Zella Mae Boyle's Obituary
Zella Mae Summers Boyle, of Memphis, Tennessee passed away on Friday September 29th 2023 at the age of 94. Our dear Mother was born February 14th 1929 in the town of Oakdale in Morgan County TN to Riley A. and Helen M. (Grace) Summers.
Zella Mae graduated from Harriman TN High School in 1949 and enrolled in the University of Tennessee School of Nursing in Memphis where she graduated in 1953 soon after marrying her husband Jack Ben Boyle. She worked as an RN at the Kennedy VA Hospital in Memphis and the Wm. F. Bowld Hospital the first part of her career, then at the Shelby County Health Department for many years as the nurse supervisor in the Communicable Disease Department before ending her nursing career performing records research at The Med. For several years in the later part of her career she was active in the Altrusa International Society becoming the president of the Memphis chapter. She loved the nursing profession and promoted it by encouraging many young women to pursue a nursing career.
An excellent seamstress, she enjoyed creating custom clothing and was a talented painter of landscapes and still life. Her greatest joys were traveling with family and friends. She especially enjoyed trips to her East Tennessee mountains to visit family and the many excursions to the Florida beaches with her children and grandchildren.
Mrs. Boyle is survived by her daughters, Claire Bursi (Lou) of Memphis, Barbara Hunter (David) of Collierville, Debbie Capocaccia (John) also of Collierville, and son Curtis Boyle of Southaven MS. She also leaves two sisters, Gracie Adcock of Winchester TN and Becky Creager of Knoxville TN, eight wonderful and much loved grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren, and many loving nieces and nephews.
Mrs. Boyle was preceded in death by her husband Jack, her parents Riley and Helen, two brothers, Charles and Herbert, and three sisters, Virginia, Helen, and Violet.
The family invites friends to gather for funeral services Thursday October 5, 2023, at 2:00pm at Memorial Park Funeral Home 5668 Poplar Ave Memphis, TN. Visitation will be prior to the services starting at 1:00pm.
In lieu of flowers it is the family’s request that anyone wishing to express their sympathy please do so by donating to the charity of their choice.
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