Thelma Ruth Hoyle

HOYLE, Thelma Ruth (Caram) Was born January 27, 1929 in Lowell, Massachusetts to Norman and Siri Caram. She is survived by her loving husband, Albert G. Hoyle, her nephew, David Eklund, his wife Louise, and their children, David, Jr. and his wife Malin, Christopher, his wife Carolyn, and their two children Madison and Lindsay, Lisa Eklund, Sara (Eklund) Repuccci and her husband Keith. She is also survived by her niece's husband, Jim Seret and their two children, Justin and Trevor Seret, and her cousin, Charles Dehney. She graduated from Lowell High School in 1946. Her scholastic achievements in high school included being the recipient of the Carney Medal, which is given only to seniors with singularly high scholastic ability. In the year she received it there were only two given out of 900 seniors. After high school she attended Salem State College where she received a B.A. in business education. She did graduate work at Boston University receiving an A.M. degree in secondary education and a Certificate for Advanced Graduate Studies in Secondary School Administration and Supervision. On June 23, 1957 Thelma married Albert Hoyle in St. John's Episcopal Church in Lowell, Massachusetts. In 2007 they celebrated fifty years of a truly blessed marriage with friends at St. James'. At the time of her death they had been married for 53 years. She was Head of the Business Department and taught business courses at Weston High School in Weston, Massachusetts from 1951 to 1991. She was named Business Educator of the year in 1973 by the Massachusetts Business Education Association. She published in the Business Education World and was a speaker at various professional conferences. In 1991 she received the Pioneer Award given by the Southwestern Publishing Company for "dedication, innovation, leadership, and professional contributions." Thelma was a lifelong member of the Episcopal Church; first at St. John's Church in Lowell from 1935 to 1991. She taught Sunday school and was a Licensed Lay Reader at St. John's for many of those years. She joined a prayer fellowship at St. John's and later became a member of the Order of St. Luke. She conducted a weekly prayer service in her home on Tuesday nights for many years for those who needed healing. She was also a member of the Daughters of the King. When she moved to Alpine, Texas in 1991, she started a prayer fellowship for healing which met every Tuesday at her home. A few years later she started a chapter of the Order of St. Luke and this chapter has had annual conferences for the past three years bringing notable healing personalities as keynote speakers. In addition to these ministries, she was a licensed Lay Reader and Lay Eucharistic Minister at St. James' Episcopal Church. In addition to her work at St. James', Thelma was a member of the Republican Women of the Big Bend and AARP. She volunteered at the Museum of the Big Bend and supported the music program at Sul Ross. She traveled extensively with her husband during their married life visiting countries such as England, Europe proper, Scandinavia, Russia, Estonia, Finland, New Zealand, Australia, and the state of Hawaii. She was preceded in death by her parents, Norman and Siri Caram, her sisters, Doris Caram, Alice Eklund and Mildred Caram, and her niece Janice Seret. Viewing will be held at the Geeslin Chapel from 4 to 8 p.m., Wedesday, March 23, 2011. Services will be held at St. James' Episcopal Church in Alpine, Texas on Thursday, March 24, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. Burial to be in Lowell, Massachusetts. Alpine Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Donations in memory of Thelma Hoyle may be made to The International Order of St. Luke the Physician (a Christian healing ministry) at 1-800-675-9228 and pay with credit card or mail a check directly to P.O. Box 780909, San Antonio, TX 78278-0909. Contributions are tax deductible, and regardless of method used to donate you will receive a confirmation receipt.