Michael Doyle passed away July 8 from lymphoma. He leaves behind his sister & brother in law Kathy and Kenny Fike, nephews Eric, Jason & Dan, their spouses and children, dear friends Mike, Dianne & John, Rebecca, Wayne & Jen, Terry, Tamara and many more whose life he touched.

Mike Doyle was first a journalist. And a good one. From his college years at LSU until his recent retirement. He was a reporter and news anchor on radio stations across the country, including Chicago, Louisiana and North Carolina. He was known for his smooth delivery and his insistence that “there are no bad stories, just bad reporters.” Careers were modeled after his example. He enjoyed the hunt for news and the telling. His most embarrassing moment came when he was on leave from WMAQ in Chicago following the death of his mother. He was travelling the world. He was in Paris. Princess Diana had just died. He saw the growing memorial at the scene. Flowers and cards. He was naturally curious about what had happened. But he chose to ignore it and head to Amsterdam where he would learn in a bar that he just missed the biggest story of his life. No regrets, though. He told the story with a great deal of humor. He said Diana’s death was being discussed on TV in the bar. He mentioned to the bartender that he was a reporter from Chicago and he just walked away from Paris, clueless about what had just happened under his nose. The bartender, according to Doyle, called out to everyone, ‘Hey, this bloke is a reporter from Chicago and he was just in Paris where he missed the biggest story of his life,” or something to that effect. His politics were liberal. Unapologetically. Doyle loved to travel. He loved adventure travel. He and a friend had some close calls with grizzly bears in Alaska and Montana. He often travelled to far flung places alone, including Colombia and Costa Rica. He loved baseball and the Chicago White Sox. He loved music, especially Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead and Wilco. He learned to play the guitar later in life and would strum their songs. He was also a video game fanatic.    

These are quotes from friends:

- “Mike Doyle was mellow, smart, artistic, engaging and worldly. His temper would flare from time to time, to remind you that still waters run deep.”

- “He was a great storyteller – even when he missed the story.”

- “Mike was a person who embraced life. He had an adventurous spirit and an innate curiosity that made him perfectly suited for a career in journalism. World travel inspired him and fed his soul.” 

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