Dr. John K. “Jack” Boyle, 77, of Smithfield, RI passed away on December 1, 2007 at the Philip Hulitar Inpatient Center in Providence, RI after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was the devoted husband of Kathryn A. (Riedl) Boyle to whom he was married for 55 years. He was the son of the late Thomas E. Boyle and Florence G. (Carberry) Boyle of Worcester, Mass. His father was a high school physics and radio teacher and laboratory assistant at Clark University to Dr. Robert Goddard, United States rocket researcher.
Dr. Boyle leaves five children and twelve grandchildren: Kevin Boyle and his wife Dorothy of Concord, MA and their children Joseph, Patrick and Bartholomew Boyle; Thomas E. “Tim” Boyle, II of Cranston, RI, and his children Brittany and Scott Boyle; Michael J. Boyle and his wife Mary of Smithfield, RI and their children Michael, John, and Nicole Boyle; Elizabeth Boyle Eckel and her husband Jonathan of Westerly, RI and their son Jonathan Eckel, Jr.; and Susan E. Wild and her husband Robert of North Providence, RI and their children Brett, Cody, and Kasey Wild.
A native of Worcester, Mass, Dr. Boyle was a four-star athlete at North High School earning that school’s top athletic award upon graduation in 1949. Dr. Boyle graduated from Dartmouth College in 1953, majoring in history and economics and was a member of the football and basketball teams. At Dartmouth, he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and the Sphinx Senior Honor Society. He earned a Master’s degree from Harvard University in 1956 and a certificate of advance graduate studies from Harvard in 1960. Dr. Boyle earned a doctorate degree in education from Nova University in 1980.
A life-long educator, Dr. Boyle began his career as a substitute teacher in Newton, MA, and later served as a history teacher, as well as football and track coach at Concord (MA) High School. He served as Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Stoneham, MA for three years, before moving to Smithfield, RI in 1963 to become Superintendent of Smithfield Public Schools, a position he held for 25 years. During his tenure in Smithfield, he supervised the construction and renovation of six schools, including Smithfield’s first high school and new middle school. Upon his retirement in 1988, the town named the Boyle Athletic Complex on the Smithfield High School campus in his honor.
He was inducted into the Town of Smithfield Heritage Hall of Fame in 2001. He served as President of the Rhode Island and New England Superintendent’s Association, and was named Rhode Island Superintendent of the Year in 1988. He was a member of the American Association of School Superintendent’s and the IDMADT organization. He was also a member and held office in the Rhode Island Business Officials Association. He was instrumental in establishing the Northern Rhode Island Collaborative consisting of nine communities and the beginning phase of the Age of Technology in Schools.
Dr. Boyle served in Korea as a Second Lieutenant and platoon leader with the First Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps receiving the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal.
An avid sports fan, Dr. Boyle enjoyed coaching youth sports and was a Providence College hockey enthusiast. He enjoyed reading, gardening, cooking, and playing cribbage. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren. He’ll be forever remembered for telling great stories and jokes, reading books and playing ball with his family, and camping and building sandcastles at the Cape Cod.
In lieu of flowers, friends and family may make donations to the Dr. John K. Boyle Scholarship Fund c/o Citizen’s Bank, 639 Putnam Pike, Smithfield, RI 02828.
Funeral Wednesday at8:30am from the Anderson-Winfield Funeral Home, Route 44 at Greenville Common, Greenville. Mass of Christian Burial at 9:30am in St. Philip Church, 622 Putnam Pike, Smithfield. Visitation Tuesday 4-7pm. If you need a ride to the funeral or the visitation please call Anderson-Winfield Chauffeured Services at 401 949 5557