LAVINA DOYLE EPLER

EPLER, LAVINA DOYLE 1925 to 2010 Lavina Doyle Epler, 85, passed away last Friday due to complications of Alzheimer's disease. Lavina was born in Escondido California on August 28, 1925 to Hazel and Ed Morris. She was raised in the Hillcrest area of San Diego. She attended Theodore Roosevelt Junior High and graduated from San Diego High in 1942. Her favorite class was geometry. She married her high school sweetheart, Peter "Bud" Doyle in 1944 while he was on a "nine day furlough". Lavina worked side by side with her husband Bud for forty years, managing the office of their bail bond business. In 1956 Lavina and Bud moved from Hillcrest to La Mesa. They built their own home ---she could hammer nails --- in a neighborhood they loved. There they raised four children: Kathy, Joyce, Dan and Bill. Upon moving to La Mesa, Lavina became an active member of Vista La Mesa Christian Church. She threw herself into church activities: leading youth groups, as a deaconess, and was especially deft at organizing banquets. The dishes she prepared were legendary. She served repeatedly as president of the PTA at her children's school and avidly participated in the League of Women Voters. Lavina lost Bud in 1986 after 42 years of marriage. For ten years she lived alone but remained impressively active. She continued her work at church, spent untold hours helping to manage the local Habitat for Humanity office and spent one day a week tutoring kids at Jefferson Elementary where her daughter was a teacher. In 1996 she had the good fortune to marry the second love of her life, Dr. Paul Epler. She moved to his home in El Cajon where they shared many happy years. Lavina is survived by her four adoring and saddened children and her equally adoring and saddened husband as well as five grand children and three (soon to be four) great grand children. She was loved so much. The memorial service will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday the sixth of November at Vista La Mesa Christian Church, 4210 Massachusetts Ave. La Mesa 91941. The family requests that donations be made to San Diego Hospice, 4311 Third Ave. San Diego 92103 or The Alzheimer's Association (alz.org).