James M. Doyle “Big Jim” age 75 of the Packanack Lake area of Wayne passed into life eternal on Tuesday, July 20, 2010 at the Atrium Health Care Center in Wayne. His passing took place peacefully after a courageous two year battle with cancer. His loving family were constantly at his side loving him in his autumn days of life.

Jim was born in the Bronx, New York where he lived his for twenty-nine years before moving to Bergenfield, NJ and then to a country town known as Wayne.

He received his formal education at Visitation Roman Catholic Grammar School and at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx graduating with the Class of 1952. He then went on to study at the Manhattan College where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with the Class of 1957. Jim advanced his education further by going to Saint John’s University in Manhattan where he received a Masters Degree in Finance.

Jim was very skilled at sports especially track, baseball and softball. Those gifts helped him with scholarships to advance his education at Manhattan College. 

His life work was as a “credit administrator” first at Radio Corporation of America “RCA”. He also worked at various oil companies then at BP Oil Corporation where he worked before his retirement.

In his retirement years he spent many volunteer hours at the Chilton Memorial Hospital in Pompton Plains.

He was especially devout in his Roman Catholic faith and was a parishioner of the Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church in Wayne. He served as a Eucharistic Minister at church and was always enthusiastic about helping on church projects.

He was very proud of his Irish heritage and he represented the fourth generation of his family who came to America from Ireland.

Jim was gifted with an extraverted personality that was especially social and caused him to have many friends. You could even describe his personality as gregarious always reaching out to others with kindness and helpfulness.

He loved to play golf and would often play at the Passaic County Golf Course in Wayne. Besides golf he especially enjoyed being at the Jersey Shore at Sandy Hook and standing in the surf casting his line for a big one.

At a house party at the shore he met a beautiful girl by the name of Eleanor Burke. They soon became a couple and married on October 30, 1965. The result was that they had a “perfect loving marriage” for forty-five years. This fisherman caught the love of his life.

Jim enjoyed pets and always had a dog or a cat as a household companion.

The most wonderful thing to happen to him in the autumn of his life was the arrival of Haakon James Christensen a handsome bright eyed grandson. His son in law Douglas is of Norwegian heritage and of course his daughter is of Irish background. He lovingly called his very active grandson “Norwegian Thunder”. Needless to say he adored Haakon with all of his heart.

Surviving to mourn the loss of this very loving husband, father, grandfather and brother are his loving wife Eleanor (nee Burke) Doyle; one daughter Jane Marie Christensen and her husband Douglas of Little Silver; his grandson Haakon James Christensen; one brother Raymond Doyle and his wife Susan of Ridgewood.

He was predeceased by his infant daughter Mary Clare and his sister Patricia Quinn.

Funeral services will be held Friday, July 23, 2010 at 9:30 AM  from the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne then to Immaculate Heart of Mary RC Church, Wayne where at 10:30 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered. Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Thursday from 2-4, 7-9 PM.

Those planning an expression of sympathy in Jim’s memory are asked to consider a charity named Food For the Poor Inc., 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073.