Virginia Bell Doyle

Virginia Bell Doyle, 99, passed away peacefully in her Saint Petersburg home on Sunday, November 1, 2020. Born on October 24, 1921, in Terre Haute to Henry L. and Louise F. (Lehmann) Schmidt; she was the youngest of seven children. She was married to John Albert Doyle for 62 years; he preceded her in death.

Virginia is survived by 3 children; Margaret Doyle Pappalardo Musmon, Stephen Eugene Doyle (Laura Martin Doyle, deceased), Jeanne Marie Doyle Sherer (Bill Sherer), 5 grandchildren; Frank Pappalardo III (Elizabeth Morrison Pappalardo), Stephen Christopher Doyle, (deceased), Amy Doyle, (deceased), Joshua Sherer (Jessica Clower Sherer) and Kate Marie Brinkley (Tomas Pessenda),7 Great-Grandchildren; Frank IV, Dominic and Sally Pappalardo, Paige Sankey and Zoe Pitts, Robert James and Emma Rose Sherer, and 3 Great-Great-Grandchildren; Lydia Cheesman, Maisen Sankey and Todd Maynard

Virginia graduated from Terre Haute Wiley High School. She graduated from Union Hospital School of Nursing in 1943, and Indiana State University in 1978, earning a BS in Nursing.

Education was important to Virginia. She sent her 3 children to Saint Margaret Mary Grade School and Schulte High School and made higher education opportunities available.

She was employed at Saint Anthony Hospital Terre Haute as a Nursing Supervisor who trained and scheduled Nurse Aides and Orderlies. In the 1980’s she became the Infection Control Nurse.

Later at Terre Haute Regional Hospital she was the Infection Control Nurse.

Virginia was raised in the Methodist faith and converted to Catholicism when she married John.

At St. Margaret Mary Church in Terre Haute, IN she served on the Parish Council, as a Eucharistic Minister and delivered Meals on Wheels.

John and Virginia moved to St. Petersburg, FL in 1996. In addition to caring for her husband who was ill, she delivered Meals on Wheels.

As a member of Blessed Trinity Parish Virginia served as a Eucharistic Minister and assisted with Vacation Bible School. For many years she was a member of the Scripture group.

Virginia enjoyed being with her grandchildren and drove her grandson Josh and his friends home from school.

At age 76, she enrolled in an adult Class at Lakewood HS to learn Windows and how to use a computer.

At 80, she became an avid traveler taking her first trip to Hawaii, with her daughters, where she rode in both a helicopter and submarine. She cruised through the Panama Canal; spent her 89th birthday in Turkey; toured Greece and the Greek Islands; spent her 92nd birthday in Machu Picchu; toured South America, including the Amazon River in Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and cruised the Galapagos Islands including 2 daily zodiac excursions.

Virginia toured many of the National Parks including the Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Redwoods, Yosemite, Arches and Canyonlands to name a few. She also toured New Mexico and took the Wine Train thru Napa Valley.

At 95, she traveled to Dubai and on Safari in Kenya where she saw elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, rhinoceros, hippos and Cape buffalo.

Virginia was cheerful, kind, loving and fun. She was game for almost anything. At 98 years old she drove to Indiana with her son to attend the Christening of her youngest Great-Great-Grandson. Later that year she flew to Lake Placid New York with her children to watch her great grandsons play hockey. She did water exercise at the Y until the onset of the pandemic.

Virginia will be deeply missed by her loving family and many friends.