Marie Margaret Estelle Snow Doyle

1921 - 2016

Doyle, Marie Margaret Estelle Snow

1921-2016

Marie Margaret Estelle Snow Doyle, 95, of West Elmira, New York passed away on July 13, 2016. Mrs. Doyle was a long time resident of the Elmira area, having moved here with her first husband Raymond L. Doyle after World War II when he established Overhead Door Company of Elmira which their son Matt owns and operates on College Avenue today.



Mrs. Doyle was predeceased by her parents, Edward and Marie Anne Martin Snow of Norfolk, New York, and by her several siblings: Mrs. Winifred (John) Leonard, Mrs. Agnes (Peter) Vercillo, Mr. Edward (Dorothy) Snow, Mrs. Anna Mae (Michael) Basta, Mrs. Bernadette (Samuel) Lamendola, Mr. Harry K. (Lucy), Snow, Miss Jean Frances Snow, Leonard (Rose Marie) Snow, Esq. and Mr. Gerald (Geraldine) H. Snow, by her first husband Raymond L. Doyle, and by her second husband, William Dolan, both of Elmira. She is survived by: son Martin E. Doyle of Elmira and his sons, Riley Doyle and Brennan Doyle; son Matthew J. (Michaelene) Doyle of Elmira, Matt's children, Jasmine (Christopher) Canestero of Elmira (and Jasmine's children Jacob and Olivia Canestero), Kathryn A. Doyle and Stephen B. Doyle; and many nephews, nieces and extended family.



Marie came from a very modest background in far Northern New York, near the St. Lawrence River. Her parents had a small horse and vegetable farm in Norfolk NY, which remains in the family today. The farm had no phone or electricity during her youth, and Marie walked the proverbial 5 miles to school, "uphill both ways" (although she often talked her way into a house along the way for a cold lemonade or a hot chocolate, depending on the weather).



Like her brothers and sisters, after graduating from high school in Norfolk, Marie left the small farm life for adventures in the big wide world. She joined her married older sister Agnes Snow Vercillo in Syracuse, NY to babysit Aggie's kids and eventually to work in a shoe factory to support the War effort. On a dare from Aggie's husband Peter, who was a Marine veteran of WW I, Marie applied to the U. S. Marines on a lark, thinking she would never be accepted. She was wrong, and before she knew it she was on a train (her first ever) headed for Washington D.C. for military induction and then to boot camp at Paris Island, South Carolina. After basic training, where she was issued her first new pair of shoes, she went to a military logistics training program at Georgia State College for Teachers before shipping out for the West Coast. For the next two years, Sergeant "Snowy" supported quartermasters and paymasters stateside as U.S. troops assembled on the West Coast before departing for the Pacific Theater. She and the other BAMs (Broad A**Marines) were sometimes asked by nearby Hollywood studios to appear in recruiting and war time morale films. Although none of her roles won her an Oscar, she did have a grand time as an extra, dancing around the grand ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in one movie.



On a troop train back home to the East Coast, Marie was being bothered by a drunken airman sitting next to her, so she tripped up a good-looking Marine sergeant walking down the train aisle to ask for his help. A few years later they were walking down another aisle, which led to almost 50 years of marriage before Ray's death in 1994. After the War, the two now ex-Marine sergeants settled back near their birthplaces in Upstate New York, he outside of Cortland where he eventually joined the Overhead Door Company, and she in Syracuse where she used her G.I. Bill benefits to earn a B. S. in Psychology at Syracuse University with honors and admission to the Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society. In 1948, Marie and Raymond moved to Elmira where they lived until their deaths.



Ray was a successful businessman, pilot, outdoorsman and adventurer. Marie was a classic homemaker, community volunteer and arts lover. She was active in the Junior League, the Red Cross, Wednesday Morning Club, the Arnot Art Gallery, the Mark Twain Center, the Elmira City Club, the Elmira Country Club, and the Marine Corps League, among other activities. Their travels took them literally around the world, and, mixed with pleasant times at their seasonal homes at Peach Orchard Point on Seneca Lake and Lighthouse Point in South Florida, they had a very full and interesting life together. Along their journey, they made great friends who enriched their lives in many ways.



After Ray died in 1994, Marie lived in their home in Elmira until her final days. She married the late William Dolan, a retired military officer, professor and mystery writer. Marie and Bill spent their "golden years" reading and discussing literature and current events, or traveling to military bases near and far using his Air Force flight privileges. It was a treat to imagine Marie, by then in her 80's, climbing the many stairs into a giant C-5A cargo plane at Andrews Air Force Base in order to hitch a ride to Europe.



Besides being an avid reader, Marie was an accomplished bridge player throughout her life. She loved the competition and the camaraderie of the game, which reminded her of nights on the old farm with her 10 brothers and sisters gathered around to play games and tell stories.



Marie donated her organs to medical research at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, after which interment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia next to her first husband, Raymond. Scheduling of the funeral service and military graveside ceremony at Arlington are subject to the Cemetery's availability and will be announced by the family when known.



In lieu of flowers or cards, the family suggests that those wishing to make a donation in honor of Marie, support a local library or literacy program of their choice. Marie's primary caregiver, Martin, would like to acknowledge the wonderful care provided to her by the homecare team from the Bath, NY Veterans' Hospital and by CareFirst hospice. They were her heroes.

Semper Fi !!