Mary Boyle

Longtime Mercy Hospital Nurse, Blanche Boyle passed away December 6, 2013. After 95 eventful
years, she died peacefully at Mercy Hospital, where she was an active RN for approximately
40 years. Next to her love for her family and dedication to her church, she counted her nursing
career as a wonderfully rich experience. Many residents from the Durango area will remember
Blanche nursing them back to health with a smile and great bedside manner. So, it only seemed
fitting that this active nurse of Mercy Hospital would finish the cycle of her life in the same
institution where she had spent so many years of dedicated service. Blanche was born in Waterflow, New Mexico on July 28, 1918, but her enterprising father, Gonzaga Wethington, soon moved the large family to the heart of Farmington, New Mexico, where he farmed and raised fruit orchards, just Southeast of Farmington High School. Blanche and two of her siblings, Christine and Jack, would go to that same school in a horse ‘n buggy, tie the horse ‘n buggy up to a fence and return home at the end of the day in the same buggy. Blanche soon moved to Denver, Colorado and went to Mercy Hospital's Nursing School, which promised to be
a fulfilling career choice. While nursing, Blanche met a colorful man named Warren Boyle. They
began their married life in Denver, where Warren worked as a machinist for the D&RG railroad
during the World War II era, yet they missed the southwest and returned to Durango, Colorado. They were to enjoy 63 years together, and raised 4 children- Bill, John (Nancy), Teresa (Michael),
and Don (Debra), and her grandchildren, Sarah, Isaiah, and Jacob Boyle, Jonathan, Jason, and
Christopher Boyle, Terri Brodie, Ed and Patrick Dillon along with her multiple great grandchildren.
Blanche always reached out to her community in service. After working a full day at the
hospital, she often went to the nursing home after work and visited the elderly there. She could
always be counted upon to take a full load of Mercy Hospital Nuns up into the mountains each
summer to see the wild flowers there. Eventful stories include her always praying the rosary as
she flew over the mountains in a small airplane with her adventurous husband. She was an avid
skier, a solid fan of the Rockies baseball team, and always had several apples a day to eat, which
her family attributed as the cause of her long fruitful life. Whether in Denver, Durango, or even
faraway places like Jerusalem, Israel, Blanche would meet and make lifelong friends. And, their
home was a revolving door of hospitality, with many visitors. When Warren once unexpectedly
brought home the famed actor Jimmy Stewart for dinner, Blanche embarrassingly told them, "All
I have prepared is leftover Hash." Comically, Jimmy Stewart moseyed over to the stove, tasted
the hash and in his best western drawl stated, "Blanche, I happen to love good ole fashioned
Corn Beef Hash!" And, with that comment, the three of them sat down to an enjoyable dinner.
Her life path was not always easy. When she was 62, she had triple bi-pass surgery, after a heart
attack. Yet, only a couple weeks later she went rafting down the Animas River with her daughter
Teresa and grandchildren. Several months later she climbed a tall mountain near Silverton, Co.,
which her family nicknamed ‘Grandma’s Peak” after her. Blanche leaves behind the legacy of
a compassionate nurse, a loving mother, “the best Grandma ever,” and a devoted Catholic who
set a wonderful example for her family and community. Public viewing of Blanche is at Hood Mortuary at 1:00 pm on Friday, and a rosary recital will be Friday evening at 7:00 pm at St. Columba Church. Her family would be honored to have friends' presence at her funeral at St. Columba Church on Saturday, December 14, at 12:00 pm. A reception and celebration of her fruitful life
will follow the service at the St. Columba Parish Center.