Margaret A. Doyle

Funeral services and Mass of Christian Burial for Margaret A. “Peggy” Doyle, 87, of Wellman, Iowa, formerly of Davenport, will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 16, 2024 at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, Bettendorf.  Burial will take place in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Davenport. Visitation will be Friday, March 15 from 4 until 6 p.m. at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, Davenport. Additional visitation will be held Saturday at church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Mass.  

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Mount Calvary Cemetery Association, Davenport or St. Joseph Cemetery, Cedar Valley, Iowa.  

Peggy died peacefully Monday, March 4, 2024 at her home in Wellman surrounded by her family.

Margaret A. McGuire was born on May 22, 1936 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a daughter of Patrick J. and Genevieve (Fitzpatrick) McGuire. She grew up in the Tipton, Iowa area and graduated from Tipton High School.

Peggy was united in marriage to Joseph Doyle on October 1, 1960, at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Davenport. They shared over 61 years of marriage and memories together before his passing on October 18, 2021.

Peggy worked as a medical transcriptionist. She was not enthused about the invention of the computer. In her heart she probably hoped it would be a short-lived fad. At some point in time, if not multiple times, Peggy worked at each of the 3 local hospitals (St Luke’s, Mercy and Davenport Medical Center). As each one became computerized, she felt it was a sign from God that it was time to move on. In Peggy’s defense, every boss told her she couldn’t break the computer, only to find out she could indeed break it. Peggy also did transcription from home – her kids can still hear the sound of the typewriter. Somehow Peggy was able to have headphones on to listen to the medical dictation, type at very high word per minute speed and accuracy, while also keeping up with all of the Soap Operas on all 3 network channels on her little black & white television – it was really quite amazing to watch.

Peggy was an awesome cook and true to her Irish roots, it was always just meat and potatoes. Money would have been tight raising 6 children but her children’s friends were always asked, “Do you want to stay for dinner?” Peggy’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations were epic. Somehow her campaign to make St. Patrick’s Day a national holiday failed but all of her bosses knew this day was sacred and there was no possibility that she would work! Saint Patrick’s Day was definitely a Holy Day of Obligation. 

In addition to her Irish heritage, Peggy was also proud of her small-town roots. Despite the fact that the family moved away from Tipton in 1956, if she met anyone from the Tipton area she would invariably ask who they were related to and did they remember the McGuire family. 

Peggy was famous for volunteering her children to do any task a friend, family member, neighbor, or complete stranger needed done. If she heard someone needed help, Peggy immediately arranged for her kids to do it. It didn’t matter how big or small the tasks were, they were never allowed to accept any payment so it was definitely a character building experience. 

Peggy loved being a grandmother – attending as many school and sporting events as possible. Luckily for the grandkids she was a much quieter spectator than in her heyday. 

Four things Peggy was well known for: “It's fine”, “Piping Hot”, what she wanted on her tombstone, and the power of a good miracle. It's fine meant it was anything but fine, acceptable or okay. “Piping Hot”: her children would cringe when she ordered soup in a restaurant because they knew it would be followed by “and I want that piping hot!” It was the unwritten rule not to ask if she liked the soup because the response was usually “It’s fine.” Tombstone: Peggy always joked that she wanted “I told you I was sick” on her tombstone. Unfortunately that won’t be necessary as Peggy suffered from dementia and was in declining health for many years. Miracles: Peggy’s Motto: “I don’t believe in miracles – I rely on them.”

Peggy preferred being the volunteer behind the scenes – willing to scrub pots and pans and take the tasks most people didn’t want to do. Peggy was a longtime member of St. Paul’s Church and then Sacred Heart Cathedral, St. Theresa Circle, St. Patrick’s Society, Auxiliary of the American Legion Post 26, and the Red Hat Society.

We would never be able to repay our parents for the life they provided. We have so many great memories growing up at 2008 Bridge Avenue, attending St Paul’s school and being active members of the parish, followed by Assumption High School where we had amazing opportunities to enjoy being a teenager to the fullest which included trusting us to take the family car to State tournaments in Des Moines (if you attended State Tournaments in the 80’s you know what we are talking about), then on to Catholic colleges. We were blessed to have made lifelong friends through these formative years. We can’t begin to list all of the sacrifices our parents made so we could have a better life than they did.

The family will be forever grateful for the wonderful care our brother John provided to both of our parents at the end of their life. Despite declining health we are grateful that Peggy lived to see and enjoy her first great grandson Louis. We also want to thank our Aunt Mary Jo Egan for the love and support that she gave unconditionally to mom. To the Egan girls – we are blessed to have such fabulous cousins! To all of the staff at Compassus Hospice a huge thank you for being there every step of the way on this difficult journey.

Survivors include her children and their spouses Patrick (Kelli) Doyle, Davenport; Elizabeth “Betsy” (Ray) Shovlain, Davenport; Thomas (Kim) Doyle, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina; Julie (Steve) Berger, Wellman, Iowa; David (Julie) Doyle, Bettendorf; and John Doyle, Wellman; grandchildren: Joseph, Peter (Sarah), and Timothy (Anna McLain) Doyle, Katelyn and Sean Shovlain, Kyle (Hailey), Ashley, and Sydney Doyle, Jack (Lexi Werthmann), Andrew and Emma Doyle; Great Grandson Louis Doyle; and a sister, Mary Jo Egan, Western Springs, Illinois.

In addition to her husband, Joe, she was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Jane Jones. May they rest in peace.