Louise Hoyle, 68, of Beckley, passed away at 11:28 pm on April 27, after a long struggle with kidney failure. She was born at Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Lackawanna, NY, on December 10, 1952 and grew up on a farm in East Concord, NY. She earned an associate’s degree from Jamestown Community College, a bachelor’s at SUNY Geneseo, and a master’s in library science from Kent State University. She moved to West Virginia in the late 1970s and worked at the Fayette County Public Library before joining the staff at the library in Raleigh County. After working there for 25 years, she retired in 2004 to focus on raising her children.
She was an avid reader and historian; she was particularly interested in Scottish and Native American histories. Louise was a dedicated genealogist and a longtime member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society. There was no subject, time, person, or place she was not interested in learning about. She enjoyed college football, films, and traveling. She loved nature and animals, telling and sharing stories, and making people laugh. She will be remembered as a loving wife, encouraging mother, and steadfast friend.
Louise is survived by her husband Stephen Hoyle of Beckley, her children James Hoyle of Huntington, Elizabeth Hoyle of Beckley, her brother Douglas Empringham of Cheektowaga, NY, her nieces Sarah Empringham of Grand Island, NY and Cheryl Kull of East Otto, NY, along with many cousins and her grandnieces and her grandnephew.
Her funeral mass will take place Saturday, May 1 at 11 am at St. Francis de Sales in Beckley. She will be buried at a later date in St. Sebastian’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Raleigh County Humane Society. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to the staff of Raleigh General Hospital for their compassionate assistance during her nine years of illness. Arrangements made by Calfee Funeral Home.