was fortunate to have her mother at home, always getting her involved with Sunday school activities and dancing lessons, making childhood a rich and happy chapter. At the age of five, her father taught her the joys of fishing, backyard tenting and exploring the outdoors. Sadly, when she was six, her father died of operation complications. Life changed.
Her mother, resilient and determined, returned to Northeast Harbor where a loving family of aunts, uncles and loads of cousins strengthened their family bond and made life whole again. She was enrolled in the Brownies and dance lessons and the community at St. Mary’s By-The-Sea Church helped this unexpected transition. It was at grade school that Peggy discovered her love of learning, and she began playing the piano at the age of six and the clarinet at eight.
Returning home from school, Peggy would then play “school” and upon meeting her teacher Mrs. Fernald, around 4th grade, her goal in life was to become a teacher. She graduated from Mount Desert High School in Northeast Harbor earning numerous awards, was a member of the National Honors Society, played in the school band, and sang in the Glee Club as well as her folk trio The Rambiln' Three.
Life after high school took her to the University of Maine in Orono where she majored in elementary education, graduating in 1970. Along the way she met her future husband and father to her sons. The marriage lasted seven years but had so many lovely moments including a first home, numerous pets, a pool, and bountiful gardens. The best part of those seven years was raising her two boys, Jeffrey and Jay, the lights of her life. Staying home, seeing them grow, throwing fancy birthday parties, making Halloween costumes and winter sledding adventures in the backyard were just a few of her cherished memories. Sunday mornings always meant Saint Thomas Church in Dover, NH where Peggy was a member of the altar guild and a Sunday school teacher. Her love of the holidays, especially Christmas, was demonstrated by her collection of too many ornaments.
While working hard as a single mother, a blind date at a dance blossomed into the love of her life, Dennis Fogarty. He and Peggy had fifteen years of beautiful romance, exciting trips, building a dream home together and endless laughs until he was sadly taken with cancer at the age of forty-six. During this hardship, a job at S.A.D. 60 as a special education teacher kept her going, where she imparted her passion for reading and books to scores of students. At this time, her mother’s health was failing, and it was beyond sad and stressful to lose her mother and husband within six months apart.
Peggy saw her mother struggle as a young widow living alone and was determined not to follow in her footsteps. She eventually sought out a new mate, Arthur Doyle, and they enjoyed fishing, antiquing and yard sales. During the following years, two little girls came into her life and Peggy’s new name became Grammie. With Mallory and Sarah, daughters of Jay and Jill Palmer, she had many wonderful times in Brewer and on Mount Desert Island. They have now grown up into lovely women. Mallory is on her way to a career in nursing and Sarah is a Bates student and record-breaking swimmer. She also had two trips to California visiting her son Jeff and exploring the west coast.
In 2015 she met a very nice man, Herve Thibodeau, who would set her life in a new and exciting direction. With his wanderlust, her adventurous spirit, and their love of canines, the couple drove up and down the east coast with their three dogs. It was a whirlwind experience for Peggy, traveling to casinos, historical destinations and wintering in Florida. To this day they are loyal friends and care for each other very much and she will always cherish his friendship and support during her cancer journey.
Her time in Bath created numerous friendships in town and at the Pine Hill neighborhood. She wants to acknowledge her dear friend Ginny Wright, her husband Stephen Spain and their beloved dog Tuxedo for their generosity and kindness. She would also like to remember Diane Webster for her daily phone chats and nightly prayers, Barb MacDonald and Matt Yankem for being such thoughtful neighbors, and Peter Stetson from the Bath Senior Center cribbage group (where she was aptly nicknamed “The Pegger”) for his church’s prayers every Sunday and Wednesday.
And she couldn’t have gone through this challenging chapter of life without Dr. Emmanuel Soultanakis and his tireless medical staff and the infusion team, especially Karen and Rebecca and the three ladies who checked her in at the reception desk.
Peggy was grateful for maintaining a deep connection with her close cousin Martha Gladstone. The two enjoyed reminiscing about their shared past on Mount Desert Island and love of their ever-growing family tree.
She is survived by her two sons Jeffrey Blake Palmer and Jay Hunter Palmer, Jay’s wife Jill Palmer, her two granddaughters Mallory and Sarah.
A Celebration of Life gathering will take place in January, Sunday the 28th from 2-5pm at the Bath Senior Center. The funeral service will be at St. Mary’s By-The-Sea in Northeast Harbor sometime during the late spring or early summer of 2024.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the “Teen Space” at Patten Free Public Library in Bath, Maine.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chad E. Poitras Cremation and Funeral Service, Buxton, www.mainefuneral.com