Dr. William Jerome 'Jake' Doyle

Dr. Doyle passed peacefully on September 16, 2020 surrounded by family and in the care of the wonderful people of Pinewood Terrace in Colville Washington. He resided in Colville for 54 years and practiced medicine until the age of 81. He was a beloved brother, father, grandfather, physician and friend.

Jake was born July 14, 1934 in Superior, MT. He was the eldest of the eleven children born to William J. and Viola Doyle. His father was the town doctor and his mother was a nurse. Known as “Romie” (short for Jerome) in Superior, he grew up hunting and fishing throughout Western Montana. As a freshman in high school he was sent to St. Martin’s High School in Lacy, WA as a boarding student. There he suffered homesickness but made many lifelong friendships graduating in 1952. He studied pre-med at St. Martin’s College. After graduation, he attended Creighton Medical School in Omaha, NE, graduating in 1963. During his internship at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, he met a beautiful surgical nurse, Donna Webb. They married in 1964 and moved to Santa Cruz, CA for Jake’s family practice residency. Jake and Donna had their first child, Bill, in Santa Cruz. Hoping to get back to a small community in the Northwest, they moved to Colville in 1966 to open their own private practice. Jake, also known as “Doc” around Colville, served as a dedicated country doctor for 50 years. In addition to his office he also shared duties with just a handful of dedicated doctors at Mt. Carmel Hospital. These doctors took care of people around the clock in the Emergency Room, surgery and delivering babies.

Doc joined practices with Drs. Gray and Goetter in 1970. They worked and healed on Astor Street until 1979 when he and Drs. Gray, Barker, Hatfield, Herman, Irwin and Lindeman created the Northeast Washington Medical Group. Together, and inspired by the Dominican Sisters who. came as missionaries from Germany bringing healthcare to Northeast Washington, they not only created a new building, but began an innovative approach to healthcare that served Colville as well as the surrounding communities.

Today, now part of Providence Health Care the clinic has the full spectrum of primary care and specialists who serve the health and wellness of the entire region. Jake also provided leadership on the state level as an officer and board member of the Washington Academy of Family Physicians, a board member of the Family Health Foundation of Washington, and a member of the committee for the Washington Academy of Family practice emergency service. At his heart, Jake was a country doctor, just as his father had been in Western Montana. He had a special touch with children and elderly patients. The children appreciated him because their visit always ended with dum-dum lollipops. The elderly loved him because he spoke plainly with them, and they could sense his compassion. Throughout his practice, he was the quintessential country doctor making house calls to the homebound and conducting

impromptu medical consults in the grocery store and the gas station. The practice of medicine was far more important to him than its business. Often those who could not pay left garden vegetables, eggs, or fresh game at his doorstep in gratitude for his service.

Born and raised a Catholic, Jake’s faith was an essential part of who he was both privately and publicly. He regularly attended Mass at Immaculate Conception and Sacred Heart Parishes. In his last years, while living at Pinewood Terrace, friends would pick him up for Sunday Mass and breakfast, and he prayed the Rosary faithfully. In addition to work and family, Doc was a proud member of the Colville Benchwarmers, the Colville Fire Department and long supporter of the Colville Schools and sports. Doc was a friend of Bill W and that community was an important part of his life. In his golden years, he found great pleasure in hunting and gathering firewood.

He was a snow skier and spent countless hours driving the boat at Christina Lake for water skiers. There was no greater joy than when he organized a fishing trip to Alaska or Vancouver Island, especially with his children and grandchildren. The trips yielded stories far greater than his catches. Jake and his wife Donna (deceased 2012) had five children and eight grandchildren: son Bill and grandson Jake (Spokane); son Fr. Tom (Berkeley, CA), son Mike and wife Wenona and children Daniel and Mariana (Spokane); daughter Katy and husband Murray and children Matthew, Tommy and Amanda (Warfield, B.C.); and daughter Molly and husband Ben and daughter Elizabeth (St. Helens, OR). “Papa Jake’s” greatest joys during his last decades were his grandchildren. Fishing trips to Alaska with his grandsons, hockey games, soccer matches, and dance recitals provided him joy and endless stories to retell.

Jake is also survived by his brother Basil and seven sisters Sara, Thresa, Madeline, Margarite, Kathy, Betty, Eileen and twenty-one nephews and nieces. His parents and brothers David and Bobby preceded him in death. Memorial gifts can be made to the Immaculate Conception Parish Social Outreach Fund, which provides emergency relief to people in the local community. https://www.osvhub.com/immaculate-conception-colville/funds.

There will be a vigil and rosary for Dr. Doyle on Monday, September 21, 2020 at 5:00 PM at Immaculate Conception Parish at 320 N. Maple Colville, WA. There will be an open visitation following from 6:00 PM-7:00 PM Due to the circumstances related to the virus and the large size of his immediate family, the Funeral Mass on Tuesday morning will be restricted to only family. His son Fr. Tom Doyle and pastor Fr. Kenny St. Hilaire will preside at the funeral. The funeral will be streamed by the internet at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, September 22. It can be watched through a link on this page: https://www.myparishfamily.org/

Please visit the online memorial and sign the guestbook at www.danekasfuneralchapel.com. Danekas Funeral Chapel and Crematory is entrusted in care.