Mary E. Doyle

Mary E. (Benoit) Doyle, 63, a third-generation Southbridge resident and lifelong enthusiast for the town, died Wednesday afternoon at the Rose Monahan Hospice on Judith Road.

Those around Mary saw her as a spirited fighter, dueling her recurrent cancer to a standstill through five rounds of treatment over nearly 12 years before it finally got the best of her.

She leaves two daughters, Maureen Doyle and Barbara Atkins; a son-in-law, Aron Atkins; a newborn granddaughter, Linda Atkins; a brother, Paul Benoit, and his wife, Karen; a Godchild, Kristen; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives and a large number of friends. She was the daughter of the late Paul H. Benoit and Florence (Lockhart) Benoit. Her father was the Southbridge Postmaster for many years and was also a State Senator from (1955-65). She was also predeceased by a brother, Pierre, who died in 1978.

Over the years, Mary was an avid collector of stamps, knick-knacks and various other things and filled shelves of journals with photos, clippings and other personal memorabilia. After growing up in Southbridge, she graduated from Maria Assumpta Academy, a boarding high school in Petersham, and Anna Maria College in Paxton with a degree in education in 1967.

Shortly after graduating, she married Noel Doyle and taught for a year at Eastford Road School. The young couple soon moved to South Dakota for a year and again to California, a state she fell in love with. While in California, she had both of her daughters and lived in a variety of locations, including New Mexico, and returning to Massachusetts with her brother, as a stay-at-home mother to raise her two daughters.

Resettling in Southbridge on Dennison Lane and later moving back to her old family home on Lebanon Hill, Mary worked as a social worker, retiring in 2000. Throughout that time, she maintained contact

often at long distance

with longtime friends such as a high school pen pal, her ex-husband's New England relatives, and numerous others by phone and letter. Very much a people person, Mary especially enjoyed the company of family and friends, and many of those she met found her easy to talk to.

Besides being a mother, sister and friend, Mary was also an active PTA member at St. Mary's School and Marianhill High School while her daughters went there; a Eucharistic Minister at Notre Dame Church; a cat lover (typically saving stray cats and those being given away, including her surviving companions, Kianna and Mr. T); a member of a button club, a stamp club and other groups; a music fan (various kinds, from Arlo Guthrie to Curtain Society to Pearl Jam, from whom she's still awaiting a reply); a life-long learner (taking a variety of courses, including quilting, taxes and woodworking); and, after retiring, a volunteer driver for fellow cancer patients.

The funeral will be Saturday at 8:45 AM from Sansoucy Funeral Home, 40 Marcy Street with a Mass at 10 AM in Notre Dame Church, 446 Main St., Southbridge. Burial will follow in St. George Cemetery. Calling hours will be Friday at the funeral home from 6-8 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to either the Notre Dame Restoration Fund 61 Marcy Street Southbridge or the Silent Spring Institute 60 Park St. 2nd FL., Hyannis, MA 02601.

sansoucyfuneral.com