James H. "Jim" Doyle
Jun 24, 1935 -
May 21, 2022
Longtime Alaskan and Kenai resident James H. "Jim" Doyle, 86, passed away on Saturday, May 21, 2022, at home surrounded by his family.
A funeral mass will be at 11 a.m., on June 1, 2022, at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Kenai. Father Robert A. Whitney will officiate. He will be laid to rest in the Doyle Family Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Kevin Doyle, Sean Collins, Nick Albonico, Marc Albonico, Marc Dunham and Randy Efird.
Jim was born on June 24, 1935, in Dillon, Mont. He moved to Alaska in 1957, and lived in Moose Pass before moving to Kenai. He owned Weaver Brothers Inc. and Doyle's Fuel Service.
Jim enjoyed hunting and flying his planes, a Super Cub and Cessna 180.
He was the Assistant Fire Chief of the first volunteer fire department and played a role in helping build the first Kenai Fire Station. He was also appointed vice mayor by Don Gilman for two years.
Jim served two terms as a Kenai City Councilman and two years on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly.
He was a lifelong member of the Kenai Elks Lodge and received the Log Cabin Award from the Kenai Chamber of Commerce. In 2017, Jim was the Grand Marshall of the July 4th parade, riding in the newly restored first Kenai fire truck.
His family wrote, "Jim grew up on a ranch in Montana. Although he grew up on a ranch, Jim never really wanted ranching to be his life's work. From a young age, Jim new he wanted to be a truck driver. Jim left Montana in 1957, drove north to Alaska and never looked back. While driving to Seward, seeking employment, he happened to have a flat tire in Moose Pass. He met Ed Estes, who fixed his tire and offered him a job driving trucks. Jim worked for Ed in Moose Pass for a few years then transferred to Kenai to run the Kenai bulk plant. Jim started his own business, Doyle's Fuel Service, a year later; as of this year Doyle's Fuel Service has been in business for 60 years. In 1978, on a hand shake and a promise, Jim bought Weaver Bros Inc. Over the years he expanded and grew the company into what it is today with the help of his family and many, many great employees. Outside of his first love, trucking, Jim loved to fly and hunt doing so all over Alaska. Jim also went on a number of Africa hunting trips. Anyone who knew Jim, knew he loved to hunt. Jim's love for Alaska, especially Kenai and its people, was boundless. Kenai was home from the day he arrived; he never had any desire to live anywhere else. Jim was loved by so many. With his ready smile and fun loving nature, along with his giving spirit and helping hand, Jim touched many lives. Always humble, always thankful, Jim never forgot his roots. Jim loved his family dearly and unconditionally, and we will all miss him greatly. We all appreciate how lucky we were to have had him as our husband, father, grandfather, uncle and brother. We were all so blessed to have been loved and cared for by this wonderful man."
Jim was preceded in death by his father, Jack; mother, Stella; brother, Patrick; sister, Cathrine; and son, Rick.
He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Trina Doyle of Kenai; daughter, Juile Cooley of Susanville, Calif.; sons, Jimmy Doyle (Sharon) of Anchorage and Steve Morris (Lane) of Darby, Mont.; daughters, Shari Doyle (Melissa) of Kenai and Denice Doyle of Soldotna; grandsons, Sean Collins (Sarah) of Shelton, Wash., Nick Albonico (Sadie) and Marc Albonico (Amber) all of Susanville, Calif.; granddaughters, Erica Newby and Megan Dunham (Marc) all of Mesa, Ariz., and Jenna Efird (Randy) of Anchorage; sister, Molly Niblack of Deroche, B.C.; brother, Mike Doyle of Napa Valley, Calif.; and several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Memorial donations may be directed to Alaska Community Foundation, Doyle Family Foundation Fund, 3201 C Street, Ste. 110, Anchorage, AK 99503.
