Helen L. Boyle

Helen L. Boyle Helen L. Boyle of 205 Maple Avenue died early Sunday morning, Feb. 17, 2008 at UPMC Northwest. Born May 21, 1913, in Oil City, she was the daughter of Eugene A. Loebelenz and Anna Flanagan Loebelenz. She was married to Edward P. Boyle on April 28, 1936, in St. Stephen Church, Oil City. After graduating from Oil City High School, she attended Seton Hill College in Greensburg and Mercyhurst College in Erie from which she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. For two years after graduation, she did social work. In her eight years on the Oil City Library Commission, she served two terms as president. She served as a treasurer of the Oil City Visiting Nurse Association before it came a county-wide service. By her membership in the Oil City Garden Club she was an advocate of organic gardening. In 1964, Mrs. Boyle was an active supporter of the White Sisters of Africa who operated a novitiate near Franklin for many years. She also served as president of the Lavigerie Guild, the lay support group for the community of nuns. A member of St. Joseph Church, she and her husband were elevated to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre by Pope John XXIII in 1963. It was the first time in the 110-year history of the Erie Catholic Diocese that any one under its jurisdiction had received this distinction. Subsequently, Mrs. Boyle was named to the U.S. Conference Advisory Council created by American bishops and also served on the Erie Diocesan Pastoral Council which functioned as liaison between the laity and the Bishop. In 1960’s Mrs. Boyle became active in Oil City’s Ecumenical Commission in which she served as secretary and treasurer. In 1967, she was part of a group that established the Oil City Community Center, an ecumenical effort to aid low income families. Mrs. Boyle had a long-standing interest in peace and non-violence. She founded the Venango County Peace Links which met in Oil City. She was a supporter of Pennsylvania Peace Links which honored her in 2001 with its Lifetime Commitment to Peace Award. As a summer resident at Chautauqua, Mrs. Boyle in the 1980’s was co-founder of the Chautauqua Society for Peace. Later in 2001, she and her family were closely involved with Chautauqua’s “Abrahamic Initiative”, an effort to foster understanding among the three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. While in Chautauqua, she also became involved with the Land Mine Survivors Network after meeting Jerry White, the founder. Another of her interests was the Chautauqua Opera Guild where she was a board member. Surviving are six children, Patrick C. Boyle, Mig Boyle, E. Michael Boyle, John E. Boyle, Peter T. Boyle, and Mary Boyle-Arnn. Also surviving are ten grandchildren: Margaret Boyle, Molly Arnn, Anna Arnn, Ellen Boyle, Douglas Boyle, Andrew Boyle, Kathleen Chester, Matthew Boyle, Sarah Hoyt, and Kimball Boyle; and three great-grandchildren: Zachary Boyle, Drew Chester and Sean Chester. In addition to her husband and parents, Mrs. Boyle was preceded in death by a brother, Arthur Loebelenz; and three sisters; Alice Loebelenz, Mae Deppe and Ann L. Pelaghi. A memorial service will be held at the convenience of the family. Friends will be received at the family home from 2 to 3 P.M. Saturday, Feb. 23. Memorials may be made to the Helen Boyle Memorial Fund, Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, NY 14722; or to the Oil City Library. Condolences may be sent at www.reinselfuneralhome.com Sign the guestbook at www.GoErie.com/obits