Mary Boyle dies at 81

Prepared by the Boyle Family

Mary Lou “Peachy” Kelly Boyle, beloved wife, mother and a former director of the Bureau of Public Health Nursing for the Suffolk County Department of Health Services died Saturday, Oct. 7, after a sudden illness. She was 81.

An avid photographer, poet, boater, gardener and dog mom of Zoey and bird mom of Tootie, Mary Lou resided in Setauket for nearly 40 years.

Mary Lou was the oldest girl of seven siblings, born and raised in Freeport. She attended St. Agnes Cathedral School in Rockville Centre and graduated from Georgetown University School of Nursing. She spent her career as a nurse, working in New York City and Suffolk County hospitals before joining the Suffolk County Department of Health Services as a public health nurse in 1973. While working her way up the ranks of the Bureau of Public Health Nursing, she obtained a master of science in nursing from Adelphi University in 1983. By 1990, she was named the director of that bureau, implementing home care-based public health nursing programs for more than a decade before retiring in 2001.

Mary Lou served on many professional advisory boards and committees related to nursing, hospice care, child protection and AIDS patients. She chaired the Suffolk County Legislature’s Comparable Worth Commission, which sought to increase pay for nurses in the late 1980s.

She received numerous professional awards and recognitions, including the New York State Public Health Association’s 1993 award for outstanding leadership in public health.

A private service is planned. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Good Shepherd Hospice online or by check sent to Good Shepherd Hospice, 110 Bi-County Blvd, Suite 114, Farmingdale, NY 11735. It is also possible to call 631-465-6350 and pay by credit card or request a donation envelope.