Doyle, Mary Lou

Mary Lou Doyle, 66, died of ovarian cancer at Mercy Hospice on April 2, 2012. No services are planned.

Mary Lou was born Feb. 27, 1946, in Chicago, the daughter of Russell T. Doyle and Anna Lois Forman. After high school she entered the Sisters of Notre Dame religious community, but subsequently left the order and returned to Chicago, where she was a researcher for the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Mary Lou later taught at the Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago.

In 1972, she moved to Iowa City and was appointed an editorial assistant in the School of Religion, now the Department of Religious Studies. From 1984 until her retirement in 2010, she was an assistant to the dean and associate deans in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa.

Her hobby as a genealogist resulted in the Library of Congress accepting her work for placement in its Family History section.

She volunteered at the Johnson County Crisis Center Food Bank.

Heartfelt thanks to the Mercy Hospital inpatient hospice staff for making Mary Lou's last day on earth a comfortable and peaceful one. Mary Lou received loving and gentle care from Iowa City Hospice. Special thanks to hospice nurse Tammie.

Mary Lou is survived by her sister, Barbara of Iowa City; her brother, Russell (Michele Stacey-Doyle) of Lebanon, Ill.; sister-in-law, Linda Kurz of Brea, Calif.; and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Johnson County Food Bank, 1121 Gilbert Ct., Iowa City, IA 52240.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.lensingfuneral.com.

Published April 5, 2012 in The Gazette