William Radford Coyle

William Radford Coyle passed quietly on February 10, 2023, surrounded by family the day before his 90th birthday in Peabody, Massachusetts.  Bill was born in New York City on February 11, 1933, to William Radford Coyle, Jr. and Eleanor Coghlin Gibbons. His early life was spent in New York City and Bethlehem, PA.  He attended college preparatory school at the Kent School in Connecticut, where he rowed on the crew team and was a bell ringer. In 1951, he matriculated to Princeton University, graduating in 1955 (Key and Seal).  A favorite memory from Princeton was blasting the new “Rock Around the Clock” record along with dozens of other undergrads at the same time. Following graduation, he moved back to New York City to attend medical school at New York University. During his med school years, he met his future bride, Annamary Monahan on an empty train car by asking if he could sit next to her. They married in 1957, and had four children: William III (1959), James (1960), Mary (1965-1965), and Mary Kathleen (1967). He served in the Army reserves with the 912 MASH. 

He completed his OB/GYN residency at Bellevue Hospital in New York and went into private practice in Connecticut (1967-1973), and then Maryland (1973-1995). He also taught at Georgetown and Howard Medical Schools. By his estimate, during his decades in private practice in the Nation’s Capital, he delivered approximately 4,000 babies. 

Post retirement, he settled in Venice, Florida with Annamary, and took great pleasure in volunteering at the Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota and studying and lecturing on the Civil War. The doors to their home were always open to friends and family from near and far for the 20 years they were in Florida.

He will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, sharp wit and sense of humor (he was a virtuoso composer of “higgeldy-piggeldy” poetry). He never spoke ill of anyone (save perhaps a few elected officials) and he never complained.

Throughout his life, he was a devout Catholic, and unwaveringly loyal to the Traditional Latin Mass. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife, and a daughter. He is survived by children Bill, Jim (Tara), and Katy (Shannon), and his two granddaughters, Saoirse and Fiona. We will all miss him every day. 

A visitation for family and friends will be held on Thursday, February 23rd from 9:30 to 10:30AM at the Oravitz Home for Funerals Inc, Shenandoah, PA.  A Mass of Catholic burial will be held at 11AM, February 23, 2023, in Divine Mercy Parish (Annunciation Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church), 218 W Cherry Street, Shenandoah, PA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you please support (Doctors Without Borders P.O. Box 5030 Hagerstown, MD. 21741-5030 or doctorswithoutborders.org.)

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