William "Bill" Doyle, Jr.

William Joseph (Bill) Doyle, Jr. of Centennial, Colorado, died unexpectedly on June 27, 2021 at the age of 72, after a day of serving his community through volunteer work.

Bill is survived by his children, Andrew (Marci Addison), Katherine (Josh Wyeth) and Carolyn; his grandchildren Mikayla and Kelsey; and his sisters Mary (Herb O’Connor) and Jean (Jeff Graves).  Bill is predeceased by his wife, Betty Jean Doyle; parents William and Marie Doyle; and his brother John (Sue Doyle).

Bill was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 19, 1948. The oldest of four children, Bill loved baseball and cars, and met his life-long sweetheart Betty Jean Dunne before being drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. He worked honorably as a mortar in the Army, earning a Bronze Star among other accolades. Upon his return, Bill and Betty married and settled in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Here they would raise their three children and become active members of their school and church communities. Bill played softball on the Shooters team for many years with his brother, John, and spent years coaching his daughters’ teams.

A 41-year career with AT&T kept Bill busy in his role as a technician and an active union steward.  A transfer opportunity brought the family to Colorado in 1990 where Bill and Betty developed a community of friends within their neighborhood and local church.

Bill shared his love of sports with each of his children. In addition to being one of the loudest to cheer from the sidelines of their games, he and Andy played softball on the same team, he and Kate hiked several 14ers, and he and Carrie enjoyed attending hockey and football games together.

After his retirement, Bill spent many hours in service to others. He was a committed volunteer at the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, Koelbel Library, and St. Thomas More Catholic Church, where he served as an usher and as a driver for the Food Pantry.

For over 40 years, Bill enjoyed annual fishing trips with his cousins and another with his AT&T buddies. The fish tales gave way to better cooking skills and better stories, and the trips were some of his most looked-forward to events each year.  More recently, Bill became active in his Army reunions, enjoying reconnecting with members of D Company and touring the National Mall to honor the fallen.

Though his death was sudden, his children take comfort in thinking of him as being reunited with his beloved Betty in advance of what would have been their 50th wedding anniversary in August 2021.

A visitation will be held Monday, July 5 from 5-7 pm at Horan & McConaty, 5303 E County Line Road, Centennial, CO 80122.  A rosary will be prayed Tuesday, July 6th at 10:15 am, with a funeral to follow at 11 am at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 8035 S Quebec Street, Centennial, CO 80112. All are welcome to attend.  Additional services are being planned for the Chicago area for July 14 and 15, when Bill will be brought for burial next to his wife.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a gift to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, or to the Denver Dumb Friends League, where Bill adopted many pets over the years.

Please share memories and condolences with Bill's family by signing the Tribute Wall.