F. Bernard Boyle, a retired real estate executive who as a minister of the Eucharist visited the sick and dying, died Oct. 22 of cardiovascular disease at Pickersgill. The former Bel Air resident was 76.
His wife of 53 years, the former Katherine Lacy Harman, died Oct. 9.
Mr. Boyle moved to Baltimore in 1941 and went to work as an estimator at Bethlehem Steel Corp., retiring in 1960.
He later became a partner in O'Conor and Flynn Realtors, later O'Conor, Piper and Flynn, and was sales manager in the Bel Air office of the firm until he retired a second time in 1983.
After his retirement, he continued as an owner of the merged firm. In the 1970s, he taught real estate at Towson State University.
"He was a loving, wonderful and caring man who worked hard," said Bill Flynn, of O'Conor, Piper and Flynn. "He was a very important part of our growth and success in Harford County."
Boyle visited the sick as a representative of the Roman Catholic Church.
"He had tremendous compassion for the hurting and the suffering. His visits to hospitals, nursing homes and private homes was more than just merely dispensing Communion, he shared his life with these people and spent hours with them," said the Rev. Charles L. Lafferty of the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Towson.
"He was deeply committed to his family, God and church. He was an extraordinary minister," said Father Lafferty.
When at 58 Mr. Boyle suffered a stroke that left his right side paralyzed, he learned to drive again and continued his visits.
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"He was a devout Catholic who attended Mass and took Com
munion every day of his life and believed that he had to set an example of what a good Catholic should be," said a daughter, Lacy Flynn of Towson. "He taught his sons their Latin and trained them to serve at the altar at the Loyola College Chapel."
Born in Emmitsburg, Mr. Boyle was a 1935 graduate of Mount St. Mary's Preparatory School and earned his bachelor's degree in 1939 from Mount St. Mary's College and studied law at the University of Baltimore.
For many years, the Boyles lived on Rosebank Avenue, but in 1965, the family moved to Bel Air. An avid tomato gardener, "he supplied the whole neighborhood," recalled the daughter.
A private Mass will be offered today at Pickersgill.
In addition to his daughter, Mr. Boyle is survived by three sonsDarby Boyle and Scott Boyle, both of Lutherville, and Bruce Boyle of Bel Air; another daughter, Downe Dress of Ellicott City; a sister, Mary Clare Brooks of New Hampshire; and 12 grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Pickersgill, 615 Chestnut Ave., Towson 21204.