Melissa Anne DOYLE

DOYLE Melissa Anne, passed away peacefully at her Clermont County, Ohio home on September 5th, 2009 surrounded by family and friends, after an extended illness. She was 29 years old. She is survived by her loving parents, Bob and Anne Doyle with whom she lived, her maternal grandfather and his wife, Thomas & Jeanne Bartolomeo of South Kingston R.I., her paternal grandmother Pauline Doyle Muntz of Charlotte North Carolina, Grandpa Jim of Gastonia North Carolina and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Preceding her in death was her paternal grandfather Joseph A. Doyle, her paternal grandmother Charlotte (Fitzgibbons) Doyle Hicks and her maternal grandmother Claire (Gorgone) Bartolomeo. Born in Providence Rhode Island and residing in Narragansett, Melissa was born with DiGeorge Syndrome, a very rare disease which has many complications including developmental disabilities. She was the oldest known patient with this syndrome. And though Melissa remained challenged her entire life, she only concentrated on her abilities and her will to succeed. She attended the J. Arthur Trudeau Center in Warwick R.I. in their Early Intervention Program until she was five years old. During that time she was a pioneer of healthcare and insurance reform, gracing the pages of the Providence Journal from 1979-1982 while she and her parents launched a state wide crusade to get home care for chronically ill children paid for. She was one of the "base cases" which would see then President Ronald Reagan sign into law "The Katie Beckett Provision", mandating that States provide healthcare in the home. In 1985, Melissa moved to Philadelphia, where she lived for nine years. She remained an avid fighter for the disabled there, and completed grade school in 1994. In 1994, she and her family moved to Cincinnati where she attended the Thomas A. Wildey School, where she excelled in both academics and extra-curricular activities. She was an award winning cheerleader for the Wildey Comets, and an avid bowler. She graduated in 2002 and was recognized by then President George W. Bush for her achievements, receiving the President's Education Award. Melissa entered the Adult Program of the Clermont County Board of MRDD, where she won an art contest with her painting entitled "Balloons". She won numerous gold, silver and bronze medals at the Ohio State Special Olympics held each summer, her most recent being in June of this year, where she "brought home the bronze". She especially loved to travel, whether by car, bus, airplane or her favorite via helicopter, which she did during an extended stay in Hawaii. She possessed a large collection of hats, one of which she would wear every day, and though she would wear different hats, the smile that she wore with them was always the same bright cheerful smile that ingratiated her in the hearts all she met. She was a kind compassionate person who never let her disabilities disable her. Melissa didn't see differences, she accepted everyone. Melissa was always a champion for people with disabilities and mental retardation. She volunteered at the election polls to help pass levies for the Clermont County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. She also co hosted an annual fundraiser at the home of her parents for several years. She never met a stranger and welcomed everyone she met. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.A celebration of her life will be held at the E.C. Nurre Funeral 177 W Main St. Amelia, OH on Monday September 7, 2009 from 4-8PM.A Concelebrated High Requiem Mass will be held at the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Providence Rhode Island. Interment will be in the family plot in Warwick Rhode Island. Donations in her memory may be made to the M A Doyle Recreational Fund/Clermont County MRDD, PO Box 156, Batavia, Ohio, 45103