Helen Doyle

Helen Esther Doyle (née Strobel) of Boise, Idaho, passed away on December 28, 2025, after a short illness. She was 95. Born at the family home, Cabin Creek Ranch, 21 miles SE of Fallon, Montana, to Gottlieb and Dorathea Strobel on June 7, 1930, Helen was the 12th of what would eventually be 13 children. She was the youngest daughter.

Helen’s childhood was spent helping out on the ranch (her least favorite chore was tending the chickens). During this time, Helen learned how to cook, sew, and knit from her mother. She attended school in a one-room schoolhouse, “The Strobel School,” near the ranch, then went on to Terry High School. While in high school, she and her sisters boarded with family friends and went home to the ranch on weekends. After graduation, she enrolled in the Columbus School of Nursing in Great Falls, Montana, and graduated in May 1951 as a registered nurse. At Columbus, she especially enjoyed her rotation as a surgical nurse. She worked in the operating room at Columbus Hospital and for the American Red Cross, traveling Montana in the Blood Mobile, until September 1954.

In 1953, Helen met Don Doyle on a blind date--he was the best friend of her roommate’s fiancé. In September of 1954, they married in Great Falls at her brother Dick’s home. Soon after, they moved to Baker, Oregon, where they operated Don’s Flying Service. While Dad gave flying lessons and flew charters, our mom did everything to keep it all running smoothly: gassing airplanes, bookkeeping, raising three children, volunteering as “room mother” in her daughters’ classrooms, and helping to lead the 4-H group “Little Stitchers and Bakers,” where she passed down her skills to her girls.

In 1975, Mom decided she wanted to return to work as a nurse. She took a refresher course at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Oregon, then worked ten years (1975-1985) at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital in Baker as a scrub and circulating nurse in the operating room. All the while, she continued to handle the scheduling and bookkeeping portion of the business.

As her daughters grew, she was only too willing to relinquish cooking duties and, by doing this, helped Valerie, Laura, and Susan learn how to plan meals, attempt new recipes, and contribute to the family. I don’t think any of us understood how much of a relief it was to not be responsible for “what to have for dinner” until we were cooking every night for our own families!

After selling the business, Helen and Don moved to Boise, Idaho, in 1985. There, they established “Don’s Air Service.” Again, Mom managed the books, scheduling, and billing. In September of 1985, she started working at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center; later, she transferred to the Eye Institute, where she assisted with various procedures. She retired from St. Al’s in May of 1994 and soon thereafter became a volunteer there.

She enjoyed volunteering at St. Al’s until 2017, and eventually logged over 7,000 hours! These hours included working at the Help Desk and knitting hundreds of caps and booties for the Family Maternity Center. At home, in her retirement, Mom finally had time to enjoy her beautiful garden, read, and complete beautiful counted cross-stitch projects.

In 2008, she and her remaining siblings established the “Gottlieb F. (G.F.) and Dorathea Strobel Memorial Scholarship,” which awards scholarships to graduating seniors from Terry High School who plan to major in agriculture or home economics. Mom valued education and loved reading about the students who received these scholarships over the years.

Helen’s quiet strength and love were evident in everything she did. Her patience was unparalleled, and her ability to appear unruffled during challenging times helped create a home that fostered creativity and perseverance. Her daughters’ successes in life are a reflection of Helen’s values of steadiness, work ethic, and loyalty

After her husband, Don, passed away in 2016, Helen resided at Morningstar Senior Living in Boise. As Mom loved butterflies, it was serendipitous that the wing she lived in was the “Butterfly Wing”! Here, she made wonderful friends whom we called the “Butterfly Squad.” Her apartment, which was always immaculate, became the first stop for prospective residents. Helen was part of the welcoming committee and enjoyed bingo, pinochle, knitting with her friends, and rooting for her beloved Boise State Broncos!

She is survived by her daughters, Laura Lynn (Ted) Gillette, and Susan Ann (Jim) Murai; son-in-law, Bob Henning, grandchildren, “The 3 M's,” Matthew Doyle Gillette (Bailey), Maxwell Donald Murai (Annie), Michiko Jeanette Murai, and Kim (Tim) McEathron and Alex Gillette; great-grandchildren Elena and Sam McEathron, and Charlie Dale Murai; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of nearly 62 years, Gene (Don) Doyle; her eldest daughter, Valerie Jean (Doyle) Henning; her parents; and her siblings: Theodore (Ted) Strobel, William (Bill) Strobel, Richard (Dick) Strobel, Ardnt Strobel, Magdalena (Max) Ruff (Reuther), Theophil (Tope) Strobel, Reuben Strobel, Erna Thompson, David (Dave) Strobel, Meriam Jones, Rachel (Rae) Van Gorden, and Harold Strobel.

A Memorial Service will be held on May 21, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM at Idaho State Veterans Cemetery 10100 N Horseshoe Bend Rd, Boise, Idaho. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in Helen’s name to the Gottlieb F. (G.F.) and Dorathea Strobel Memorial Scholarship (Terry Public Schools, Attention: Ms. Abbie Tibbetts, P.O. Box 187, Terry, MT 59349).