Robert John HOYLE

1939 - 2021

November 4, 1939-October 23, 2021 Bob died peacefully at home in St. Paul, MN, after battling cancer. Born in Minneapolis, son of Clarence and Kathleen Coughlin Hoyle. Preceded in death by parents, sister Diane Hanson, brother-in-law Harvey Hanson and nephews Randy and Kristopher. He is survived by wife Karen, daughters Rebecca (Ehab) George and Natalie (Peter) Ross, granddaughters Mona, Linda, Ruth, Sarah and Sadie, Aunt Alma Wilkens, nephew Richard (Liz) Hanson, nieces Shelley (Dan) Kappes, Kirsten Choban, grand-nephew Connor, grand-nieces Jennifer and Brianna, great grand-niece Katrina, and embraced family Othelia Tapang and David and Phil Liu. Bob graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1957 (Hall of Fame, 2016) and St. Olaf College in 1961 (Distinguished Alumnus Award, 1997). He was selected as one of the first two Peace Corps Volunteers from Minnesota, then assigned to Iloilo, Philippines as an assistant teacher. With a sense of adventure, Bob returned to the U.S. via the Siberian Railroad. After completing a Public Administration Master's degree at Northern Illinois University, he worked for Lutheran World Federation in Jerusalem and Jordan for three years distributing food to thousands of displaced people and helping villagers develop local infrastructure projects. For the next two years he was the Executive Director of Zambia Chris-tian Refugee Service. Upon return, he served as the Executive Director of the International Institute of Minnesota for thirty-five years, 1970-2005; the IIM resettled 20,000 refugees, initia-ted a Nursing Assistant program, and extended the Festival of Nations to become an annual event during his tenure. He was honored with "Robert J. Hoyle Day" by St. Paul Mayor on April 25, 1990. Bob chaired the St. Anthony Park Lutheran Church management committee that undertook an upgrade and expansion of the kitchen, creation of a nursery, and reallocation for office space. Through Rotary International and other organizations, the Hoyle family welcomed twenty-seven teenagers from various countries to stay in their home for short to year-long stays. A Celebration of Life was held for immediate family. Memorials are preferred for the International Institute of Minnesota (651-647-0191 or iimn.org) or the Hoyle Endowment for student international travel at St. Olaf College (507-786-3076 or otten@stolaf.edu).