Josephine B. "Jo" Doyle

Jo Doyle lived fast and died old. In her 86-year adventure she worked nearly as many jobs, was courted by many but married the one, raised four children, was forever buying odd gifts for ten grandchildren, was thrilled with two greatgrandchildren and was, always, always, always, ready with a quip.
Josephine B. Doyle passed away peacefully at her Naperville home on February 16, 2025, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her dear husband of 61 years, Larry, who died on December 21, 2018, at the age of 88.
Jo was born in Portlaoise, Ireland, on May 16, 1938, to Polly and Joseph Hughes, whose pharmacy remains open on Main Street. Her early childhood was, well, Irish. Her mother died when she was four, she lost her father at age seven, and two of her nine siblings did not make it to adulthood. She was raised by her older sister Alice and later the Presentation Sisters at St. Mary's College in Mountmellick.
Josie (as she was known until she took the first opportunity to change it) maintained a rambunctious spirit despite the nuns' best efforts to crush it. She climbed trees and rode motorcycles; she escaped boarding school, hitching a ride home with the local postman.
In 1955, she attended a costume party dance at the Town Hall in Wexford, "dressed," in her words, "like a Dutch boy." Young Larry saw her standing alone across the hall and, gallantly as ever, asked her to dance.
Neither knew they would spend the next six decades together.
The following summer Jo would meet Larry again and a courtship was afoot. They only had two weeks together before Larry set forth for America-- to pursue good union wages-- but he wrote her every week and after two years, Jo agreed to marry him. They were wed in Dublin on January 15th, 1958.
A honeymoon on the Queen Elizabeth II followed, after which they settled in Camden, New Jersey. Later that year their first son Larry was born. Their second son Kevin came two years later after the family had moved to Philadelphia, where Jo had a job translating Gaelic at the Temple University library until someone who actually knew Gaelic visited.
In 1961, Jo and Larry moved their family to Chicago, and two years later to the then outer suburb of Buffalo Grove, where they bought a Cape Cod with an unfinished second floor for $19,000.
While Larry commuted 40 miles every evening to work an overnight shift at a printing company, Jo took care of their two boys and a dog and some parakeets. Every weekend they bought what building materials they could afford and eventually finished the house themselves.
Two more children - Brenda in '67 and Patrick in '69 - followed, and Larry took a job selling real estate closer to home. He was immediately successful, and they bought a necessarily larger house in Arlington Heights and met the next-door neighbors who became dear friends, Ron and June.
There she cared for four children as well as worked many and various jobs: cashier, switchboard operator, selling Old Grandad Whiskey, substitute caller for the school district, and the most popular teller in Citibank history. The extra money she earned helped take the kids to Ireland every other year to visit the vast Hughes-Doyle clan throughout Ireland: Dublin, Mullingar, Portlaoise, Wexford and also London.
Jo enjoyed being the American Lady Wearing the Latest Fashions; every time she returned home with an empty suitcase, having given all those clothes to her nieces.
Jo met famous people unusually often, and they liked her. One of her loyal bank customers was Walter Payton, or, as she decided to call him, "Wally." She also met and enchanted Brendan Behan, Louis Armstrong, Roger Moore, and Mother Teresa.
Yes, Mother Teresa.
Once the children had moved away, Jo and Larry relocated to Rolling Meadows, which became a favorite fun spot for grandchildren to visit. In 2012, they moved to Bolingbrook to be closer to their youngest two - just down the block from Patrick, in fact.
Larry died in that house in 2018 after a long illness, during which his wife refused to leave his side. She then lived for a short while at Villa St. Benedict, where she and her friend Joan got up to mischief. In 2021, continued illness led to Jo moving in with her daughter, where she enjoyed watching Wheel of Fortune and the Irish show Mrs. Brown's Boys, laughing most at the filthiest jokes.
Jo retained a quick and acerbic wit throughout. When a hospice nurse loudly and slowly asked her, "DO YOU KNOW YOUR NAME?" Jo gave her the side eye but politely answered "Josephine B. Doyle."
"OH WHAT DOES THE 'B' STAND FOR?"
With perfect timing, she answered:
"Bitch."
Jo is survived by her beloved children, Larry (Becky Lichtenstein) Doyle, Kevin (Sandy Klepacki) Doyle, Brenda (Edward) Manzke and Patrick (Janet) Doyle, adored grandchildren, Sean Doyle, Dustin Klepacki, Eddie Manzke, Aidan Manzke, Ben Doyle, Grace Doyle, Katie Manzke, Maeve Doyle, Alice Doyle and Joe Doyle, cherished greatgrandchildren Victor Klepacki and Gemma Doyle.
She was the daughter of the late Polly and Joseph Hughes and daughter-in-law of the late Richard and Alice Doyle. She was the dear sister of Nancy Conroy and the late Mary Hughes, Alice Bruder, Patrick Hughes, Kathleen Walker, Polly Mallon, Michael Hughes and Joseph Hughes. She was the sister-in-law of John Doyle, Mary Doyle, Dick Doyle and the late Kathleen Doyle, Andy Doyle, Alcie Quealy, Paddy Doyle, Lily Trappe, Jenny Ryan, Anne Coughlin, Thelma DuBois and Nuala O'Driscoll. She was the fond cousin, aunt, great-aunt, great-great aunt and friend of many.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, February 22, 2025, 10:00 AM at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, 2220 Lisson Rd., Naperville, IL 60565.
A private family interment will follow at SS. Peter & Paul Cemetery, Naperville.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jo's memory may be made to: The H Foundation, whose mission is to find cures for cancer through research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. https://www.hfoundation.org
Arrangements by Friedrich-Jones Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 44 S. Mill St., Naperville, IL 60540.
For more information, please visit www.friedrich-jones.com or call (630) 355-0213.